Tim Leatherman will now have more time to spend in his work shop at home after stepping down from the helm at Leatherman Tool Group. (Photo by Doug Beghtel)

c.2008 Newhouse News Service

PORTLAND, Ore. — Back in 1983, when Tim Leatherman first started selling his patented "Pocket Survival Tool,'' he offered a 25-year warranty to back up his product.

For early owners of Leatherman's now ubiquitous tool _ an all-in-one gadget packing a screwdriver, pliers and blades — that guarantee runs out this month as the company celebrates 25 years of business. But for Leatherman, who grew his company out of a Portland garage and retired in 2005, there's no intention of turning away any longtime customer's warranty claim, no matter how long expired.

Over the past quarter-century, that old-fashioned approach to customer satisfaction has been one of Leatherman Tool Group's primary marketing schemes. Now with more than 550 employees, the company has sold millions of tools despite relatively few changes to Leatherman's original design.