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Traeger, Inc.

A maker of wood-pellet grills that invented the category in 1985, when heating-company owner Joe Traeger in Mt. Angel, Oregon built the first grill that burns compressed hardwood pellets to deliver steady heat and real wood-smoke flavor. Named after the founder's own surname, its "Set-It & Forget-It" grills feed pellets automatically and even connect to a phone app so cooks can adjust the temperature from anywhere. Today it sells one of the world's best-known brands of pellet grills from its home in Salt Lake City.