1985 Dr. H. Darrel Darby, a practicing podiatrist, develops the Darby Med-Surg™ Shoe – a unique post operative shoe built around a semi-rigid sole to replace the traditional wooden sole shoes that had dominated the market to that point. He forms a company, Darby Incorporated, to market and distribute the shoe throughout the USA. Production is handled by a Taiwanese footwear manufacturer and physical distribution is subcontracted out to a US distribution center in Chicago.

1986 Midway through the second year the company is advised that the “Darby” name is the registered trademark of another firm. In response the company changes its name to Darco International, Inc.

1987 Distribution is moved from Chicago to a facility near the company’s main office in Huntington, WV. Attention remains focused on establishing market dominance with the Darco Med-Surg™ Shoe.

1988 Darco introduces its first ankle products and begins to develop OEM relationships to broaden distribution and to provide low-cost soft goods manufacturing to select partners in the USA.

1991 Darco begins to investigate opportunities to expand operations into Europe while simultaneously exploring lower cost manufacturing opportunities in China.

1992 Darco (Europe) GmbH. is incorporated in Diessen, Germany to act as the sales and distribution center for the Darco line in Europe.

1993 Education is identified as the barrier to market in Germany so the company organizes the First German-American Symposium on Foot Surgery in Munich. The meeting is attended by 380 German orthopedic surgeons making it the largest foot surgery meeting ever held in Germany.

1994 Darco helps to organize the Stiftung Fusschirurgie to provide a forum for international and interdisciplinary exchange of information on foot surgery. The Munich Symposium is repeated with the intention of making it an annual event. At the same time a Chinese manufacturing partner is identified and limited production in China begins.

1995 Educational efforts in Germany increase with the Stiftung Fusschirurgie organizing a series of smaller workshops and seminars around the country. Darco focuses on becoming the “one-stop -shop” for foot and ankle surgeons in Germany and begins to distribute the MicroAire line of power surgical instruments and a forefoot reconstruction set from AMP.

1996 All soft goods production is transferred from Taiwan to an ISO certified, joint venture factory in Shanghai, China. The factory produces exclusively for Darco providing the company with full control of the manufacturing process and greatly improving logistics.

1998 The Stiftung Fusschirurgie changes its name to Gesellschaft fur Fusschirgie and becomes an independent organization dedicated to the promotion and development of foot and ankle surgery in Europe.

1999 Darco begins marketing a line of implants in Germany under the Darco brand name. Production is handled by an OEM manufacturer. The move helps further boost Darco’s position as the premiere foot surgery company in Germany.

2000 Darco International Trading Shanghai Ltd. (DITSL) is incorporated in Shanghai, China, to begin sales on the Chinese domestic market and provide service and support to Darco’s Asian customers.

2001 Darco becomes the first company to introduce locking plate system for foot surgery. The reaction of the German market is positive and the company commits to building on this concept for the future.

2002 Darco moves into a 96,000 square foot distribution center in Huntington, WV. Darco Europe builds a new facility in Raisting, Germany, to accommodate the company’s growth. The new facility includes a training center to host the company’s international surgical workshops.

2003 On November 18, 2003, Dr. H. Darrel Darby dies after a long and heroic battle with cancer.

2004 The entire line of post operative footwear and related products undergo a significant redesign process during the course of the year for 2005 re-launch.
Dr. Darby is posthumously awarded the “Distinguished Service Citation”, the highest honor bestowed by the APMA, in recognition of his contributions to the profession of podiatry.

2005 The Darco line of internal fixation products is introduced to the US market. Darco begins to manufacture its own implants at their Raisting, Germany location. Construction begins on new US headquarters in Huntington, WV.

2006 Darco moves into its new US headquarters. The new facility includes a dedicated R&D lab and meeting rooms for surgical workshops and training.