Planar Systems, Inc. (PLNR)

Planar Systems was an Oregon maker of display products, including LCD and LED video walls, large-format and touch-screen displays, desktop monitors and specialty displays for medical, industrial and defense uses. The company was founded in 1983 as a spin-off from Tektronix by a group of engineers that included Jim Hurd, Chris King and John Laney, and it was the first U.S. manufacturer of electroluminescent displays.

Planar went public on Nasdaq in 1993. Through the 1990s and 2000s it moved from specialty electroluminescent panels into broader flat-panel markets and acquired several display businesses. It later exited lower-margin product lines and concentrated on video walls and large-format displays for control rooms, retail, corporate and digital signage customers.

In August 2015 Leyard Optoelectronic, a Beijing-based LED display manufacturer listed in Shenzhen, agreed to acquire Planar for $6.58 per share in cash. The deal gave Leyard a U.S. brand and distribution network for its LED video products. The acquisition closed on November 27, 2015, and Planar's shares were removed from Nasdaq. Planar continues to operate in the Portland area as a subsidiary of Leyard.