AirBoss of America

The story of AirBoss of America begins not with a grand vision for a diversified rubber empire, but with a single, practical problem: creating a puncture-proof tire for the mining industry. Founded in 1989 as IATCO Industries by Alan R. Burns and P. Grenville Schoch, the company initially focused on this niche. However, the founders quickly recognized a larger opportunity. By 1994, the company was renamed AirBoss of America Corp. and listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. A pivotal moment came with a series of strategic acquisitions. In 1999, AirBoss purchased Acton International, which made protective overboots for the Canadian military. This acquisition was the seed from which its defense division grew. Over the next two decades, AirBoss executed a playbook of acquiring specialized rubber and manufacturing companies, steadily building its capabilities. This included expanding into custom rubber compounding, becoming the second-largest independent compounder in North America, and producing anti-vibration parts for the automotive industry. A major leap occurred in January 2020 with the formation of the AirBoss Defense Group (ADG), merging its existing defense business with Critical Solutions International. This move proved incredibly timely. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, ADG was perfectly positioned to secure massive contracts for personal protective equipment (PPE) from governments, including a significant $96 million contract from FEMA. This solidified AirBoss’s position as a critical supplier of survivability solutions and marked a new chapter of dramatic growth.