Creare

In 1961, a group of engineers, including Peter Christie, founded Creare in Hanover, New Hampshire, with a focus on fluid dynamics and serving the turbomachinery and nuclear industries. The company's name, Latin for "to create," perfectly captured their mission to solve complex engineering challenges for government and industrial clients. Their services ranged from applied research to designing and testing prototypes. Instead of following a typical growth trajectory, Creare adopted a unique strategy of spinning off new companies based on its internal research and development. This approach led to the creation of several successful independent businesses. Notable spin-offs include Hypertherm, a leader in industrial cutting products founded in 1968, and Fluent, a computational fluid dynamics software company started in 1988 that was later acquired by ANSYS, Inc. Creonics, a motion control systems developer, and Spectra, an inkjet printhead manufacturer, also originated from Creare's innovations before being acquired by Rockwell Automation and Fujifilm Dimatix, respectively. Remaining a privately-owned engineering services firm, Creare has continued to be a vital research and development partner for entities like NASA and the Department of Defense. The company has been instrumental in developing technologies such as a cryocooler for the Hubble Space Telescope and innovations for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. Creare's journey is not one of a high-profile IPO but of quiet, consistent innovation that has seeded a diverse family of technology companies.