Our Company

Wooster Products Inc has been providing the knowledge and experience you need to make every step a safe one for over 100 years!

Proud of our Wooster roots

Wooster Products Inc has been providing the knowledge and experience you need to make every step a safe one for over 100 years! Wooster Products is a certified small business, proudly owned by the Arora family since 1980, and currently under second-generation leadership. Our expertise and quality solutions are relied on for new construction, renovation and industrial safety projects that span the globe.

We have been based in Wooster, Ohio since the company was originally founded in 1921, and continue to be a domestic manufacturer that provides steady employment to members of our community. Many of our associates have been with us long term – some as long as 30 years or more! With their help, hard work and experience, Wooster Products manufactures high quality anti-slip stair and walkway products with quick turnaround time on many items.

Commitment to safety

Our commitment to high-quality manufacturing and attention to detail shows in how our solutions perform for our customers. Wooster’s anti-slip stair products are built to withstand the test of time – raising the bar on stair and walkway safety.

Many product lines are still as in-demand as they were decades ago. While some of our products are the definition of “tried and true,” our newer innovations and product lines were designed and manufactured in response to the evolving needs of our customers and new building codes. One thing all of our solutions have in common is making EVERY step a safe one!

A long history of quality & stability

  • 1921
  • 1922
  • 1925
  • 1929
  • 1932-38
  • The War Years
  • 1950s
  • 1956
  • 1960s
  • 1961
  • 1965
  • 1970s
  • 1976
  • 1980s
  • 1990s
  • 1995
  • 1999
  • 2000s
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2010s
  • 2016
  • 2020s
  • 2021
  • 1921

    Company founded as Safety Stair Tread Company in Cleveland, Ohio in February with a single product – Alumogrit®. In June, the company moved to Wooster, OH.

  • 1922

    Charles “Chic” Loehr graduates from the University of Cincinnati and starts work in Wooster. He steadily rises through the company and purchases as much stock as he can from the owners, eventually amassing controlling interest in the 30s.

  • 1925

    Safety stairs have always been installed in high-profile locations – a testimonial from 1925 from the University of Notre Dame was used in company marketing materials.

  • 1929

    With a diversified product line, the name of the company was changed to Wooster Products Inc. The new logo was used until 1965.

  • 1932-38

    During the Great Depression employees would show up and work if there was work to do – and play cards if not. Volunteers built a cupola system allowing the company to begin casting treads to increase sales.

    Shreve foundry purchased and started making tread casting at that plant.

  • The War Years

    Wooster Products used its casting skills to manufacture aircraft parts during the war. Metal molding and trim was popular and contributed significantly to company sales.

  • 1950s

    Post War Economic Boom-Cast treads continue to gain in popularity, leading to an expansion of the foundry.

    Safe Stride Paint and POXIGRIP added to the product line.

  • 1956

    Supergrit® and Spectra® introduced.

  • 1960s

    New plants for new products – the foundry was expanded again and mechanized. Present office building constructed – with original safety treads still in use today!

  • 1961

    Stairmaster® product introduced to address repair work.

  • 1965

    New logo introduced.

  • 1970s

    Epoxy WP-70 introduced in 1970. OSHA also established.

  • 1976

    Flex-Tred introduced. A new building was constructed to manufacture this non-slip safety tape.

  • 1980s

    The Arora family purchased the company from the Loehr family in 1980, ushering in a new era for the family run company.

    Skateboards are big business as Wooster supplied Die-Cut Flex-Tred to many skateboard manufacturers. The US military also uses the product for wing tape, on armored personnel carriers, ships, and other applications.

    The company works with the U.S. Navy to develop anti-slip stairs for NavSea projects. Coatings are also used extensively to provide secure footing on ships.

  • 1990s

    Wooster continues their leadership in the safety stair industry with the introduction of NITEGLOW™ glow-in-the-dark safety treads and Flex-Tred photoluminescent technology.

  • 1995

    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame opens. Wooster products ensure that fans can safely navigate their favorite artifacts and concerts.

  • 1999

    2-stage invented, allowing safety stair treads to be new when building is completed and turned over to new occupants.

    To meet short lead times company stocks inventory – currently holds over $1MM to accommodate customers.

  • 2000s

    NITEGLOW introduced – initial Stairmaster NITEGLOW order to Shadow Lake Golf Club. New York Times Building soon followed as did numerous SUNY campus buildings and others across the country.

  • 2005

    AT&T Stadium (Dallas Cowboys stadium) opens – this was the first major installation using 2-piece technology.

  • 2006

    NITEGLOW approved by MEA, NY Dept. of Buildings.

  • 2010s

    NITEGLOW added to the Statue of Liberty and in the National Museum of American History (Smithsonian complex).

    Unusual orders are not unusual, as shown by these curved, custom-ordered nosings installed in Virginia Beach, VA.

    Stairmaster installed in the U.S. Capitol Building as part of Dome Reconstruction Project.

  • 2016

    Alumogrit stair nosings installed in new locker expansion project for Panama Canal.

  • 2020s

    Custom machinery is common at Wooster, including machinery designed to grind 8-foot cast reads, and to test lifespan of products. Transit has always been an important market, including the installation in Hawaii for Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit in 2020-2021.

    Major sports arenas across the world feature Wooster Products, including St. Louis Soccer, Dallas Cowboys Stadium, Diamondback stadium and others.

  • 2021

    Wooster celebrates 100 years with a Centennial logo.