It’s hard to believe that 2022 marks 75 years in business for Paulson Manufacturing. What started with one man and an idea conceived on the battlefield during WWII has evolved into a world-class manufacturer of face & eye protection for industrial workers and first responders around the globe. Since 1947, we’ve been making our products right here in our facility in Temecula, CA. A lot has obviously changed over the years. One thing that has remained constant is our commitment to innovation. This has been at our core since the very beginning when we produced one product – the iconic Bubble Goggle.
Every Company has an Origin Story. This is Ours.
While fighting in World War II, our founder, Tom Paulson, thought he and his fellow soldiers needed better eye protection from the sand being kicked up as they stormed beaches in the Pacific Theatre. From this premise, Tom envisioned a basic goggle that would protect against debris while providing clear peripheral vision. After the war, Tom went home to Racine, Wisconsin, and he and his family packed up and moved to where Tom did his basic training for the Army – sunny Southern California. Upon settling in Temecula in 1947, Paulson Manufacturing Corp. was born, with the Bubble Goggle as the first item produced.
Initially, the Bubble Goggle was not marketed toward industrial workers or first responders, but rather as a promo for … Kellog’s cereal! Marketed as the “Tom Corbett Space Cadet Goggle,” children could send in two cereal box proofs of purchase, plus $0.25, and would receive the goggles by mail. Unfortunately, this promo did not have the wild success Mr. Paulson had hoped for. However, there was an unintended consequence of these goggles being sold as a cereal promo item. Parents started to take an interest in the goggles their children were receiving. That interest soon spread to what would become a rabid fanbase of the Bubble Goggle – stock car & motorcycle racers and racing enthusiasts. Paulson quickly pivoted to cater to this market, and in a short amount of time, the Bubble Goggle became a mainstay in the motor racing community and would remain so for decades to come. Shortly after, we developed the Bubble Visor for motorcycle helmets, and Paulson’s reputation among the racing community spread even further.
Notable Milestones & Events in Our Company’s History
- Early 1960s: First injection molding machines are installed in the factory
- Mid-1980s: Contracted by the U.S. Navy to develop a gold hard coated face shield for aircraft rescue & firefighting (ARFF). This technology was soon applied to our heat reflective face shields for industrial workers in the molten metal industry.
- Late 1980s: Factory operations system is computerized
- Early 1990s: Tom Paulson’s son, Roy Paulson, transitions from V.P. to CEO of the company, and shifts our company focus primarily to make products for industrial workers and first responders. Roy Paulson remains CEO to this day.
- 1990s – Early 2000s: Contracted by the U.S. Army for 12 years to perform R&D work. This led to the development of the DK5 and DK6 series of riot face shield solutions for ballistic combat helmets.
- Late 1990s – Early 2000s: Performed extensive R&D to develop arc flash face shields for electrical safety, with the first face shields selling commercially by the turn of the 21st century.
- 2004: Paulson International is established in Frankfurt, Germany, and we begin to sell our products to a global market. All production continues to remain at our Temecula, CA facility.
- 2009 – 2016: CEO Roy Paulson sits on the President’s Export Council under the Obama Administration, positioning Paulson Mfg. as an expert in global trade.
- 2016: Paulson officially discontinues its Sports product line, ending the production of such products as the Bubble Goggle, motorcycle helmet visors and paintball goggles.
- 2020: In response to COVID-19, Paulson produces 2 million disposable infectious disease control (IDC) face shields & goggles per month. These IDC items were used by frontline healthcare workers and first responders throughout the U.S. during the COVID crisis.
Paulson International: U.S.-Made Products with a Global Reach
Since 2004, Paulson International, the international sales entity of Paulson Manufacturing, has distributed our high-quality products to the entire world by a globally acting network of authorized distributors. Represented in over 70 countries with over 250 authorized distributors, the headquarters and warehouse of Paulson International are in Frankfurt, Germany.
Paulson Manufacturing Today: Advanced Materials Science Drives Innovation
Today, Paulson Manufacturing continues to be at the forefront of innovation, pushing the boundaries of what we thought was possible in the development of next-gen safety gear. A great example of this is the integration of nanoparticles into our arc flash face shields. Through extensive study and careful manipulation of these particles, Paulson has developed specialized nanomaterials with unique properties, resulting in arc flash face shields with better impact and UV light resistance, evenly distributed particles for better energy absorption, and enhanced reliability. For the electrical worker, this means better protective gear that is comfortable to wear and provides a level of protection that is second to none.
Unparalleled Protection in the Face of Danger
From our humble beginnings with the Bubble Goggle, through the ups and downs over the decades (including a fire at the factory in 1991!), all the way to the present day, Paulson Manufacturing has stayed true to our credo of “Quality Products to Protect People.” The industrial workers and first responders around the globe that use our products face potentially life-threatening hazards every day while on the job. While they serve us and our way of life, we serve them by producing the highest quality protective gear in the industry. Here’s to the next 75 years of safety!
Please contact us today for further information on our company or the products we make.
