Founded in western New York in 1980 as Stride Tool, North Park Innovations Group produces vocational training equipment and curriculum from its headquarters in Ellicottville. Its iConnect Training brand serves HVAC/R and electrical education, while Marcraft develops classroom lab hardware, software, and courseware for technology and emerging-trade programs used across the United States and internationally.
Stride Tool, LLC (Imperial® brand)With roots reaching back to Imperial Brass Manufacturing Company’s founding in Chicago in 1905, Stride Tool makes Imperial® specialty hand tools for professional HVAC/R technicians and other service trades. Headquartered in Glenwillow, Ohio, the company operates a centralized manufacturing facility opened in 2004 and has expanded the Imperial line through acquisitions including northeast Ohio’s Milbar and Thermal Engineering. Imperial’s history is especially visible in its long-running tube-working tools and Milbar safety wire twisters, both made for demanding professional use.GLENWILLOW, OH
Firehouse Innovations LI, IncFamily-owned and operated on Long Island, Firehouse Innovations LI grew from founder Mike Perrone’s 33-year FDNY career and his work teaching forcible entry. The company now builds its patented Multi-Force training door in a 9,000-square-foot facility and has supplied more than 3,500 systems worldwide, including the official FDNY training door since 2008.BAYPORT, NY
Nasco Healthcare IncNasco Healthcare traces its roots to 1941, when agricultural teacher Norman Eckley began making educational tools on his farm. Now based in Saugerties, New York, the company has spent more than 80 years developing medical simulation equipment for frontline healthcare and rescue professionals, with its heritage including the Simulaids and Life/form brands. Its ISO 9001:2015-certified quality system reflects a manufacturing operation that controls products from design through delivery.SAUGERTIES, NY
Yellow JacketFor more than 75 years, Yellow Jacket—Ritchie Engineering’s Bloomington, Minnesota brand—has made HVAC/R and automotive A/C service tools and equipment, including the hoses and gauges that established its reputation. The company combines U.S.-designed and manufactured products with technician-focused innovations such as its wireless YJACK instruments and TITANMAX digital manifold, while providing training and support to contractors worldwide.HILLTOWN, PA