Specialty Fabrics Review October 2021 - 28

That lesson helped clarify Hannigan's
thinking about what RBH's competitive
When we eliminated
balloon repair, some
people said, " Oh, sorry
to hear you're out of
business. " We weren't
out of business. We just
changed our business.
Matt Guthrie
SUPERIAIRE
advantage was.
" We're a [business to consumer]
company that specializes in protection,
primarily in cold weather with
our made-to-order VaprThrm
technology, and we use our 23 years of
experience and capabilities for product
development, " he says.
The jury is still out on whether
RBH will see a favorable return on
investment on the additional square
footage and equipment, but the
company is using the machines on
custom projects and to waterproof its
own garments.
" We've been fortunate to adapt and
find new customers, " says Hannigan.
This new work includes sewing
covers for a client's high-end outdoor
furniture, radio frequency shielding
products, aviation headset components
and awnings. The company's outdoor
apparel sales also grew as more
consumers pursued outdoor activities
during the pandemic. The benefits of
having additional square footage have
been realized in the additional volume
of work RBH has been able to take on.
" It's nice to have room to spread out, "
Hannigan says.
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28 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / October 2021
Cutting one revenue
stream to grow another
When people ask Matt Guthrie what
his company, SuperiAire Technologies
LLC, does, he replies, " We play with
bombs and parachutes. " Of course,
it's more complicated than that, but
he's learned that the real answer takes
too long to explain. A lifelong hot-air
balloon enthusiast, Guthrie started his
business in 1998 as a Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Certified Repair
Station, a rigorous certification that
allowed the Albuquerque, N.M.-based
company to repair and maintain hotair
and gas balloons. Guthrie's ultimate
goal was to work on government
contracts, but he knew the repair
station would generate immediate cash
flow and could sustain the business
while he pursued government contacts
and contracts.
SuperiAire eventually found a
foothold in parachutes and fabric
blast attenuation devices (devices
used by first responders and bomb
squads to reduce the damage caused
by an explosive). The company's
FAA certification was an advantage
because it already had stringent quality
checks in place-a requirement for
federal contracts.
In 2010, when the company had
built up a reliable stream of government
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