Irving Franklin was first employed at a shoe factory in Brockton, and later joined his grandfather in the scrap leather business, which he took over when his grandfather passed away. When the Korean War began, Mr. Franklin obtained a variety of government contracts, and produced gloves, trigger finger mittens, and a variety of other products. In 1962, Irving Franklin went to Japan and began to import baseball gloves. Irving was a "leather" man at heart, and became an expert on leather manufacturing. He worked with Pittards to create the first batting glove leather. He then partnered with a start-up factory to produce the gloves with a unique tri-curve design for superior fit and feel. The same factory is still manufacturing our batting gloves. Larry Franklin took over the reigns as President in 1986. His son Adam works in the company as well.