Growing up in Warwick, NY in the 1980s was wild. We were only an hour from Manhattan, but many folks in town had never even been to the city. It was rural, hands-on living.

Our entertainment came from building things. When something broke, we fixed it. We were on a first-name basis with the crew at NAPA Auto Parts and every local hardware store.

And when evening came, we’d gather in farmers’ fields or in the woods and enjoy a fire. I always took charge of that moment. I loved the sense of control, the focus on safety, and the way a simple flame brought people together. In college, I became the guy grilling on dorm rooftops in the middle of winter—flipping burgers in the cold, making friends in the process. My love of fire never faded.

Fast-forward 15 years: I took a huge gamble by introducing a European concept—electric fire-lighting—to America. People had never even heard of “blow-drying” their charcoal until I took my life savings and built a market from scratch. Things were going well, but a problem lingered: the power cord. People wanted to light fires anywhere—at the grill, the fire pit, the campsite, or the fireplace. Electric lighters worked, but without cordless freedom, something was missing. My push to go cordless created friction, and eventually I was forced out of the very company I had poured everything into.

A month later, at my cousin’s wedding on the back of our family farm, I was asked to light the charcoal grill. I could have grabbed lighter fluid and a Bic, but that’s not how we do things in Warwick. So my dad, my wife, and I set out to create the cordless experience we believed the world needed. We made dozens of prototypes—and finally lit our first fire with a cobbled-together invention built from a Coke bottle, hair-dryer parts, and blow-torch components. That rough prototype would become the first Airlighter. And it worked unbelievably well.

We hired a patent attorney and secured our first utility patent. We brought on a local engineer to refine the design. From there the first Airlighter was born. 

The journey from that moment to where we are today has been anything but a straight line. Refining the technology took years. But the result is something we’re incredibly proud of: a true fire-management tool that lights fires faster, cleaner, and gives people real control—from first spark to final embers.

We’ve come a long way, yet it still feels like we’re just getting started.

To our knowledge, we are the only company in the world dedicated solely to the enjoyment of lighting fires and taming the flame.

I sincerely hope you enjoy your Bison experience—and become a part of our story.

StJohn
Founder & CEO