On October 1, 1911, Charles Gates, Sr. purchased the Colorado Tire and Leather Company located in southern Denver beside the South Platte River. Little did he know at the time that his small shop would one day become the world’s largest manufacturer of power transmission belts and a leader in hydraulic and fluid power products for industrial and automotive applications.  

The Colorado Tire and Leather Company made a single product, the Durable Tread, a steel-studded band of leather that motorists attached to tires to extend their mileage. In 1917, the Company began phasing out leather in favor of rubber, and Charles Gates changed its name to the International Rubber Company.

That same year, John Gates, Charles’ brother, developed a belt made of rubber and woven threading. It was called a V-belt, due to the shape it sat in on an engine block. It replaced the standard hemp and rope belt found in automobiles and on industrial machinery, and was a model for the common serpentine belt. The belt’s success propelled the company to become the largest manufacturer of V-belts, a title it still holds. 

Meeting the needs of global customers

The now renamed Gates Rubber Company soon expanded across the United States, opening factories across the country and employing thousands of people. Soon after expansion began, the company began to globalize. In I954, its first international manufacturing facility was built in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Expansion to other countries followed. In 1958, the Company opened Gates de Mexico. In 1963, Gates built a belt and hose plant in Erembodegem, Belgium, the first of many European facilities. 

In the 1980s, Gates expansion continued when the Company acquired the Uniroyal Power Transmission Company and became the world’s largest synchronous/timing belt manufacturer, firmly establishing its growth path in the Asia-Pacific region. 

In 1996, the company was acquired by the British-based engineering firm, Tomkins plc, ending 85 years of family ownership. In 2003, Gates changed its name to Gates Corporation, a move reflecting the company’s expanding range of brands, product lines and customers.  

In 2011, Gates Corporation celebrated its centennial with celebrations around the world. Today, Gates continues powering progress around the world.  

View the complete Gates 100th Anniversary History Book