When Charles Gates, Sr. bought The Colorado Tire and Leather Company in 1911 for $3,500, little did he know his small shop in Denver would evolve into a leading rubber products company. Colorado Tire and Leather made a single product, the Durable Tread, a steel-studded band of leather that motorists fastened to their flimsy car tires to extend their mileage.
From this modest beginning Gates Corporation, formerly known as The Gates Rubber Company, has grown into one of the world's largest manufacturers of industrial and automotive belts and hoses, plus a host of related products.
The company charted the course for its future success in 1917 when John Gates, Charles' brother, invented the rubber and fabric V-belt. It was a huge success and within a decade Gates established itself as the world's largest manufacturer of V-belts, a title it still holds today.
In the years that followed the company aggressively expanded its product line. Today, Gates serves customers in the industrial and automotive markets with a full line of belt and hose products.
