The founder, Anton ‘Tony’ Otrusina was born in what is now known as the Czech Republic at the start of the first world war in 1913. He came to the United States in 1926, when he was 13.
Working for a number of companies throughout the wars, he and his brother Joe started ‘Brookfield Leathers Goods’ in Brookfield Illinois.
In 1962, he opened his own company, A W Enterprises Inc, and had an inquiry from a company called Galvin Manufacturing™, which was on Augusta Boulevard in Chicago. Galvin Manufacturing™ told Tony they had a municipal application for a military device, and asked Tony to make a carrying case for it.