The Early Story of AGORA – From Uncertainty to Opportunity

In 1985, I was out of a job.

I looked for work locally. I looked for work anywhere I could. But nothing worked out.

That difficult time forced me to make a decision. If I could not find the right opportunity, maybe I had to create one.

That is when I decided to start AGORA.

With help from an SBA loan, a City of St. Petersburg loan, and support from family and friends, we raised about $165,000 in seed money. We used that money to purchase a soft goods manufacturing company in New Jersey that was going out of business.

It was not a glamorous beginning.

We moved six trailer loads of old machinery, raw materials, a few unfinished customer jobs, and whatever production opportunities we could keep alive. We also accepted some low-bid volume production work just to get started.

At the beginning, we had one designer, one hands-on plant manager, five plant employees, and a lot of uncertainty.

But we were in business.

The company was originally called AGORA Leather Products. The word “Leather” represented quality, and at that time we were also manufacturing leather products. Our goal was simple: stay in business, serve customers, and grow slowly.

We worked seven days a week.

At the time, I did not think of it as hard work. It was simply what had to be done.

Looking back now, I realize those early days taught me something I would use for the rest of my life: Keep going, even when no one is watching.

There were no shortcuts. There was no big announcement. There was no perfect plan. We had to earn each order, solve each problem, and make each dollar count.

We knew the business had to become profitable within a couple of years. Once we became profitable, we were careful with money. We spent wisely, reinvested carefully, and focused on building a company that could survive through good times and difficult times.

That mindset shaped AGORA.

Over time, AGORA grew from a small soft goods manufacturer into a company serving customers in medical and healthcare, enterprise mobility, Auto ID, POS, fire and industrial safety, and other demanding markets.

Today, AGORA continues to grow through focused brands.

UltimaCase by AGORA serves enterprise mobility, Auto ID, POS, mobile computing, and device protection applications.

Vistari by AGORA is focused on medical demo cases, medical device protection, custom carrying systems, and specialized soft goods for healthcare-related applications.

The brands have evolved, the markets have changed, and the products have become more specialized. But the foundation is still the same:

Listen to the customer.

Solve the problem.