Universal Boot Company, MITI Manufacturing, Starting Up At Fairbanks Scales

MITI Manufacturing, now owned by Universal Boot based in Quebec, is in the process of moving its Colorado business to a suite within the Fairbanks Scales company on Portland Street.

The company produces wheel impairment devices – think the Boston boot – and a portable decontamination station, and those are the product lines being moved to Vermont.

Company owner Jean-Patrick “JP” Lariviere said the business began renting at the Fairbanks Scales building several weeks ago, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is being planned with the governor’s office, but is not yet scheduled.

In Montreal, Universal Boot, which Lariviere owns, produces parking enforcement and cargo theft prevention products as well as defensive security products, said Lariviere. “We are a fully integrated security business,” he said.

He said, “We’re looking to get into more of a service business, we’ll keep making the same equipment that we’ve been making for 58 years in Colorado.

“We moved there just recently, a couple of weeks ago,” said Lariviere. “It’s going extremely well; we’re very happy with how we have been received. Fairbanks have been good allies for us, and we are looking to build a partnership with them.”

Lariviere purchased MITI a couple of years ago, he said. “We will still have some administrative staff in Colorado, but we look to produce in Vermont,” he said, adding, “We hope to grow in Vermont, and have a servicing division and call center. We are going to get a lot bigger.”

He said it was difficult to predict how many jobs may result from the move, there are just a handful to start, but MITI’s relocation here will immediately benefit both Fairbanks, which will produce the components it retails, and Performance Paint, a company located inside the Fairbanks building as well, as they will paint the parts made by Fairbanks workers, so both those companies will see immediate growth. 

Steve Vorwerk, operations manager for MITI Manufacturing, said Friday, “We’ve moved the business from Colorado to Vermont, we are based out of Montreal, but it obviously makes it better for us logistically.

“The main reason we chose Fairbanks is because of what they can manufacture, St. Johnsbury is absolutely the place. We really want to dig our feet into the soil and become a big part of the community,” said Vorwerk.

Jennifer Glass, a spokeswoman for MITI Manufacturing in Colorado, on Friday explained the lines that are moving to Vermont.

“We produce wheel immobilizers,” said Glass, referencing the Denver boot, also known in New England as the Boston boot. “Another one of our products is decontamination systems, portable decontamination shower systems, these are on-site apparatuses that can de-contaminate gear, firefighters, hazmat uniforms … people can walk right under the shower while they’re wearing hazmat uniforms, and we’ll be producing them both in Vermont.”

The company choosing St. Johnsbury is a positive development, and David Snedeker, executive director for the Northeastern Vermont Development Association said in recent days, “MITI Mfg. is a metals manufacturing business that a Canadian developer purchased in CO and has relocated to VT. One of the company’s main products is ‘parking boots,’ used by law enforcement for unpaid tickets, etc. They have other product lines as well, but will begin at the Fairbanks facility with their core product. VT is a good option for Montreal-based companies trying to serve small manufacturers they control in the US.”

About MITI Manufacturing

MITI Manufacturing’s innovative and dynamic approach involves developing and marketing a complete range of versatile, high-security equipment and vehicle immobilization and anti-theft solutions. We also provide assistance worldwide before, during and after the sale of our products, through our highly qualified staff.

About Universal Boot Inc.

Universal Boot Inc. are designers, manufacturers, and marketers of the most secure parking enforcement, cargo theft prevention, personal and corporate anti-theft solutions since 1986. We serve customers in North America and almost every region on the globe. We make the very finest and the most secure, proven solutions for parking enforcement and revenue collection, cargo security, and personal anti-theft.