Easton Archery

Easton Archery is the archery business operated by Jas. D. Easton, Inc., a privately held American sporting-goods and advanced-materials company. The business traces its roots to James Douglas "Doug" Easton, who began making bows and arrows in 1922 and opened Easton's Archery Shop in Los Angeles in 1932. The manufacturing company was established in 1953, providing the foundation for the Easton name as a large-scale producer of archery equipment. Easton's historical importance is closely associated with the introduction and development of aluminum in sporting goods. The company applied aluminum-alloy manufacturing to arrows and other equipment, helping move archery away from traditional wood-based production toward more consistent, durable, and industrially manufactured components. This focus on material engineering became a defining part of the business and later extended into high-strength carbon-fiber and aluminum-alloy tubing for other industries. Doug Easton's son, James L. Easton, joined the company in 1960 and became president after his father's death in 1972. During the 1960s, the company broadened its manufacturing interests into products such as ski poles and baseball bats. It also supplied the thermal shroud used with the seismometer deployed during the Apollo 11 lunar mission in 1969, an application that demonstrated the company's capabilities beyond consumer archery. The Easton family expanded into team sports in 1985 by acquiring the Curley-Bates Company and creating Easton Sports. That business developed into a significant supplier of hockey and baseball equipment and was separate from the family-owned archery operation. Easton Sports was sold to Fenway Partners in 2006 for a reported $400 million and subsequently became part of Easton-Bell, later known as BRG Sports. The archery division was not included in that transaction and remained under Jas. D. Easton, Inc. The former non-archery Easton businesses were later separated and divested, with Easton Diamond, Easton Hockey, and Easton Cycling ultimately owned by different companies. Today, the independent Easton archery operation is associated with Easton Technical Products and Hoyt Archery, both based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The two businesses operate as independent divisions of Jas. D. Easton, Inc. and manufacture or support compound bows, recurve bows, arrows, and related products. Easton also supplies advanced tubing to military, medical, and outdoor-sports customers. The brand has a particularly strong competitive-archery heritage: according to the referenced account, Easton arrows have been used to win every Olympic archery title since archery returned to the Olympic program in 1972. Greg Easton represents the third generation of family leadership.

Easton Archery developed from the work of James Douglas "Doug" Easton, an American bow and arrow maker who began his craft in 1922. In 1932 he opened Easton's Archery Shop in Los Angeles, establishing a direct retail and workshop presence before creating the manufacturing company Jas. D. Easton, Inc. in 1953. The company became known for applying industrial materials engineering to archery. Its use of aluminum helped establish more standardized and durable sporting-goods products, particularly arrows and related components. This manufacturing approach supported the growth of modern competitive archery and became a central element of Easton's identity. The business also explored adjacent sporting-goods categories during the 1960s, producing ski poles and baseball bats. In 1969, Easton supplied the thermal shroud for the seismometer used during the Apollo 11 mission, linking its materials expertise to a high-profile aerospace application. James L. Easton, Doug's son, joined the business in 1960. After Doug died in 1972, Jim became president and continued the family's expansion. In 1985, Jas. D. Easton acquired the Curley-Bates Company and renamed it Easton Sports. This created a separate team-sports operation that grew into a major hockey and baseball-equipment business. Easton Sports was sold to Fenway Partners in 2006 for a reported $400 million. Later that year, Easton Sports merged with Fenway-owned Riddell Bell to form Easton-Bell, subsequently known as BRG Sports. Jim Easton became chair of the enlarged company, which included the Riddell, Bell, and Giro brands. The archery operation remained outside the transaction and continued as an independent, family-owned business under Jas. D. Easton, Inc. The other Easton-branded businesses were later divested: Easton Diamond became part of Rawlings, Easton Hockey became associated with Peak Achievement Athletics, and Easton Cycling became part of Fox Factory. The contemporary family-owned archery structure consists principally of Easton Technical Products and Hoyt Archery, both located in Salt Lake City, Utah. They operate as independent divisions of Jas. D. Easton, Inc. and are involved in compound bows, recurve bows, arrows, and related technical products. Easton Technical Products also makes high-strength carbon-fiber and aluminum-alloy tubing for military, medical, and outdoor-sports applications. The company employs approximately 800 people across the archery-related operations according to the referenced account. Easton arrows have been used to win every Olympic archery title since the sport returned to the Olympic program in 1972. Greg Easton is identified as the third-generation president of Jas. D. Easton, Inc.

• 2006

  Easton Sports is sold and merged into Easton-Bell

  [1]Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org

  The separate team-sports business was sold to Fenway Partners and later combined with Riddell Bell. Easton Archery remained independent.

• 1985

  Easton enters team sports

  [1]Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org

  The company acquired Curley-Bates and renamed the operation Easton Sports.

• 1972

  Jim Easton becomes president

  [1]Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org

  Following Doug Easton's death, James L. Easton assumed the presidency.

• 1969

  Easton supplies an Apollo 11 component

  [1]Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org

  The company produced the thermal shroud for the seismometer used during the Apollo 11 moon landing.

• 1960

  James L. Easton joins the company

  [1]Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org

  Doug Easton's son James L. Easton joined the family business and later became its president.

• 1953

  Jas. D. Easton, Inc. is established

  [1]Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org

  The Easton manufacturing company was created, formalizing the business that became Easton Archery.

• 1932

  Easton's Archery Shop opens in Los Angeles

  [1]Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org

  Doug Easton opened an archery shop in Los Angeles, preceding the later manufacturing company.

• 1922

  Doug Easton begins making bows and arrows

  [1]Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org

  James Douglas Easton began producing bows and arrows, the earliest documented origin of the family business.

A technically oriented, performance-focused archery brand built around precision arrows, advanced materials, manufacturing consistency, and elite competitive use. Its reputation is especially strong in Olympic and tournament archery, while its broader technical-products business serves military, medical, and outdoor-sports applications.

• Archery arrows

  Easton aluminum arrows

  Easton's aluminum-arrow technology was central to the company's development as a modern archery manufacturer. Aluminum shafts offered greater manufacturing consistency and durability than traditional wooden arrows, supporting both recreational and competitive use.

• Archery arrows

  Easton carbon arrows

  Carbon arrow shafts extend Easton's materials-focused approach into lightweight, high-strength composite construction. They are intended for precision archery applications and form part of the brand's competitive-equipment portfolio.

• Archery components

  Easton arrow components

  The Easton archery business also produces arrow shafts and associated components used to build, tune, and maintain arrows for compound, recurve, and other forms of archery.

• Bows

  Compound bows

  Compound bows are part of the broader independent archery operation associated with Easton and its sister division Hoyt Archery. They use a cam-and-cable system to improve mechanical efficiency and support modern target and hunting applications.

• Bows

  Recurve bows

  Recurve bows are another major product category within the Easton-Hoyt archery structure. They remain important in target archery, including the Olympic discipline, where equipment consistency and tuning are central performance considerations.

• Advanced materials

  Technical tubing

  Easton Technical Products supplies high-strength carbon-fiber and aluminum-alloy tubing beyond the consumer archery market. The referenced material identifies military, medical, and outdoor-sports industries among its application areas.

• 2014

  Separation of former non-archery Easton businessesStrategy

  Background

  The Easton-branded businesses acquired or developed through the separate team-sports operation were no longer held together under one owner.

  Action taken

  Easton Diamond, Easton Hockey, and Easton Cycling were transferred to Rawlings, Peak Achievement Athletics, and Fox Factory respectively.

  Aftermath

  Easton Archery continued independently under Jas. D. Easton, Inc., distinct from the former baseball, hockey, and cycling businesses.

  Source

• 2006

  Sale of Easton Sports to Fenway PartnersM&A

  Background

  The family-owned business separated its team-sports operation from the independent archery division.

  Action taken

  Fenway Partners purchased Easton Sports for a reported $400 million. Easton Sports later merged with Riddell Bell to form Easton-Bell.

  Aftermath

  The archery business remained family owned. The combined team-sports company was later known as BRG Sports, and its Easton-branded businesses were subsequently divested.

  Reported transaction value for Easton Sports. $400 million (2006 transaction)

  Source

• 1985

  Expansion into team sports through Curley-BatesStrategy

  Background

  Jas. D. Easton sought to broaden its sporting-goods activities beyond archery by acquiring the Curley-Bates Company.

  Action taken

  The acquired company was renamed Easton Sports and developed equipment for team-sports categories including hockey and baseball.

  Aftermath

  Easton Sports became a substantial separate business, while the archery operation continued under Jas. D. Easton, Inc.

  Source

1. 1Easton Archeryen.wikipedia.org