Though Marine Technologies Industries, Inc.’s first product was a security alarm, the company was founded in 1980 in Illinois by Tom Wisniewski to serve the marine industry in monitoring carbon monoxide levels on boats with sleeping accommodations.
“We found out boats can create the station wagon effect,” said Jeff Wisniewski, MTI Industries’ president and son of Founder Tom Wisniewski. The effect occurs if a boat operates at a certain angle in the water, causing carbon monoxide to accumulate inside the cabin or cockpit.
Global carbon monoxide monitoring standards started in the marine industry in 1989, the first year it was recommended practice to have carbon monoxide detectors on boats. MTI Industries created the first UL Standard carbon monoxide detector in 1993.
The supplier emerged in the RV industry in 1992 with propane gas alarms, now its best-selling product of all time. MTI Industries started selling RV carbon monoxide alarms in 1994. Today, Wisniewski estimates 90 percent of the business is dedicated to RV efforts, the rest to marine. In 2018, MTI Industries moved its corporate headquarters to Destin, Florida, and will add a third location soon.
