EBI Celebrates 190 Years! 

SIMSBURY, Conn. (June 12, 2026) – Ensign-Bickford Aerospace & Defense (EBAD) will celebrated its 190th anniversary on Friday, June 12, with a living history-themed event that brought its 1836 beginnings to life. Employees across all Ensign-Bickford Industries (EBI) business units participated in anniversary celebrations at their respective locations, while EBAD’s Simsbury campus hosted a special celebration featuring period-inspired activities, historical displays, and a colonial-era themed lunch. Employees were encouraged to dress in 1836-inspired attire as the company commemorates nearly two centuries of innovation, craftsmanship, and community.

The celebration coincided with EBAD’s annual CEO Kaizen Week and will feature a variety of activities designed to connect employees with the company’s heritage, including a live blacksmith demonstration, folk music by the Please and Thank You String Duo, a historic explosives truck display, locally made goods from Holcomb Farm, commemorative giveaways, and raffle drawings.

Founded in 1836 following the introduction of William Bickford’s revolutionary safety fuse technology to the United States, EBAD has grown from its Connecticut roots into a leader in aerospace and defense energetics and mechanisms. While the anniversary celebration looks back on the company’s origins, it also highlights a business that continues to help shape the future through its contributions to critical national security and space programs, including NASA’s Artemis missions. Most recently, EBAD was recognized through Connecticut’s Coolest Thing Made competition, further underscoring the company’s legacy of innovation.

The anniversary celebration concluded a week of employee-driven continuous improvement activities during CEO Kaizen Week, reflecting the same spirit of ingenuity and problem-solving that has defined EBAD for 190 years.

Learn more about EBAD at www.ebad.com