Severtson Screens is marking its 40th anniversary, tracing its history from a 1986 project for the U.S. Air Force to its current business serving the home theater, commercial, pro AV and cinema markets.
“Severtson Corp. started in 1986, literally in our parents’ house,” says Toby Severtson, Severtson Corp. president & CEO. “The company’s first job was with Arizona’s own Williams Air Force Base in response to the U.S. Air Force’s need to find both a quality optical coating and a uniform application process for the interior of their domed flight simulators.”
Founder Ron Severtson developed the coating while working from the family kitchen and backyard, creating a product with the reflective properties required for the Air Force’s simulator program.
The company expanded into work for corporations and military organizations in more than 40 countries. Its development of 3D optical coatings followed in 1988, with water-based optical coatings introduced in 1989 as the company sought alternatives to solvent-based formulas.
“In the early 1990s, a contract with IMAX Corporation brought Severtson Corp. into the cinema screen industry,” Severtson continues. “To meet the challenge of the larger screens, a robotic application system was designed that could be used to coat screens on site. In 1998, Severtson Corp. applied its optical coatings to the world’s largest cinema screen — 103 feet x 129 feet — in Sydney, Australia.”
Severtson entered the home theater and pro AV market in 2003 with a fixed-frame screen before expanding the line.
“By using the same optical coatings used on our large cinema screens, the home theater/pro AV line delivers outstanding performance in both 2D and 3D formats,” says Kirk Severtson, Severtson Corp. vice president and CTO.
By 2009, the company had become a full-service cinema screen manufacturer. In 2019, Severtson Screens moved from three Mesa, Ariz., facilities to a larger campus in San Tan Valley to accommodate expanded office, manufacturing, and warehousing operations.
“It was time,” explains Toby Severtson. “With our continued growth, we were bursting at the seams at our three Mesa, Arizona, facilities, and we needed to find a location where we could expand our headquarters and manufacturing capabilities. Our current San Tan Valley, Arizona, campus has allowed us to grow our footprint for greater production and efficiency by allowing us to design and build a multi-facility campus that fulfills all of our office, manufacturing, and warehousing needs.”
In 2026, the company continues to develop projection screen technologies, including folded cinema screens designed to reduce shipping costs for international distribution.
“Our folded shipping method makes international distribution of our industry-acclaimed SēVision 3D GX highly affordable, reducing international shipping costs by up to 70%,” explains Dan Maxwell, vice president and COO of Severtson Corp.’s Cinema division. “Besides standard perforated white and silver screens, we now also offer the immensely popular microperf option to the folded SēVision 3D GX line of cinema projection screens for international shipment. Since its recent launch, we’ve had to renovate our facility and upgrade our machinery to keep up with worldwide demand.”
“We are proud to serve the home theater and commercial markets with the same service and quality that has taken the cinema market by storm and cemented us as the industry leader,” concludes Toby Severtson. “With products proudly made in the USA, we are uniquely equipped to cater to the specific needs of all of our customers worldwide. We are proud of our history, and we look forward to the next 40 years.”
For more information, visit severtsonscreens.com.
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