AIRGARD, Inc. was founded in 1988 by Mark and Kris Johnsgard. Prior to that time, the brothers worked as process engineers in the semiconductor industry where they became focused on the severe problems caused by unreliable fume scrubbers. Their intimate knowledge of the requirements necessary for scrubbers operating in semiconductor fabrication led directly to the invention of the AIRGARD Vortex scrubber.

Soon, the demand from chip and wafer manufacturers proved the value of their product. AIRGARD has gone on to become the “Vendor of Choice” for major semiconductor companies around the world, and enjoys the dominant market share for wet scrubbers worldwide.