History
RAI Products is a family owned and operated manufacturer and distributor of traffic control equipment located in Charlotte, North Carolina.
RAI Products, formally Rosenblatt & Associates, Inc, was founded in 1954 by Edward Ashley Rosenblatt. Back then our primary business was parking gates and access control equipment and some traffic control equipment. Our very first product line was Federal Western which eventually became Federal APD many years later.
When Ed Rosenblatt died suddenly in 1962, Jack Rosenblatt, Ed’s youngest son took over the fledgling company. “I was 21 years old, working at a gas station pumping gas, I had never even seen the inside of a parking gate” –Jack Rosenblatt
With no experience but a huge amount of enthusiasm Jack went to work traveling up and down the east coast selling and servicing parking gates. About that time the loop detector was starting to replace the treadles as the means of detecting vehicles at parking gates. Little did Jack know the loop detector would play a huge part in the transformation of his business?
As it turns out loop detectors were ideal for detecting traffic at signalized intersections and they were much more accurate than the ultrasonic above ground detectors that were popular at the time, plus loop detectors could detect presence. From that moment, more and more time was devoted to the fast growing traffic control market.
Over the years Jack added more and more product lines, including traffic and pedestrian signals, controllers, cabinets, over speed warning devices, school flashers etc. Slowly over the years traffic control equipment became our primary business, but we have never forgotten our roots in the parking and access control market.
Fast forward to 1985 when Jack's son, John Rosenblatt started working part time for his father, doing odd jobs, never intending to work in the family business as a career. “I was looking forward to a 4 year vacation known as college. A career was not on my mind”. –John Rosenblatt.
By 1986 John was so busy helping out at work, he decided to forego college and stay in Charlotte and help his father run the growing business. John never did get his 4-year vacation.
Today RAI Products is the largest stocking distributor of traffic signal equipment and related supplies in the Southeast US, and one of the leading suppliers of loop detector sealants in the country.
Maybe one-day John’s daughter Brewington, who’s 11 now, will be the 4th generation Rosenblatt to run the company, but for now, Brew says she wants to be either a doctor or a dump truck driver.
2005 RAI Products 1-888-776-7325
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