The business grew quickly. By 1902, the founders had incorporated under the Ontario Knife Company name and moved operations to Franklinville, New York, where water power from Ischua Creek offered more strength for production. Just a couple of years later, the company was acquired by the owners of the Empire State Cutlery Company, and in 1905, both operations were combined under the Ontario banner in Franklinville. Between 1912 and 1914, the company built a new factory, and that building remained the backbone of Ontario’s production for more than a century.

In 1923, leadership shifted to James A. Chrestensen, who had worked at the company for more than a decade. Under his direction, Ontario introduced in 1924 what would become one of its most popular product lines: Old Hickory kitchen cutlery. These carbon steel kitchen knives, with their plain hardwood handles and simple design, quickly found their way into homes, butcher shops, and restaurants across America. They were affordable, tough, and easy to sharpen, qualities that kept them in production for generations. In 1952, James’s son, Robert F. Chrestensen, took over and helped guide the company through the post-war era.

- Ontario Knife Company was acquired by Empire State Cutlery Company in 1905

- Ontario Knife Company introduced the Old Hickory line in 1924

Ownership changed in 1967, when Servotronics, a Buffalo-based aerospace and motion-control company, purchased Ontario Knife Company. Servotronics kept the Franklinville factory running while Ontario continued to supply both the civilian and military markets. This was the era when Ontario began expanding into more modern designs as well, including the Spec Plus series of fixed blades, which paired traditional combat and survival profiles with synthetic handles and coated blades to meet the needs of a new generation of users.

In 2002, Ontario gained fresh energy from a partnership with Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin of Randall’s Adventure and Training. The collaboration produced a series of rugged fixed blades, such as the RTAK and RAT-7, followed by the RAT-1 and RAT-2 folding knives. The RAT folders, in particular, became some of the most popular budget-friendly work knives on the market, praised for their solid construction and reliable performance at an affordable price. Though Randall and Perrin eventually moved on to start ESEE Knives, their influence stuck with Ontario and left a lasting mark on the company’s catalog.

- In 1967, Ontario Knife Company was acquired by Servotronics

- In 2002, Ontario partnered with Randall's Adventure and Training

In 2023, after more than five decades under Servotronics, Ontario Knife Company entered a new chapter. Servotronics announced in March that it would sell Ontario as part of a larger restructuring, and by August, the deal had closed. Blue Ridge Knives, a major distributor based in Marion, Virginia, acquired Ontario Knife Company’s assets, including its name, designs, and inventory, for around 2.1 million dollars. The sale marked the end of Ontario’s long manufacturing presence in Franklinville, where it had stood as a fixture of the community since 1902.

Though the factory closed, the Ontario Knife Company brand continues on under Blue Ridge Knives. What began with three men and a water-powered grindstone in Naples grew into a company that supplied generations of soldiers, hunters, outdoorsmen, and home cooks. For more than 130 years, Ontario’s knives were made in upstate New York, and even as production shifted, the name carries forward a legacy of reliable, hardworking tools that have touched almost every corner of American life.

- In 2023, Ontario Knife Company was acquired by Blue Ridge Knives