The company was then purchased by Frank Johnson in 1979 and moved downstairs to a 1200 sq.ft. shop and the name changed to Acorn Welding. Then in 1987, the company of three employees was purchased by Don Hrabec, today's president of Acorn Welding.

"When my wife and I purchased the company we asked Frank why he called it Acorn. Frank claimed "From the little acorn comes the great oak", so we decided to keep the name and try and live up to it".

Acorn Welding has grown to become Canada's largest aircraft exhaust and engine mount company. Growing even more in 2006 with the purchase of Radial Exhaust from West Virginia, Acorn is now also the largest radial and vintage aircraft exhaust company in the world. Between 1999 and 2009, Acorn Welding successfully performed 30,353 repairs to various aircraft components. At the same time, Acorn Welding successfully manufactured 212,206 various general aviation components from small brackets, braces, and struts all the way to large riveted assemblies.

Today with a modern 50,000 sq.ft. A facility, with forty full-time staff, almost 100 newly manufactured products, aircraft exhaust, and engine mounts for over 50 makes and 270 models, 750 fabrication fixtures, Acorn Welding continues to grow.

"We're bursting at the seams, but a quality service and product are still our #1 and we can still weld anything but a broken heart and the crack of dawn" states Don.