Incorporated on August 17, 1906, Alpha Powder Company dba Alpha Explosives was the Hercules distributorship that served the gold mines and quarries, as well as many dam and highway projects in Northern California for 80 years. With the closing of large mines and reductions in public works projects, the volume of business shrank. Alpha’s assets were purchased by Falconi Construction, Inc. in 1983.
The owners, John P. Falconi, William J. Falconi, and Brad Langner, entered into agreements with other explosives manufacturers to distribute their explosive products. Alpha felt emulsions were the technology of the future, and that IRECO had the best emulsion products. Alpha aggressively marketed emulsion, and had a strong relationship with IRECO when IRECO acquired the Hercules Explosives business.
Read more about Alpha's history (PDF)
Alpha Explosives is one of the sponsors of the International Society of Explosives Engineers in California, called the Golden West Chapter.
The International Society of Explosives Engineers (ISEE) is the largest professional association for explosives engineers, and is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. It was founded in 1974 to advance the science and art of explosives engineering, and has more than 4,000 members across 45 chapters in more than 90 countries.
