In 1965 John Shives, while working for an industrial distributor, discovered the need for specialty abrasives. He brought this fact to management but they had no interest in pursuing it. He then asked if he could sell specialty abrasives out of his car. They gave their consent and John began calling on a variety of businesses, many of which were involved in metalworking. Before the year passed John resigned his position and started his company calling it Abrasive Specialties.

By 1977, John was nearly 80 and ready to find a buyer for his business. John Goering, a successful businessman, was teaching a course at The University of Cincinnati School of Business. John Goering was a close friend of John Shives Jr. and was the accountant for Abrasive Specialties. John Goering approached one of his students, a man by the name of Bill Victor, about the possibility of purchasing Abrasive Specialties. For four years Bill had worked in industrial sales in the metal finishing business (primarily electroplating) while working for a stocking distributor in Cincinnati. After meeting John Shives, traveling with him on sales calls, and researching all aspects of Abrasive Specialties, Bill Victor purchased the company in the summer of 1977.

Abrasive Specialties was incorporated and moved to a rented space in Sharonville. Abrasive Specialties grew as Bill continued to serve the company's loyal customers and develop new business. In 1978, Bill began to look for a property to purchase as a home for Abrasive Specialties. He purchased an old single story house on Deerfield Road in Blue Ash. With the help of friends and family, the house was converted into two offices and four storage rooms to warehouse the inventory. Abrasive Specialties moved to its new facility in February of 1979.

In 1982 Bill sold Abrasive Specialties in order to pursue his childhood dream of working with automobiles. Through the company's attorney, James Rice, he was introduced to Phil Dickinson who was interested in purchasing a small business. After much research, Phil purchased Abrasive Specialties in 1983. A year later, Phil's wife, Holly, joined the business and Abrasive Specialties became a family endeavor.

After purchasing the company the Dickinsons continued to grow the client base and have worked with manufacturers in many different facets. Abrasive Specialties moved in 1985 to Lonsdale Avenue in Fairfax, where it operated from for more than 20 years. In December 2006, the company expanded to its current location across from Lunken Airport on Airport Road.

In 1998 Jon Warnken, a longtime family friend, joined the team. With his engineering background, Jon has been an invaluable asset to the company. Erin Dickinson Strub, daughter of Phil and Holly, and her husband Tony came onboard in 2003. Since Tony, a former pilot, became involved the business has taken off.

Together the Abrasive Specialties team strives to provide exemplary customer service by expeditiously eliminating our clients' crises. We also have a vast product knowledge base and are committed to finding the most effective application of our products.