The ASKO Group
Historical Timeline
1967: The Beginning
In 1967, Dave Kelly and Bob Stewart came together to start a plating company. They named their company “A Stewart Kelly Organization” (better known by the acronym “ASKO”), with the goal of servicing local manufacturers by offering metal finishing services unlike any other finisher in our region.
Our beginnings were humble. The original location was across from pier 70 near the Seattle waterfront in a small, 3,000 sq. ft. site. We had three employees, offered only a few finishes (Chem Film, Anodize, and Cad Plating), and we often went out of our way to deliver parts personally on the way home from work.
1970 - Move to Fremont
ASKO Processing was growing and needed additional space, so the decision was made to move across town to the self-proclaimed center of the universe, the Seattle neighborhood of Fremont. Not long after the move, ASKO added paint operations.
1976 - Color Tech
As ASKO continued to grow, the painting division was growing as well. They were moved just down the road to Ballard, allowing them to significantly expand their painting operations.
Late 1970’s
Once Color Tech moved operations out of the ASKO building, ASKO was able to rapidly increase their finishing services to include Hard Chrome, Shot Peen, Hard Anodize, and Ticad Plating.
1984 - ASKO Industrial Repair
By the time the 80’s rolled around, The ASKO Group was primed to grow and expand operations. ASKO Industrial Repair was formed to focus on honing, grinding and other industrial repair operations. They moved into their own facility across the ship canal from ASKO.
1992 - ASKO Selective Plating
The ASKO Selective Plating division was formed in 1992. They specialize in localized brush plating applications. They are often called upon to perform onsite repairs on fully assembled aircraft parts. ASKO Selective Plating eventually moved into their own facility, across the street from ASKO Industrial Repair.
2007 - A New Facility for Color Tech
The time had come for Color Tech to move to a newer, state-of-the-art facility. The division was moved north into a larger building in Mountlake Terrace, allowing for continued growth.
2016 - ASKO Industrial Repair and ASKO Selective Plating Move North
Realizing that most of their work was coming from Paine Field north of Seattle, ASKO Industrial Repair and ASKO Selective Plating were moved north into a shared facility in Mukilteo.
2017 - The ASKO Group Celebrates 50 Years
In October of 2017, ASKO celebrated their 50th anniversary! Festivities were held at the Seattle Museum of Flight where guest dined under an SR-71 Blackbird. Employees past and present were in attendance for this memorable event, where we honored our past, celebrated our present, and set goals for our future.
2020 - ASKO Industrial Repair becomes ASKO Aviation Services
In an effort to focus their efforts on the aviation-related business coming out of nearby Paine Field, ASKO Industrial Repair was renamed to ASKO Aviation Services in August of 2020.