Our Story
Welcome to Spirit of ’76, the fireworks wholesaler dedicated to the independent dealer. We have been helping customers satisfy their fireworks needs for more than 35 years. Back in 1987, John Bechtold founded Spirit of ’76 in Columbia, Missouri. Since our humble beginnings, John has grown the business from seasonal retail sales to a premiere importer and distributor of consumer fireworks serving over 5,000 customers. Each day John continues to strive to provide the safest and highest quality wholesale fireworks at the most competitive prices in the industry.
Let’s Work Together
A Brief History of ‘76 Fireworks
John Bechtold founded his fireworks business in Columbia, Missouri in 1987 at the age of 16. He began selling consumer fireworks from under a twenty-by-forty-foot tent in the parking lot of the Midway Travel Plaza, which was established by the Bechtold family in the early 1970s. John made a modest profit in his first selling season and would continue operating seasonal firework stands throughout his high school years, college years, and 20s. After completing his MBA program in the year 2000, he became dedicated to a career in fireworks and launched the Spirit of ‘76 wholesale website, 76fireworks.com. Click here to read more about John’s fireworks selling journey.
Timeline: The Evolution of Spirit of ‘76 Fireworks
2004
Published first Spirit of ’76 catalog
In 2004, Spirit of ’76 Fireworks supplied Cannon Brand, Brothers Pyrotechnics, Mighty Max, Bey Hai, Firehawk, and Black Cat.
We published our annual printed catalog from 2004 to 2019.
2009
Introduced first ’76 Pro Line products
Spirit of ’76 Fireworks became the first fireworks wholesaler to develop a professional 1.4 line. This decision was driven by what our staff witnessed at club shoots and the PGI convention. “We saw consumers breaking apart cakes to take out individual effects,” John said. “It was really inefficient. This was one of the main reasons we decided to develop ’76 Pro Line.”
In 2009, ’76 Pro Line was the first consumer fireworks brand to bring 1.4 single shots and single-effect cakes manufactured in China to the U.S. market at volume.
2011
Moved into current Spirit of ’76 Retail Store building
We opened the Spirit of ’76 Retail Store directly behind the Midway Truck Stop in 2011. Our sales and administrative offices moved from the red double-wide trailer down the road to the offices in the back of the Retail Store, where our main sales office currently resides. The double-wide trailer continued to house our warehouse operations through 2015.
2011 – 2012
Developed Sky Bacon brand and launched the first Sky Bacon products
“Sky Bacon is one of the biggest successes of the whole company,” said John Bechtold. The brand turned 10 years old in 2022.
“John decided to come up with a family-friendly brand of fireworks focused on value after the 4th of July, 2011,” said purchasing manager Matt Rhinehart, who came up with the Sky Bacon brand name. “We spent the fall working on the name, logo, and developing products for the 2012 launch.”
“For the products, we tried to play off history,” John said. Among the first Sky Bacon products developed were the Mt Rushmore 500-gram assortment (based on the monument in South Dakota) and the Hellcat Cans (based on the fighter aircraft used during World War II). Today, Sky Bacon products also play off themes in popular culture.
2014
Purchased First Company Semi-Truck
In 2014, the company employed one full-time driver and purchased a Volvo as its first semi truck. In 2022, we employ four full-time drivers and own five semi trucks.
2014
Revamped Spirit of ’76 Logo
Our current Spirit of ’76 logo was introduced in 2014. It was designed by our graphic designer Luis Blanco.
January 2016
Purchased 150,000 sq. ft. Warehouse in Boonville, MO
“The warehouse acquisition was a transformational point in ’76 growth,” said John. “It was great, a really good purchase.”
2016
Purchased Mid-Missouri’s Largest Fireworks Tent
Our retail operations in Missouri grew alongside our wholesale operations. In 2016 we acquired a 70-by-100-foot tent, the largest seasonally operating fireworks tent in mid-Missouri.
2018
Introduced Realtree Fireworks
Our licensing agreement with Realtree made us the first and only U.S. fireworks company to launch an exclusive fireworks brand dedicated to hunting and fishing. We design products specifically for users and fans of the Realtree brand. The first Realtree Fireworks product developed was Snow Trax, a 500 gram single-effect multi shot.
2020
Introduced Tako Pyrotechnics
The Tako line of fireworks was first introduced in 2020 with the 500 gram multi shot Sailor’s Nightmare. “Tako” is Japanese for “octopus.” The eye-catching logo paired with high-quality effects quickly made Tako Pyrotechnics a staple in American consumer fireworks.
2021
Expanded on Missouri Warehouse
The 43,500 square foot expansion of our warehouse in Boonville, Missouri was completed in 2021 for a total warehouse facility of 193,500 square feet. A ribbon cutting ceremony for the expansion was held on June 8th, 2021.
September 2021
Unveiled Major Trade Show Booth Upgrade
We upgraded our trade show booth with 10×10′ light-up walls, professional signage, and a 20′ spinning tower.
Fall 2021
Launched ’76 PyroShop
We officially unveiled ’76 PyroShop, an all-in-one eCommerce solution for the independent fireworks retailer, in 2021 at the National Fireworks Association Expo.
Spring 2022
Introduced ’76 Pro Line ITALIA
Our ’76 Pro Line product line expanded with premium professional-use 1.4 fireworks manufactured in Italy by Giuliani Fireworks. ’76 Pro Line ITALIA single-shot comets and mines first hit the market in the spring of 2022. Learn more.
October 2022
Announced Exclusive Distribution Agreement with Giuliani Fireworks
Giuliani Fireworks, a major European manufacturer of world-renowned professional fireworks and ’76 Pro Line ITALIA products, made Spirit of ’76 their exclusive distributor for the U.S. market. Learn more.
January 2023
Announced Exclusive U.S. Distribution of iShot Plug & Fire Products by Monetti SRL
iShot is a revolutionary new ignition and racking system designed to cut single shot set-up times by more than 10x while enhancing safety and ease of use! Spirit of ’76 is proud to be the exclusive U.S. distributor of iShot products. Learn more.
March 2023
Introduced the Spirit Delivery Program
Qualifying orders can now be delivered by ’76 drivers (in ’76 trucks) to save on shipping costs! All you need is to be flexible on the delivery date, and we’ll coordinate a route that gets your products to you for the cheapest price possible.
May 2023
Launched Ignite Lite
The Sky Bacon Fireworks and IGNITE Firing System teams collaborated to introduce Ignite Lite, the modern way to shoot fireworks easily and safely from your mobile device. This smartphone-enabled 6-cue system is an affordable, entry-level firing system for the casual backyard fireworks shooter. Learn more.
May 2023
Launched ’76 Fireworks Show Builder
With the ’76 Fireworks Show Builder, you can preview interactive 3D simulations of our products! Within the Show Builder, you can rearrange, copy, and remove items to create digital versions of your displays before buying any products.
June 2023
Opened Missouri’s Largest Fireworks Tent
We reopened our tent bigger and better than ever from June 22 – July 5, 2023. Our new tent structure is officially the largest seasonal fireworks tent in Missouri at nearly 10,000 square feet! In our 2023 4th of July season, we hosted a variety of free community events including a pyro movie night and a family-friendly summer kickoff. We can’t wait to open again in June of 2024!
June 2023
Introduced new Spirit of ’76 logo
The newest version of our wholesale logo launched in June 2023. It was designed by our in-house graphic designer Kat Wright.
August 2023
Drone and Pyro PGI Display
At the Pyrotechnics Guild International (PGI) 2023 Convention, Verge Aero and Spirit of ’76 Fireworks collaborated to create a giant robot head with laser eyes shooting at the earth, causing fireballs and pyrotechnics to erupt in its wake. It was awesome and we can’t wait to see what else is coming!
October 2023
Wholesale eCommerce Website Update (shop.76fireworks.com)
We launched the newest and best fireworks eCommerce experience in the industry on Monday, October 23, 2023 at shop.76fireworks.com. Many thanks to our IT team for making lightening-fast load times, mobile optimization, enhanced product filtering and sorting, and an enhanced checkout process all possible! Learn more.
January 2024
76ProLine.com eCommerce Website Update
We made shopping for America’s #1 Pro Line fireworks easier than ever with a fully revamped ’76 Pro Line eCommerce site, 76proline.com. It even has dark mode! The site features best-in-class search and filter capabilities, allowing you to find products by colors, calibers, heights, debris, firing patterns, and more. Design your shows and purchase products faster than ever on 76Proline.com! Learn more.
March 2024
’76 Show Series Products will be Introduced
We’re thrilled to announce the newest label in the Spirit of ’76 lineup! ’76 Show Series will bring a variety of colorful and high-performing consumer fireworks to the market, including our famous 9s Nishiki Kamuro and Supernova Cans.
Longest Serving Staff
Ben Muzzey, current Dealer Network Elite account coordinator, started during the 4th of July season in 2002 working at John Bechtold’s seasonal ‘Coastal Electric’ tent. Ben took a hiatus from Spirit of ’76 beginning October 2011 and returned in October 2014. He served as sales manager before transitioning to the Dealer Network team in 2023.
Matt Snyder, current sales representative, began working seasonally in 2004 before becoming full time in 2007. He was the sales manager from 2011 to 2015 before moving to Detroit. He left Spirit of ’76 in the spring of 2017 and returned in the late summer of 2019.
Matt Rhinehart, current purchasing manager, started in 2005 as a tent manager.
Sean Clark, current supply chain manager, started in 2006 by managing early warehouse operations at the Midway Truck Stop.
Beth Critchfield, current accounting manager, started working at Spirit of ’76 in 2007.
Fireworks Industry Credentials
Spirit of ‘76 Fireworks is a proud supporter of the following organizations, regional clubs, and industry events, including but not limited to those listed below.
Fireworks Organizations:
American Pyrotechnics Association – Sustaining Member
National Fireworks Association – Foundation member
Western Pyrotechnic Association – Proud Supporter
Pyrotechnics Guild International – Proud Supporter
American Fireworks Standards Laboratory – Proud Supporter
Regional Fireworks Clubs:
Kansas City Area Pyrotechnics (KCAP)
Missouri Pyrotechnics Association (MOpyro)
Pyrotechnic Artists of Texas (PAT / Fireants)
CrackerJacks Mid-Atlantic Fireworks Club
Industry and Regional Fireworks Events:
WPA’s Western Winter Blast Annual Convention
Cobra Firing Systems’ Cobra-Con Convention
Pyrotechnics Guild International Annual Convention
National Fireworks Association Spring and Fall Expos
American Pyrotechnics Association Spring and Fall Meetings
Sky Wars Invitational Fireworks Championship
Lone Star Fireworks Festival