Photo by Savannah Schmidt.
Ben Horton stands on the Civitan Park Bridge in Trussville. Horton is an inventor that provides products to fire departments.
Trussville native Ben Horton is a man of many talents. An engineer by training, he has worked across the country in a wide range of industries, from defense to nuclear, and in a variety of locations, from New Jersey to Oklahoma City to Orlando.
After 12 years away from Trussville, he and his wife, Lorna Lindquist — also from Trussville — decided it was time to come home.
“All of that time away in a variety of environments has given me a lasting gratitude for this city,” Horton said.
Even with a good-paying job, Horton was looking for something more. During his travels, his longtime friend Ryan King, a Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service paramedic, stayed in touch, sharing product ideas that could benefit first responders.
“Some ideas were great, some ideas were not great, but this whole time we started writing these ideas down, and I finally just got sick of hearing the stories of how a product could have saved a life and if I would have helped him develop that product five years ago, that life could have been saved,” Horton said. “It started weighing on me, and so I finally made the decision to start a company with him and to take his ideas and to do research and development on those and then create products for first responders.”
Horton and King founded the Cahaba Fire Company. The company’s flagship product, the Fire Wedge, is the first ladder-leveling tool for firefighters to meet OSHA and National Fire Protection Association compliance. The device enables firefighters to safely stabilize ladders on uneven ground. It also functions as a vehicle stabilizer, helping secure vehicles where firefighters are working to extricate trapped individuals.
Cahaba Fire Company’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2023, the company won the Alabama Launchpad competition, earning $25,000 from the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. In 2024, it was named Business Alabama’s “Best Startup of the Year.”
Despite his success, Horton remains focused on family and community. He credits his achievements to faith, family support, and his Trussville upbringing.
“God has blessed me with giving me the opportunity to make my hobby my career, and that's what I do now, and it is a cherry-on-top bonus that I get to save lives while I'm doing it.”
