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Posted on October 16, 2026

Editor’s Note – One in a series of profiles marking Manufacturing Month in October.

On the banks of the Blackstone River in Northbridge, Riverdale Mills carries forward a manufacturing tradition that reaches back nearly three centuries. Founded in 1980, the company turned a lobsterman’s practical problem into a new product and, over time, a global business.

Jim Knott, Sr., a part-time commercial lobsterman, wanted a better alternative to heavy wooden traps that could be damaged by shipworms and rough seas. He and his son, Jim Knott, Jr., developed Aquamesh®, a marine-grade welded wire mesh designed for strength, corrosion resistance, and long service life. Lobstermen from Massachusetts to Maine helped test the material. Today, Aquamesh is used in more than 60 percent of lobster traps in North America.

That original idea grew into a portfolio of more than 3,500 mesh configurations for marine, security, construction, agriculture, and aquaculture applications. Riverdale products include Aquamesh, WireWall® high-security fencing, and Geomesh™ for gabions, retaining systems, and erosion control.

Riverdale manufactures its products at a 400,000-square-foot Northbridge facility, where it draws wire and carries out welding, galvanizing, and PVC coating. Bringing these processes together under one roof gives the company control over production, quality, and traceability. About 40 percent of its products are exported, connecting Massachusetts manufacturing with customers around the world.

The Riverdale site has supported industry since at least 1740. Gristmills and sawmills first harnessed the Blackstone River; later, the complex produced textiles, machine-made scythes, Civil War bayonets, woolens, and coated paper. Riverdale began the site’s current manufacturing chapter in 1980.

Environmental responsibility is also part of that continuing story. On-site hydroelectric power supplies part of Riverdale’s production energy, maintaining a connection to the river that first made industry possible at the site. The company also returns steel byproducts from its operations to productive use through recycling.

Under CEO Jim Knott, Jr., Riverdale continues to pair materials expertise and engineering with close attention to customer needs. From working waterfronts to critical infrastructure, its products reflect a Massachusetts manufacturing tradition built on practical problem-solving, skilled production, and long-standing customer relationships.