Gregory Whittle began his career in the hi-viz garment business in the late 1990s. He founded SafetyGear U.S.A. as a manufacturer and importer in 2007. He served as CEO until 2009 when he sold the company. BodyGuard Safety Products was then established as a distributor, selling to end-users.
The current hi-viz national standard, ANSI/ISEA-107-2010, was published in January 2010 as the American National Standard for High Visibility Safety Apparel.