Some of you may have seen this but I thought it deserved a thread here as well:
http://www.the-daily-record.com/business/2013/11/24/a-cut-above-the-rest
I'll repost here since these on-line articles have a habit of disappearing or requiring logins to read:
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A cut above the rest
Wayne County knife-maker gets a slice of national and worldwide markets
By PAUL LOCHER Staff Writer Published: November 24, 2013 4:00AM
SPRINGVILLE -- In the world of knives, Rick Hinderer is a rock star.
He's the guy on the cutting edge, the top of the heap. And he's not planning on leaving the summit anytime soon.
Hinderer does knife shows around the country, and hundreds of people flock to his booth to fill out lottery tickets, which, if among the lucky ones drawn, will give them an opportunity to be allowed to purchase one of his knives at substantial cost.
"It is humbling," says Hinderer, who has worked his way to the top over more than a quarter century, and today operates a knife manufacturing concern in some inconspicuous buildings just outside Springville in southern Wayne County.
Hinderer was born in Columbus and his family moved often. In 1983, he attended ATI in Wooster in its horse training and farrier program. It was there he met Lori, who later became his wife.
"It was horse-shoeing that actually got me interested in making knives," Hinderer said, noting his first effort in that field was in 1986 when he made a knife out of a plow point for a friend of his serving in the U.S. Army special forces as a Green Beret.
"After I made it," he recalls, "I thought, 'This is cool. This is a lot of fun.'"
He began experimenting with knife-making, and since there was no such thing as the Internet at the time, he taught himself the techniques through trial and error.
"My horse customers ultimately became my first knife customers," he remembers. "They took pity on me and bought my knives."
In 1988 he set up a table at the Medina Gun Show, displaying a placard reading, "Rick Hinderer, Knifemaker." And he never looked back.
Over the next few years, as Hinderer saw the popularity of his knives growing by word of mouth, he gradually transitioned out of farrier work.
He fared well in his first appearance at The Blade Show and Cutlery Fair in Atlanta, which this year he will participate in for the 25th time. He also does two shows in Las Vegas, as well as California and New Jersey.
By the mid 1990s, Hinderer said, "I knew I was on to something." He said the ultra high quality materials he uses, coupled with his "over-the-top" innovative designs and general toughness of the product made it stand out.
His knives especially caught the eye of those in the military and law enforcement organizations, who remain the backbone of his customer base.
Hinderer purchased his first CNC machine in 1995, not realizing it would be the first of many such machines he would buy.
One can no longer buy a knife from him at a show. Instead, he passes out free lottery tickets and 35-50 people whose ticket is drawn, have an opportunity to buy a knife at a cost of $385.
"We don't take orders either," said Hinderer, 49, "or we'd be backlogged with thousands of orders."
Instead of trying to meet the demand for his knives, Hinderer has begun designing for leading knife companies such as Gerber, Kershaw and K-bar. The mass-produced knives bear Hinderer's name and he realizes royalties from their sales. He said working with the big manufacturers "gives me a chance to realize knife designs I have in my head, but don't have the capacity to produce here."
He said having his mass-produced designs available through retailers takes some of the pressure off his local operation, which employs six full-time workers and two part-time employees.
Hinderer said he attributes the success of his knives to their durability, with heavy blades and handles made of G-10 fiberglass composite or carbon fiber, which make them "impervious to just about anything."
He said there is demand for his knives worldwide, including Europe, Japan and Thailand, where he has a dealer network in place. Currently, he is producing about 6,000 knives a year.
As a result, the company is experiencing growing pains, and next spring will construct a 12,000-square-foot manufacturing plant along Columbus Road.
Always the innovator, Hinderer is constantly thinking about new products, one of which is the Extreme Duty Modular Pen, which is a pen and a self-defense weapon that has found popularity with police departments. The company is selling the pens to Amazon, the first business in the niche industry to do so.
He said when he sets up at shows, he often finds himself talking to groups of customers that include representatives of the nation's largest police departments, as well as the Secret Service, ICE, special ops and foreign military, especially Germans and British.
"It's very satisfying knowing that I play a small part in the defense of our country," said Hinderer. "It's neat that something I came up with in my head, and made here in Wayne County, is being used to defend our country."
Rick and Lori Hinderer were active for about 10 years with the Wayne Township Fire Department, working with the dive team, and he additionally as a firefighter. He said it is that experience which, in part, helped him to design his knives so they fulfill the needs of those using them.
Reporter Paul Locher can be reached at 330-682-2055 or plocher@the-daily-record.com.
Rob Orlando of Cuyahoga Falls, operations manager, works on assembling a knife at the Hinderer plant. Every component of every knife is machined on site. Orlando, who handles the company's website, sales and marketing, says he started out as one of the biggest fans of Hinderer's products.
Paul Locher photos/www.buydrphotos.com Rick Hinderer, company founder, puts an edge on one of his knives, a process that takes him about a minute.
The Hinderer knife logo reflects Rick Hinderer's start as a farrier, as well as his experience as a Wayne Township firefighter.
A forest of CNC machinery crowds Rick Hinderer's knife manufacturing operation near Springville. The fast-growing company will expand next year to a 12,000-square-foot facility it plans to begin construction on shortly.
A cart holds dozens of completed knives that Rick Hinderer will take to a knife show, where they will be snapped up by buyers who will be selected by a lottery
Dozens of Hinderer knives sit on a table waiting for Rick Hinderer, company founder, to put his trademark edge on them. A master sharpener, Hinderer insists on grinding the edges of the popular knives himself.
Rick Hinderer puts an edge on one of his knives.
http://www.the-daily-record.com/business/2013/11/24/a-cut-above-the-rest
I'll repost here since these on-line articles have a habit of disappearing or requiring logins to read:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A cut above the rest
Wayne County knife-maker gets a slice of national and worldwide markets
By PAUL LOCHER Staff Writer Published: November 24, 2013 4:00AM
SPRINGVILLE -- In the world of knives, Rick Hinderer is a rock star.
He's the guy on the cutting edge, the top of the heap. And he's not planning on leaving the summit anytime soon.
Hinderer does knife shows around the country, and hundreds of people flock to his booth to fill out lottery tickets, which, if among the lucky ones drawn, will give them an opportunity to be allowed to purchase one of his knives at substantial cost.
"It is humbling," says Hinderer, who has worked his way to the top over more than a quarter century, and today operates a knife manufacturing concern in some inconspicuous buildings just outside Springville in southern Wayne County.
Hinderer was born in Columbus and his family moved often. In 1983, he attended ATI in Wooster in its horse training and farrier program. It was there he met Lori, who later became his wife.
"It was horse-shoeing that actually got me interested in making knives," Hinderer said, noting his first effort in that field was in 1986 when he made a knife out of a plow point for a friend of his serving in the U.S. Army special forces as a Green Beret.
"After I made it," he recalls, "I thought, 'This is cool. This is a lot of fun.'"
He began experimenting with knife-making, and since there was no such thing as the Internet at the time, he taught himself the techniques through trial and error.
"My horse customers ultimately became my first knife customers," he remembers. "They took pity on me and bought my knives."
In 1988 he set up a table at the Medina Gun Show, displaying a placard reading, "Rick Hinderer, Knifemaker." And he never looked back.
Over the next few years, as Hinderer saw the popularity of his knives growing by word of mouth, he gradually transitioned out of farrier work.
He fared well in his first appearance at The Blade Show and Cutlery Fair in Atlanta, which this year he will participate in for the 25th time. He also does two shows in Las Vegas, as well as California and New Jersey.
By the mid 1990s, Hinderer said, "I knew I was on to something." He said the ultra high quality materials he uses, coupled with his "over-the-top" innovative designs and general toughness of the product made it stand out.
His knives especially caught the eye of those in the military and law enforcement organizations, who remain the backbone of his customer base.
Hinderer purchased his first CNC machine in 1995, not realizing it would be the first of many such machines he would buy.
One can no longer buy a knife from him at a show. Instead, he passes out free lottery tickets and 35-50 people whose ticket is drawn, have an opportunity to buy a knife at a cost of $385.
"We don't take orders either," said Hinderer, 49, "or we'd be backlogged with thousands of orders."
Instead of trying to meet the demand for his knives, Hinderer has begun designing for leading knife companies such as Gerber, Kershaw and K-bar. The mass-produced knives bear Hinderer's name and he realizes royalties from their sales. He said working with the big manufacturers "gives me a chance to realize knife designs I have in my head, but don't have the capacity to produce here."
He said having his mass-produced designs available through retailers takes some of the pressure off his local operation, which employs six full-time workers and two part-time employees.
Hinderer said he attributes the success of his knives to their durability, with heavy blades and handles made of G-10 fiberglass composite or carbon fiber, which make them "impervious to just about anything."
He said there is demand for his knives worldwide, including Europe, Japan and Thailand, where he has a dealer network in place. Currently, he is producing about 6,000 knives a year.
As a result, the company is experiencing growing pains, and next spring will construct a 12,000-square-foot manufacturing plant along Columbus Road.
Always the innovator, Hinderer is constantly thinking about new products, one of which is the Extreme Duty Modular Pen, which is a pen and a self-defense weapon that has found popularity with police departments. The company is selling the pens to Amazon, the first business in the niche industry to do so.
He said when he sets up at shows, he often finds himself talking to groups of customers that include representatives of the nation's largest police departments, as well as the Secret Service, ICE, special ops and foreign military, especially Germans and British.
"It's very satisfying knowing that I play a small part in the defense of our country," said Hinderer. "It's neat that something I came up with in my head, and made here in Wayne County, is being used to defend our country."
Rick and Lori Hinderer were active for about 10 years with the Wayne Township Fire Department, working with the dive team, and he additionally as a firefighter. He said it is that experience which, in part, helped him to design his knives so they fulfill the needs of those using them.
Reporter Paul Locher can be reached at 330-682-2055 or plocher@the-daily-record.com.
Rob Orlando of Cuyahoga Falls, operations manager, works on assembling a knife at the Hinderer plant. Every component of every knife is machined on site. Orlando, who handles the company's website, sales and marketing, says he started out as one of the biggest fans of Hinderer's products.
Paul Locher photos/www.buydrphotos.com Rick Hinderer, company founder, puts an edge on one of his knives, a process that takes him about a minute.
The Hinderer knife logo reflects Rick Hinderer's start as a farrier, as well as his experience as a Wayne Township firefighter.
A forest of CNC machinery crowds Rick Hinderer's knife manufacturing operation near Springville. The fast-growing company will expand next year to a 12,000-square-foot facility it plans to begin construction on shortly.
A cart holds dozens of completed knives that Rick Hinderer will take to a knife show, where they will be snapped up by buyers who will be selected by a lottery
Dozens of Hinderer knives sit on a table waiting for Rick Hinderer, company founder, to put his trademark edge on them. A master sharpener, Hinderer insists on grinding the edges of the popular knives himself.
Rick Hinderer puts an edge on one of his knives.
