- Joined
- Nov 12, 2009
- Messages
- 13,439
Hi folks -
Two of my crazy motorcycling buddies and myself set out from the cornfields of central Illinois, heading to Portland Oregon to visit the Kershaw / KAI factory in Tualatin (a suburb of Portland).
I'll spare you the 2000 miles of road from home to the plant. Here is the view of the plant from the intersection in front of the building.
Inside the lobby there are beautiful displays of Kershaw, ZT and Shun products.
The lobby is very welcoming. They also have a very beautiful young lady receptionist - I can't remember her name but she certainly seemed to be in charge! Note all of the awards behind her (if you can focus in on that....)
Jimmer came out to meet us and greeted us like family! While we were making introductions, Mark (the factory manager) came out, having noticed the motorcycles in the parking area. It turns out that Mark rides the same model of motorcycle that all three of us rode on the trip!
We could not take pictures in the factory, but Jimmer took us on the royal tour - spending over an hour and a half, discussing each aspect of the knife making process in great detail and introducing us to the machinists and even the expert assembly artists.
We saw the "skunk works" where the folks were busy making parts for the ZT0777, we saw the sharpening area, we even saw the area where they put the tiger stripes on. Jimmer then took us to his desk and showed us cad drawings of the 888, and proto cutouts of the 777 and 888!!
We were all in awe! I could not stop smiling for the entire time!
After our most excellent tour, we met Jim and Mark out behind the plant in the employee's lot so we could take some pictures of our bikes with Marks - Here are shots going around the plant, then in back.
Here is Jim (left) and Mark (right) and Mark's 1986 Kawasaki ZG1000 (center)
Here are some bike shots - that is my bike, Fat Bastard, in the foreground.
We said our goodbyes and headed off to an excellent Teriyaki Grill that Mark recommended - it was outstanding (thanks Mark! )
Thomas came out and visited with us for a while and thanked us for coming so far to visit them. He even gifted each of us a beautiful ZT knife, saying that "We can't have you come all the way here and leave without a knife!"
My friend Russ (the fellow with the Red motorcycle - helmet on, talking to Mark) was so touched by the gift of the knife, that he is mounting the knife on a plaque and putting it in his living room!
I cannot say enough good about the experience; these folks made all three of us feel like part of the Kershaw Family - seriously!!
Thank you Jim, Mark and Thomas for taking time out of your busy day, and Jim especially for giving us the tour of a lifetime of the factory and introducing us to the machinists.
I will figure out some way to properly say thank you, but until then I will just continue to be a loyal customer, albeit with a much greater appreciation of the artistry, skill and dedication that goes into each and every product that leaves the Kershaw factory!
best regards -
mqqn
Two of my crazy motorcycling buddies and myself set out from the cornfields of central Illinois, heading to Portland Oregon to visit the Kershaw / KAI factory in Tualatin (a suburb of Portland).
I'll spare you the 2000 miles of road from home to the plant. Here is the view of the plant from the intersection in front of the building.
Inside the lobby there are beautiful displays of Kershaw, ZT and Shun products.
The lobby is very welcoming. They also have a very beautiful young lady receptionist - I can't remember her name but she certainly seemed to be in charge! Note all of the awards behind her (if you can focus in on that....)
Jimmer came out to meet us and greeted us like family! While we were making introductions, Mark (the factory manager) came out, having noticed the motorcycles in the parking area. It turns out that Mark rides the same model of motorcycle that all three of us rode on the trip!
We could not take pictures in the factory, but Jimmer took us on the royal tour - spending over an hour and a half, discussing each aspect of the knife making process in great detail and introducing us to the machinists and even the expert assembly artists.
We saw the "skunk works" where the folks were busy making parts for the ZT0777, we saw the sharpening area, we even saw the area where they put the tiger stripes on. Jimmer then took us to his desk and showed us cad drawings of the 888, and proto cutouts of the 777 and 888!!
We were all in awe! I could not stop smiling for the entire time!
After our most excellent tour, we met Jim and Mark out behind the plant in the employee's lot so we could take some pictures of our bikes with Marks - Here are shots going around the plant, then in back.
Here is Jim (left) and Mark (right) and Mark's 1986 Kawasaki ZG1000 (center)
Here are some bike shots - that is my bike, Fat Bastard, in the foreground.
We said our goodbyes and headed off to an excellent Teriyaki Grill that Mark recommended - it was outstanding (thanks Mark! )
Thomas came out and visited with us for a while and thanked us for coming so far to visit them. He even gifted each of us a beautiful ZT knife, saying that "We can't have you come all the way here and leave without a knife!"
My friend Russ (the fellow with the Red motorcycle - helmet on, talking to Mark) was so touched by the gift of the knife, that he is mounting the knife on a plaque and putting it in his living room!
I cannot say enough good about the experience; these folks made all three of us feel like part of the Kershaw Family - seriously!!
Thank you Jim, Mark and Thomas for taking time out of your busy day, and Jim especially for giving us the tour of a lifetime of the factory and introducing us to the machinists.
I will figure out some way to properly say thank you, but until then I will just continue to be a loyal customer, albeit with a much greater appreciation of the artistry, skill and dedication that goes into each and every product that leaves the Kershaw factory!
best regards -
mqqn
)
