Trail Talk With Bobbi Jeen : Tom Balding Bits & SPurs скачать в хорошем качестве

Trail Talk With Bobbi Jeen : Tom Balding Bits & SPurs

Welcome to “Trail Talk with Bobbi Jeen!” Today we are visiting with one of the newest members of the National Bit, Spur and Saddle Collectors Association, Tom Balding from Balding Bits & Spurs. Tom Balding has a wonderful success story about going after goals and dreams and succeeding. Tom Balding Bits & Spurs has been in operation since 1984. He has been crafting state of the art bit and spur designs, backed by industry leading technology and innovation for riders seeking a balanced product that offers ease of use, quick response, better movement and longer product life. Tom works directly with world class professional riders and trainers to ensure all their needs are met. Tom has been running a very successful business specializing in bits, spurs and other Western products for 38 years. He has mentored, motivated and inspired others to go after their goals and dreams in the Western industry, just as he himself has done. A few years ago I had the honor of stopping by Tom’s shop in Sheridan, Wyoming, where we talked about his passion, drive and desire to make some of the best, most functional bits and spurs and what has been the key to his success. Recently I caught back up with this multi-talented gentleman to see what he has been doing since our last interview. Bobbi Jeen: How has everything been going for you these past few years? Tom: The business is doing amazing and my employees are great. I don’t know what I would do if I lost any one of them. (37:05) One just celebrated 30 years with the company and two are at 20 and most of the others are around 10-15, with one that has been here just a year. There are six full time employees and we are so busy that we’re about eight to nine months out with orders. Bobbi Jeen: Do you teach your employees everything you know about the business to keep the brand consistent? Tom: Yes, it is a real long process and it is important who you bring into your business. Bobbi Jeen: You have been in business for almost 40 years, what has been the key to your success? Tom: The hard work that has been put into the business, my drive to always do my best, focus on quality and being consistent with our products, are some of the most important aspects in my business. Bobbi Jeen: What got you started making bits and spurs? Tom: I moved to Wyoming (from California) in 1980 specifically to live the Western lifestyle. I immersed myself in horses and worked for near by ranches. A neighbor came over with a broken bit and asked if I could weld it back together. I made the comment, “I could make you a new one,” and a light bulb went off. I welded the bit, which took just a couple minutes, and that evening I had made my very first bit. The next day I went to town and ordered business cards. Bobbi Jeen: You have been a master welder most of your life, specializing in TIG welding (sometimes referred to Gas Tungsten Arc Welding GTAW, which is the process of using an electric arc with a TIG electrode made of tungsten, which does not dissolve or burn off when welding. When TIG welding you are simply melting metal together without using a filler metal as you do with MIG welding). Do you believe that is a part of why you have had such success in this industry? Tom: Oh, with out a doubt! I started in California and then let the knowledge of welding flow through to Bits & Spurs. I was 22 when I received a highly prized, prestigious government certification for precision aircraft TIG welding. Nobody was TIG welding bits and spurs until I started implementing it. It makes a cleaner product and is faster, plus you can weld dissimilar metals (stainless steel, mild steel, etc.) easily. No matter what I was welding, I always wanted to make that perfect weld. Bobbi Jeen: Were you the first to utilize “mixing metals” in your creations? Tom: Yes, by using the two dissimilar metals I could come up with a very distinctive look. The “tuxedo look,” stainless steel and mild steel (black gun finish or browning) and the TIG welding with the beads, which has to be perfect. Bobbi Jeen: You have numerous registered trade marks including the dots, using dissimilar metals, browning technique and more. How many trade marks do you have and why did you trade mark them? Tom: We have about a dozen different trade marks. In the early 2000’s we were being ripped off and copied by foreign companies. People would send me broken bits, spurs or complain about the quality and they were not something I had made. Some people believed me and others did not. It took many years and lots of money to regain my reputation and fight the frauds. So during the process of fighting these companies that were coping us we started protecting different designs and different aspects of our business. To read the full article go to WesternTradingPost.com/Blog Trail Talk With Bobbi Jeen is brought to you by Western Trading Post TV & BobbiJeen.com