1 00:00:09,230 --> 00:00:12,750 The best part of my day would be first thing in the morning, coming in. 2 00:00:14,050 --> 00:00:16,070 There's not too many people here at the time. 3 00:00:16,770 --> 00:00:20,190 I'm able to get stuff started and start my day. 4 00:00:22,730 --> 00:00:25,110 I started here on September 4th, 1984. 5 00:00:26,050 --> 00:00:28,570 At that time, there was a lot of factories around. 6 00:00:29,150 --> 00:00:34,790 There was Winchester, there was Mossberg, there was Cold, there was 7 00:00:34,790 --> 00:00:36,750 in Chickenby Falls at the time. 8 00:00:37,800 --> 00:00:41,020 A lot of the industry has now moved south or they've just gone belly up and 9 00:00:41,020 --> 00:00:42,020 close. 10 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:43,960 There's no longer an existence. 11 00:00:45,700 --> 00:00:51,920 I learned to just change the way I do things, right? You try it, you try it, 12 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:53,620 try it, you fail, you try something different. 13 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:57,460 And just keep going until you get to where you want to be. 14 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,360 And don't be afraid of failure because you are going to fail. 15 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:04,260 And I think that's what a lot of people are scared of. 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:15,640 I started, there were a lot of gentlemen here that were World War II vets. 17 00:01:16,780 --> 00:01:20,540 When I walked around here, they introduced me to a lot of guys, and they 18 00:01:20,540 --> 00:01:22,200 here for 40, 42 years. 19 00:01:23,320 --> 00:01:27,120 So when I walked through, and when I got done with my interview, I got outside 20 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:31,340 and realized, this is a place I could retire from, which I thought was pretty 21 00:01:31,340 --> 00:01:34,520 cool. So 40 years later, here I am. 22 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:23,120 Good morning, everybody. 23 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:24,880 Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, Mikey. 24 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:33,220 The first thing I do every single day when I come in is I go around the entire 25 00:02:33,220 --> 00:02:34,280 building and say good morning. 26 00:02:34,580 --> 00:02:41,160 So that's the best part of my day because this business is all about the 27 00:02:41,160 --> 00:02:41,859 in it. 28 00:02:41,860 --> 00:02:47,380 So we have a very family culture here, very personable to everybody. We treat 29 00:02:47,380 --> 00:02:49,420 everybody the same. There's no us and them. 30 00:02:50,690 --> 00:02:52,890 Everybody has a say in what goes on here. 31 00:02:53,930 --> 00:02:54,930 Everybody's involved. 32 00:02:56,090 --> 00:03:00,010 To me, it's just nice to be able to go around and know everybody. 33 00:03:00,670 --> 00:03:04,410 Although we're growing so fast, there's still a few I'm still trying to learn. 34 00:03:04,490 --> 00:03:10,450 But just to see their faces and, you know, and to see them react that I take 35 00:03:10,450 --> 00:03:13,470 time to, you know, go out and say, hey, good morning, how's it going? 36 00:03:14,730 --> 00:03:19,430 Savage started in 1894 by a gentleman named Arthur Savage. 37 00:03:19,710 --> 00:03:25,610 Came from the West Indies to the United States. And then he created what we now 38 00:03:25,610 --> 00:03:30,070 call the Model 99 or the Model 95 as he started in 1895. 39 00:03:30,470 --> 00:03:35,070 And with that rifle, you know, business really picked up for him. 40 00:03:35,730 --> 00:03:38,990 Arthur Savage was extremely innovative. 41 00:03:39,870 --> 00:03:45,990 and committed to bringing to the mass consumer a rifle that he could afford 42 00:03:45,990 --> 00:03:46,990 appreciate. 43 00:03:47,230 --> 00:03:53,170 And those two things still are here today, as strong as they were back then. 44 00:04:08,490 --> 00:04:13,610 When I first met Wayne, he was just one of the hourly guides in the materials 45 00:04:13,610 --> 00:04:14,610 crib. 46 00:04:14,830 --> 00:04:18,930 He worked alongside a gentleman named Rick Iyer, who has since retired. 47 00:04:19,709 --> 00:04:25,550 They had tremendous energy, passion for the business, and really wanted to see 48 00:04:25,550 --> 00:04:30,170 the company become more successful and start to address some of the day -to 49 00:04:30,170 --> 00:04:32,330 challenges that they continue to have. 50 00:04:34,370 --> 00:04:36,010 I've been here now for... 51 00:04:36,300 --> 00:04:43,000 38 years going on 39 years this fall there used to be a water tower out in 52 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:48,460 back and i remember being in i don't know if it was fourth grade fifth grade 53 00:04:48,460 --> 00:04:52,880 looking at that water tower going gee i wonder what was over there and when i 54 00:04:52,880 --> 00:04:57,480 first started here that water tower was still here i thought that was pretty 55 00:04:57,480 --> 00:05:04,400 that was pretty neat what are you most proud of with your work that 56 00:05:04,400 --> 00:05:05,400 you do here 57 00:05:06,860 --> 00:05:09,740 The fact that this place is still open, right? 58 00:05:11,380 --> 00:05:12,660 And it's just not me. 59 00:05:13,740 --> 00:05:14,780 It's the whole team. 60 00:05:16,800 --> 00:05:18,040 I'm really proud of that. 61 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:26,340 Management at that time when I started was basically sucking the place dry. 62 00:05:27,300 --> 00:05:31,420 We were then sold to one company, another investment company, which again 63 00:05:31,420 --> 00:05:36,530 us to a different company. And at that time, We did go Chapter 11. 64 00:05:37,470 --> 00:05:41,030 You didn't know if you came in and that was going to be it. The doors were going 65 00:05:41,030 --> 00:05:45,610 to be locked that day, right? And you were out, which I thought was kind of 66 00:05:48,970 --> 00:05:50,010 We got through it. 67 00:05:50,310 --> 00:05:51,310 Sorry. 68 00:05:52,450 --> 00:05:55,030 We got through it, and we made it prosper. 69 00:05:57,250 --> 00:06:01,730 People want good things. People want homes. People want cars. People want to 70 00:06:01,730 --> 00:06:02,750 take care of your family. 71 00:06:04,240 --> 00:06:06,800 To me, it's the American dream, right? To see it thrive. 72 00:06:07,980 --> 00:06:09,320 To know it's going to be here. 73 00:06:19,980 --> 00:06:23,460 We make, I think, the best guns in the industry. 74 00:06:23,980 --> 00:06:25,060 The most accurate. 75 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:26,600 Quality is phenomenal. 76 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:31,240 The innovation continues to get better all the time. A lot of people worked 77 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:32,240 hard to get here. 78 00:06:32,380 --> 00:06:34,200 I only had eight engineers when this started. 79 00:06:35,020 --> 00:06:41,000 So, you know, it's just a testament to, like I said, you know, a few good people 80 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:45,940 working really hard trying to make something really, really special for 81 00:06:45,940 --> 00:06:49,720 company. What Savage does, what we do, is we start our receivers and barrels 82 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:54,500 right from bar stock, right? Two different sizes on the receivers, 83 00:06:54,500 --> 00:06:55,880 stainless and carbon on that. 84 00:06:56,540 --> 00:07:00,700 Barrels, we'll cut them off, we'll drill them, we'll ream them. 85 00:07:01,710 --> 00:07:02,710 Then we'll rifle. 86 00:07:02,770 --> 00:07:06,750 Cut off, the operator will take the material and he'll put it up on a cut 87 00:07:06,750 --> 00:07:11,090 machine. Then the machine will cut it. As the machine cuts it, he'll take it 88 00:07:11,090 --> 00:07:12,550 put it into a carton, right? 89 00:07:12,950 --> 00:07:16,070 Then it'll go over to drilling. Another operator will drill it. 90 00:07:16,750 --> 00:07:19,970 Then it'll go into ream. Another operator will ream it. 91 00:07:20,910 --> 00:07:22,230 Then it'll go into turn. 92 00:07:23,070 --> 00:07:26,130 Same thing, another operator will load the machine. They'll turn it. 93 00:07:27,190 --> 00:07:30,250 Then they'll pass it on to the chef who does the straightening. 94 00:07:31,710 --> 00:07:34,990 They'll get the chamber cut in it, and then it'll go upstairs and get put in 95 00:07:34,990 --> 00:07:37,350 stock. Again, by another person, right? 96 00:07:39,550 --> 00:07:43,950 Through our processes on the barrels, there's about 10 or 15 people that will 97 00:07:43,950 --> 00:07:48,990 actually touch that barrel on any given day as it goes through the process. Each 98 00:07:48,990 --> 00:07:54,250 one of those people are doing quality checks. The operators are the 99 00:07:54,510 --> 00:07:58,730 These are one of the reasons why Savage is accurate out of the box, and that the 100 00:07:58,730 --> 00:08:00,490 customer values what we do. 101 00:08:00,860 --> 00:08:02,620 They're adding a value to that. 102 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:05,100 That's why Savage is accurate. 103 00:08:05,320 --> 00:08:06,460 It's by the people. 104 00:08:22,420 --> 00:08:25,660 Wow. A lot of cool stuff up here. A lot of history. 105 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:28,520 Old BA stocks. 106 00:08:29,370 --> 00:08:32,230 Small rotary mags, owner's manuals. 107 00:08:34,130 --> 00:08:39,970 So this room, you see the old shelf here and the rack on top. All the way around 108 00:08:39,970 --> 00:08:42,190 this room was all rifles. 109 00:08:43,210 --> 00:08:46,990 You see the old shadows from the boards there, the paint marks. 110 00:08:48,010 --> 00:08:49,670 It was packed, packed. 111 00:08:51,050 --> 00:08:54,730 Back when I started in 1984, there was a lot of guns in here. 112 00:08:55,350 --> 00:08:56,350 Competitors, rifles. 113 00:08:57,189 --> 00:09:00,270 engineering samples, prototypes, things like that were all up here. 114 00:09:01,250 --> 00:09:02,470 Those Colt revolvers. 115 00:09:03,290 --> 00:09:05,290 Colts are a skeleton of what they used to be. 116 00:09:06,990 --> 00:09:11,130 But they were kind of a different market than what we were in. 117 00:09:11,730 --> 00:09:14,010 We were in long guns. They were more handgun company. 118 00:09:15,150 --> 00:09:18,310 But again, today, they're a skeleton of what they used to be. 119 00:09:34,830 --> 00:09:39,690 All this space here, from that main aisle, that red beam, all the way back 120 00:09:39,730 --> 00:09:40,830 this was all rented space. 121 00:09:41,710 --> 00:09:43,650 We rented it all to the railroad out back. 122 00:09:45,050 --> 00:09:46,050 Now look at it. 123 00:09:48,670 --> 00:09:49,670 Pretty cool. 124 00:09:52,710 --> 00:09:53,750 A lot of changes. 125 00:09:54,370 --> 00:09:55,970 A lot of changes over the years. 126 00:10:02,710 --> 00:10:03,770 I like what I do. 127 00:10:05,040 --> 00:10:06,860 I like what I do. I like the people I work with. 128 00:10:08,140 --> 00:10:13,120 We make cool stuff, right? We're not making basketballs here or ice cream or 129 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,580 something like that. We're making firearms, and I think that they're 130 00:10:16,580 --> 00:10:20,300 cool. You know, when we get guys that come in for visiting, and they're like, 131 00:10:20,360 --> 00:10:23,040 oh, my God, look at all the firearms, you know, look at all the guns around 132 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,220 here. It's like, yeah, that's what we do, right? And we do it good. 133 00:10:26,620 --> 00:10:28,540 I'm very proud of it, very proud of it. 134 00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:37,220 When a person goes in to buy a rifle, they're either looking for something 135 00:10:37,220 --> 00:10:42,740 that's just a basic, they're just getting started, or if somebody's just 136 00:10:42,740 --> 00:10:48,480 into hunting for the first time, doesn't really know what they need and may not 137 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:53,900 have a lot of money to spend, we have that access rifle that fits that 138 00:10:53,900 --> 00:10:57,480 description. And then we get up to the more serious. 139 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:01,920 hunters and shooters that want something a little more innovative, more custom 140 00:11:01,920 --> 00:11:07,980 fit to them, you know, you don't have to spend $10 ,000 -plus on a custom -made 141 00:11:07,980 --> 00:11:13,780 rifle to have the best, most accurate rifle and to win and be successful, 142 00:11:14,020 --> 00:11:20,800 whether it be hunting, you know, that one shot you get at that big buck or 143 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:25,160 one hole that you're trying to get at, you know, at 100 yards, 300 yards or 144 00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:26,160 whatever. 145 00:11:26,870 --> 00:11:30,510 We make products that handle all of those. 146 00:11:40,090 --> 00:11:44,810 So I think Arthur Savage would be very proud of the innovation that has 147 00:11:44,810 --> 00:11:50,230 continued to drive the company forward, the accuracy that we've continued to 148 00:11:50,230 --> 00:11:52,910 make in all of our rifles. 149 00:11:53,230 --> 00:11:54,850 We started an innovation. 150 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:59,620 Think Tank here back in 2001. 151 00:12:00,620 --> 00:12:05,040 And that thing is just, that train is moving really fast. 152 00:12:05,260 --> 00:12:09,560 And we're known in the industry for being innovative. We brought more 153 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:13,800 products to the marketplace in the last 20 years than any of our competitors by 154 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:15,320 a huge margin. 155 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:17,620 And that train is still going. 156 00:12:17,820 --> 00:12:21,940 You know, we have more projects on the board now that go past five years. 157 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:23,680 I just need more engineers. 158 00:12:24,680 --> 00:12:26,220 to help us get there faster. 159 00:12:30,740 --> 00:12:34,780 When I first come in, I walk through, like, the finishing department to see 160 00:12:34,780 --> 00:12:38,480 parts are where and what do I really need to move today. 161 00:12:39,060 --> 00:12:44,420 Do I need them working on those or do I need them working on those? And just go 162 00:12:44,420 --> 00:12:47,480 around the pack a couple times a day, I'll do that, and I'll get with the 163 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:52,460 supervisors and the stress level. It gets crazy at times. 164 00:12:58,860 --> 00:13:03,240 One of the things that I do now a lot is there has to be a state park across 165 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:09,700 from where I live, so I'll just go take a walk out in the woods and observe the 166 00:13:09,700 --> 00:13:14,060 wildlife. Maybe I'll see a deer, maybe I'll see a bear, maybe I'll just see a 167 00:13:14,060 --> 00:13:17,100 chickadee. That's what I like to do now. 168 00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:19,880 That gives me a lot of pleasure. 169 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:29,960 It gives you, no pun intended, a breath of fresh air, right? You know, maybe 170 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:36,320 last week wasn't the greatest week it was, right? You don't have good weeks or 171 00:13:36,320 --> 00:13:37,660 good days without bad days. 172 00:13:38,260 --> 00:13:43,700 So when those bad days happen or a bad week happens, you get out on those 173 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:48,920 you slow down, you get a chance to observe, and it's quiet, it's peaceful. 174 00:13:50,520 --> 00:13:51,740 You get to recharge. 175 00:13:52,140 --> 00:13:57,310 So when I come back in on that, the following week i'm fresh i'm ready to go 176 00:13:57,310 --> 00:14:02,010 like i said yesterday was yesterday today's today that part of it is very 177 00:14:02,010 --> 00:14:06,750 important right it keeps you back in reality it's very very important 178 00:14:06,750 --> 00:14:22,430 all 179 00:14:22,430 --> 00:14:29,220 right so On this Ipsen furnace here, back in last July, we started down to do 180 00:14:29,220 --> 00:14:30,220 the re -brick. 181 00:14:30,660 --> 00:14:33,700 We came back after shutdown, after the brick was done. 182 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:36,880 We went to start it back up. 183 00:14:37,300 --> 00:14:38,520 The motor went. 184 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:40,340 Then the tubes went. 185 00:14:40,940 --> 00:14:42,260 Then the chain broke. 186 00:14:42,740 --> 00:14:44,360 Then the cylinders went. 187 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,840 It turned into my arch nemesis. 188 00:14:47,180 --> 00:14:51,740 And I didn't get it back for three months. So during that three -month time 189 00:14:51,740 --> 00:14:56,740 span. I was farming everything out and begging guys to run our parts to keep us 190 00:14:56,740 --> 00:15:00,260 going. We got it done, we lived through it, and life moves on. 191 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:10,260 I learned to just change the way I do things, right? Change the way. If this 192 00:15:10,260 --> 00:15:14,140 didn't work and we failed, we change it, we try something else. If that fails 193 00:15:14,140 --> 00:15:15,780 again, we try something else. 194 00:15:16,340 --> 00:15:19,320 It's the same thing without on the floor, right? With manufacturing, right? 195 00:15:19,710 --> 00:15:22,670 You try, you try, you try, you fail, you try something different. 196 00:15:24,290 --> 00:15:26,510 You just keep going until you get to where you want to be. 197 00:15:27,270 --> 00:15:29,350 Yeah, you're good to go, buddy. 198 00:15:31,190 --> 00:15:34,390 So this is Shepard Torres. He does all the barrel straightening here. 199 00:15:34,650 --> 00:15:36,890 He's going to take you through that process of what we do. 200 00:15:37,390 --> 00:15:40,410 As you can see, see how thick this steel is? 201 00:15:40,910 --> 00:15:42,350 Those walls on this barrel? 202 00:15:42,730 --> 00:15:43,950 It's very thick, right? 203 00:15:44,590 --> 00:15:48,310 I mean, in order to bend this, you're going to need a lot of heat. 204 00:15:48,939 --> 00:15:53,560 Or if you have a machine like this, that's going to bend the barrel, all 205 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:56,620 Now, this machine is going to make this barrel look like a piece of rubber. 206 00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:02,640 And like I said before, what it's going to do, the machine is going to do is 207 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:05,020 it's going to, this is the machine, this is the barrel. 208 00:16:05,780 --> 00:16:11,720 Remember, the barrel, it bends with an arc. It's not a bend like a 7, right? 209 00:16:11,860 --> 00:16:17,400 It's a bend with an arc. So in order to straighten it, I need to hit it 1, 2, 3. 210 00:16:18,420 --> 00:16:19,820 four, maybe a little bit more. 211 00:16:20,180 --> 00:16:22,780 So the machine, what the machine, this is the machine, what it's going to do, 212 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,880 it's going to just stretch it out until you straighten it, all right? 213 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:32,440 So the backboard with the light, it creates a shadow inside the barrel. 214 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,560 It creates two lines. They look like paint tracks. 215 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:38,940 When the barrels bend, the lines are high in the wall. 216 00:16:39,660 --> 00:16:42,620 When the barrels straighten, they drop down to the bottom, nice and straight, 217 00:16:42,720 --> 00:16:46,800 parallel to each other. A lot of responsibility here in this. 218 00:16:47,680 --> 00:16:53,140 Because if something goes wrong, like the thread or the cut, something's 219 00:16:53,340 --> 00:16:55,080 they're going to come to me. 220 00:17:02,640 --> 00:17:06,800 They like me because I help them. I like them because they help me. 221 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:10,579 So, like, we were helping each other here. We help each other, you know. 222 00:17:12,420 --> 00:17:16,380 That's the main thing. That's why this place, I think, is where it is right 223 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:20,720 It's because all those little things, those little details that, you know, 224 00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:25,579 people miss, that's what it is. 225 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:27,440 That's a success right here. 226 00:17:27,940 --> 00:17:28,940 A unity. 227 00:17:39,220 --> 00:17:40,860 It's all about the people. 228 00:17:41,930 --> 00:17:45,550 You know, I keep telling everybody if something happens to me tomorrow, the 229 00:17:45,550 --> 00:17:47,890 company still goes. The company is still making product. 230 00:17:48,150 --> 00:17:51,130 If I don't have those people in the factory, I don't have a business. 231 00:17:51,410 --> 00:17:56,370 They are the most important component of any business, but especially Savage. 232 00:17:56,510 --> 00:17:57,750 And so we treat them that way. 233 00:18:04,910 --> 00:18:09,950 So I think the backbone of Savage Arm here is the people, right? The people 234 00:18:09,950 --> 00:18:14,420 what? what gets the job done and that goes all the way from the top all the 235 00:18:14,420 --> 00:18:18,400 down right that's everybody here those are the people that make salvage success 236 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:25,300 they are savage we are savage the american dream to me is to build a 237 00:18:25,300 --> 00:18:31,940 business that provides the growth and security for the workforce so that they 238 00:18:31,940 --> 00:18:38,040 can buy a home buy a car send their kids to school and maybe even bring them 239 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:41,080 into the business and have a career here. 240 00:18:41,740 --> 00:18:46,300 And, you know, my service award day where I acknowledge those long -term 241 00:18:46,300 --> 00:18:49,160 employees is the highlight of my year every year. 242 00:18:53,360 --> 00:18:59,900 My parents, when they came here, they worked, they worked, they worked, you 243 00:18:59,900 --> 00:19:05,740 know, but they taught us something very important, which is, you know, be 244 00:19:05,740 --> 00:19:06,740 decent. 245 00:19:06,899 --> 00:19:11,600 and work for a living. It doesn't matter, you know, if you have a lot of 246 00:19:11,600 --> 00:19:12,600 or if you don't. 247 00:19:12,740 --> 00:19:18,080 You know, as long as you do things right and you respect others, we're not, 248 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:19,560 everybody's not the same, you know. 249 00:19:20,920 --> 00:19:27,860 But as long as they respect you and you respect them, we help each other, that's 250 00:19:27,860 --> 00:19:28,860 the main thing. 251 00:19:34,670 --> 00:19:37,430 The guys coming out of World War II, right, the vets. 252 00:19:37,990 --> 00:19:41,770 You know, Tom Brokaw nailed it on the head when he showed them the greatest 253 00:19:41,770 --> 00:19:44,910 generation that ever lived because those guys could do anything. 254 00:19:45,130 --> 00:19:46,330 They could fix anything. 255 00:19:46,730 --> 00:19:47,850 They were resilient. 256 00:19:48,150 --> 00:19:52,750 Whatever needed to be done, they could do it. I think a lot of that has now 257 00:19:52,750 --> 00:19:57,090 into this facility, right? That's what it is. And that's the American dream, 258 00:19:57,190 --> 00:20:00,870 right? That's the American thing, you know, to be able to do whatever we 259 00:20:00,870 --> 00:20:01,669 to do. 260 00:20:01,670 --> 00:20:03,430 Americans can do anything they want. 261 00:20:03,910 --> 00:20:07,030 Whenever they want, if they put their mind to it and they're determined and 262 00:20:07,030 --> 00:20:08,770 work hard, it can be done. 263 00:20:09,210 --> 00:20:10,210 We can do it here.