Daniel Defense recently held a job fair for positions at their Black Creek, GA facility. They are looking for lots of folks with skilled labor backgrounds as well as office up to managerial positions.
Daniel Defense Open Positions by solsys
Applicants should submit their resumes to poneill@danieldefense.com
Awhile back we posted about a few companies who have pledged to boycott sales to New York Law Enforcement after that state passed its so-called SAFE act effectively banning any weapon that can accommodate a magazine over 7 rounds. That little list has grown to well over 80 companies with more jumping on board every day. I’d like to pay particular attention to one of our advertisers, Bravo Company for standing our constitutional rights.
I could reproduce the list here but I won’t because someone else has made a full time job out of it and he is doing great. Visit NC Gun Blog for the latest updates. I only take umbrage with one thing on his list. He’s created a naughty list and placed GT Distributors on there. They don’t belong. That is a company with a long commitment of service to the LE community. Before there was panic buying they made their money from sales to LE and in order to support that customer base and they’ve decided to limit sales of semi auto rifles and 30 round magazines to them. It’s not like civilian customers were lining up to buy stuff from them before the panic so it’s more than a little foolish to vilify them for conducting business with their regular customers. The ones that will be there for the long haul.
Update – I checked with GT Distributors and they had temporarily modified their sales policy to support long-term LE customers during the height of the panic. However, now, you can go and order anything that is in stock; military, LE or civilian. To be sure, they are strongly committed to the Second Amendment.
Law Enforcement writ large isn’t bad and it isn’t the enemy. The issue is with bad laws written sponsored by uninformed and ill intentioned legislators as well as opportunists. Our industry needs to support LE in appropriate ways. Every situation is different and sometimes that means saying “No” both to them and to consumers.
The other day I was joking around with some friends about how standard 30 round magazines somehow became evil “High Capacity Magazines” so I came up with this new naming convention to put the discussion back on track. But, I bet you guys can come up with even better names. So have at it and enjoy.
In this business my arch nemesis is a well written press release because there isn’t much you can do with it except post it. The guys at Combat Flip Flops have brought Revolution House Media to work their PR issues. Some of you may know Revolution House Media’s Kate Ketschek from NEMO Equipment. She recently left to start her own agency and kept NEMO as a client which speaks volumes. While she may not be a media mogul yet, she’s aces in my book and already doing a bang up job for CFF.
So here it is, in all its glory, everything you wanted to know about Combat Flip Flops but were afraid to ask.
{Issaquah, WA} Combat Flip Flops, a company built on the premise of Business, Not Bullets, has announced an update on production and new partnerships with Magner Sanborn for brand development and Revolution House Media for public relations.
Combat Flip Flops Background
Started by two Army Rangers and a Bass player from Montana, Combat Flip Flops was born on a trip to Afghanistan in 2010. While working with Remote Medical International, Matthew Griffin, ‘Griff’, toured an Afghan-owned boot manufacturing plant where he saw a factory worker wearing a makeshift pair of flip flops using the sole of a combat boot – the idea was born.
Production Update
Combat Flip Flops’ goal is to manufacture in Afghanistan with the belief that a strong economy will sustain the gains made over the last decade. As international forces withdraw in 2014, the mature Afghan National Army and Police are taking the lead. Footwear manufacturers in Kabul depend heavily on military contracts, so any decrease in volume has a huge impact on operations. Unfortunately, the decline came faster than expected and the plant where Combat Flip Flops were about to begin production, could not sustain operations on supplemental flip flop volume alone. In response, the Combat Flip Flop team went to work in December designing and building a micro-manufacturing facility in Issaquah, WA to fulfill the backlogged orders.
While current production is in WA, the team intends to expand production to Afghanistan, Libya and Syria in the next few years, based on demand. With the new micro-manufacturing model in place, the company has a template that can be easily and affordably applied to new locations.
The first round of production is wrapping up at the Issaquah, WA facility. Direct to consumer orders started shipping mid-February and all are expected to be fulfilled by March 1. Consumers can now order directly through Combat Flip Flops’ website and spring wholesale orders will be to US retailers by the end of March. Combat Flip Flops’ distribution channel includes small specialty outdoor and fashion boutiques. You will not find their product through discount channels or at big box/online retailers. The first production run will top out at 3000 pairs, which they expect will sell out by June. Current US retail partners include US Elite and Mission Ready.
New Partnerships
Magner Sanborn. Named 2012 Best Small Advertising Agency in the West by Ad Age, Magner Sanborn is a full service advertising and brand design agency made up of writers, designers, technologists, anthropologists, thinkers and doers. Priding itself on not being everything to everyone, Magner Sanborn works with clients to better identify and connect with their customer. For Combat Flip Flops, they helped re-create its brand identity, voice and graphic standards.
“It took us all of two seconds during our first meeting with the Combat Flip Flops team to see that they were committed to creating a brand unlike any other. At every level it reflects the story of their lives as Army Rangers and humanitarians. And while their whole business model stemmed from a desire to a greater good, they were also committed to a sound business model expressed as a disruptive brand. The logo identity needed to reflect that. So, we drew inspiration from military icons – in this case the chevron – that conveyed confidence, modernism and energy. And, of course, it needed to be unique from other brandmarks,” said Ward Duft, creative director, Magner Sanborn.
Revolution House Media. Started by Kate Ketschek, Revolution House Media focuses on building recognition and increasing market share for innovative brands in the outdoor, tactical and lifestyle markets. Delivering quantifiable results through media relations, editorial coverage, social media management and strategic partnerships, RHM works with partner brands to put the best communications plan in place to reach its goals.
“We are psyched to work with Kate to position the brand in the outdoor and fashion channels. From the first meeting, we knew she was part of the team. A general love of what she does and the ability to connect the right people at the right time, we’re confident she’ll help us establish our presence in a very competitive space,” said Matthew Griffin, CEO, Combat Flip Flops.
The Flip Flops
The handcrafted flip flops have cowhide leather decks, an EVA medium density midsole, and combat boot grade rubber treads to be long lasting and rugged. Adorned with embellishments like chrome poppies and hand grenades, the flops range from subtle to capable of being seen from space on a cloudy day. Each model ties in to the Afghan culture, creating a connection with the wearer.
Using non-traditional assembly methods, including old aircraft ovens and hand labor, the full line of men’s and women’s models are assembled by hand and offer a level of craftsmanship that is hard to come by these days. For sales inquiries, please contact Griff at 206-522-5500 or visit www.combatflipflops.com to pick out your favorite pair. They’re bad for running and worse for fighting.
The Dutch military intends to replace weapons in a class referred to as supporting small caliber weapons or kleinkaliberwapens (KKW) in Dutch, these are weapons below 20mm. Specifically, they are replacing both medium-weight (Middelzware ondersteunende KKW (MOW)) and (Zware ondersteunende KKW (ZOW)) heavy-weight machine guns commonly known as the FN MAG and Browning .50 because of age and rising maintenance costs. The currently issued weapons date back to the 1960s and have seen extensive use in the Afghanistan conflict.
They have stated a primary requirement of a medium-weight range up to 600m and heavy-weight up to 1200m. Because these are new weapons they will also be required to meet other specific requirements for use on vehicles or vessels such as coax mounting.
Photo – Royal Netherlands Army
The Dutch are looking at 2100 medium-weight guns along with 955 fast aiming sights and 280 NVD sights as well as 840 heavy-weight with 248 fast aiming sights and 575 NVD’s. These replacement numbers are not a one for one replacement but rather are in line with their current force structure.
It is noteworthy that they intend is to buy off-the-shelf. Since the whole project is targeted to stay under 100 million Euros the Defense Material Organisation (DMO) will be mandated to carry out this project. They currently plan to issue a tender in 2014 and be fully equipped by 2017.
I’ve been a big fan of Drifire for several years now. They manufacture FR performance garments that don’t feel like FR. In addition to FR baselayer protection, their garments also incorporate moisture wicking and antimicrobial odor control characteristics. These aren’t some wash in treatment either but rather exist at the fiber level so they won’t wash or wear out.
Available in a variety of colors including Black, Coyote, Desert Tan and Olive Drab the line is offered in the full gamut of sizes from X-Small – XXX-Large.
To learn more about Drifire FR performance garments and how you can outfit your unit or agency with them visit www.adsinc.com/blog/products/drifire-base-layers-provide-comfortable-performance-fr-protection.
We just got a really cool email from Elzetta.
Top Shot Champion, Dustin Ellermann, just sent us this photo & video link. He was hog hunting from a helicopter in Texas and dropped his Elzetta ZFL-M60 Flashlight 300 feet onto concrete. The Light took a chunk out of the concrete but remains fully functional.
Coming to a film festival near you, ‘Infil_exfil’ was written and produced by Michael Golembesky and presented by Level Zero Heroes to raise awareness of PTSD. The story follows Michael Golembesky as well as the Marines and Sailors of US Marine Special Operation Team (MSOT) 8222 as well as the Soldiers and Airmen of Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 1314 and Afghan Commando Force.
Donate to the MARSOC Foundation.
