Slate River was founded in 2007 under the company name of Bownear.  At that time, we had one (1) product, a retracting bow holder.  We realized quickly that this was not what the bow hunters wanted and after doing research we designed and launched the EZ-Aim Trail Camera Mount, the Camera Arm with T Handle mount and the Zip Start bow mount. We changed the company name to Slate River in 2010.

 

My partner Jim Buckley and I worked for Kelsey Hayes, a large automotive supplier, for twenty (20) years plus. We worked hand in hand with our customers designing, tooling testing and bringing brake systems to production.  Among the customers were Harley Davidson, Polaris Industries, John Deere, Caterpillar, JI Case, Artic Cat and many others. Brake systems must work every time, all of the time, in all environments so paying attention to every detail is essential for success and this becomes engrained in how you do things.

 

Every good company has a driving force, something or a group of things that drive what they are successful at; ours is comprised of three (3) components.

 

1. There is a saying:  When you are talking the other person is learning, when you are listening you are learning. We are good at listening and it is a corner stone of our driving force. Jim and I are avid outdoorsmen but do not have a great deal of hunting experience so we are always asking and learning. Our number one goal is to provide our customers with solutions to the problems they encounter daily in the field. 

2. The twenty (20) plus years with Kelsey Hayes gave us a leading-edge knowledge of design, materials, manufacturing processes, product cosmetics and corrosion protection which we bring to the hunting market. All you need to do is to look at any of our products and this is quickly evident. This is the second corner stone of our driving force.

3. Making our products available to our customers through traditional and contemporary channels is the third leg of our driving force.  We have packaging that will hold its own against any in the market.  We supply our channels with literature, pictures and other items to make their job of selling easier. We are in the process of up grading our web site and launching a Facebook campaign to make use of this powerful sales and more importantly feedback tool.

 

Focusing our energies on the camera mount and bow holder products within the hunting market makes us a specialist in those areas.  We do not try to be everything to everybody. Specialists become experts. You must try the products to appreciate the quality and engineering that have gone into them.

 

Jim Oberling - Partner