American Faces #64 - Superior Gear

American Faces No. 64

Danny Warnock is a 37 year old entrepreneur who founded Superior Gear, a Minnesota based company that designs and produces ultra light camping hammocks, tarps and down quilts. These hand-crafted products are custom made to order, right in Minnesota, through their E-Commerce website.

Danny has had an unusual life. He grew up as a missionary kid in East Africa, and first began making a living as a musician (drums/keyboards). He worked as a private music instructor for most of his 20s. He then transitioned to software engineering and several years ago moved into entrepreneurship. Superior Gear was born out of Danny’s dissatisfaction with getting poor sleep on the ground in tents, and his frustration with other complicated hammock systems. He set out to design something more simple and effective by sewing insulation directly into the hammock to solve the dreaded ‘Cold Butt Syndrome’. He was making for himself the gear he wished he could buy, but didn’t yet exist. Danny’s endless tinkering and a child-like excitement to show others his creations eventually led to “accidentally starting a business” In 2017. Danny knew his young company needed a big boost to get on the map. So he created a Kickstarter campaign that raised $43,000 which allowed him to purchase the industrial sewing equipment and materials.

Danny is driven to create camping gear that is true to the Superior Gear tagline, ‘Simple, Cozy and Light.’ He has relentlessly pushed himself in product research, development and testing through millions of stitches and countless late nights. Superior Gear now employs several workers right here in Minnesota, providing superior care and attention to each piece of gear they ship.

While there are certainly cheaper hammock options out there, you simply won’t get the innovation, simplicity, quality and customer care that Danny and the team at Superior Gear strive to provide every day. Sourcing your new hammock from Superior Gear means supporting a home-grown Minnesota company, owned and managed by an awesome guy.

American Faces #63 - A true hero

American Faces No. 63

Eighty-seven year old Joe Myles is a man full of stories, wise cracks, and love for his late wife and daughters of more than forty years. Joe is a Korean war vet, which was what I thought would be the backbone of my story. I quickly learned that being in the Army in the 1950’s was a small part of this man’s life. After the Army, Joe spent thirteen years living the rough life of an unmarried man working various jobs while living at the YMCA. However, the love of a woman helped him realize there was more to life; a lot more to life. Like, the love of a woman with four daughters and a life in the city of Chicago, Illinois more to life. That woman was the cleaning lady at the YMCA. Marjorie endeared herself to Joe by banging her cleaning cart against the wall to wake Joe after his long night shifts. Joe, in his early 40’s, married Marjorie in 1972 and became the father to her four girls. He affectionately refers to Marjorie and her four daughters as his "ready-made family.” I could hear in his voice, the heart of a father who didn’t look at these girls as anything less than his very own daughters. Joe went on to work hard to provide for his family and do the best that he could to raise a family in the upper Midwest. Was he perfect? No. But then, no one is. Maybe he is not a war hero, or a man who commanded the very army he served in, but Joe deserves the same respect. This man named Joe left behind who he was in his younger years to become the man Marjorie and her daughters needed.

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So while I went looking for a war-hero story originally, I got the everyday-hero kind of story. The kind of story where the hero has tears rolling down his face because he loves his wife and family so much.

Take time to listen to the stories of your parents and grandparents. The stories you have heard a thousand times might be boring to you, but they mean the world to them. Their stories define who they are and just might influence the kind of person you become.

Email me for a 10% dayrate discount off a future/new project.

American Faces #62 - A different kind of artist

American Faces No. 62

The small town of Rockford, MN is where I first met Shawn Hackworth. The setting, I suppose you could say, was the early 1980’s in middle school. I was the Air Supply kind of guy and he was the AC/DC kind of guy. That’s what probably defined us during our formative middle and high school years. But underneath our differences was a similarity waiting to be discovered. We were both artists yet to unlock our latent talents. Since the late 1980’s I have devoted myself to the craft of commercial photography and he, to the incredible art of taxidermy.

What started as a hobby and a way to express his artistic side during his years in the construction industry has become a full-time profession. One can see what his years of working at the intricate details on a fish or the area around the eyes of a deer have done to hone his art to the highest level. It is simply amazing to watch Shawn as he meticulously molds the lips of fish or adds structure to the face and bodies of mammals, fish, and fowl. Shawn’s art gives the gift of a life-like lasting memory of a hunting or fishing trip with a loved one or some crazy adventurous trip with friends or family.

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Life has a funny way of reminding us we are not all that different. While the two Shawns from Rockford, MN were two different people growing up, we now can look at our similarities and laugh. We are two artists in our early fifties with a love for the outdoors. Take time to get to know people from your past, you might be surprised what you have in common. And meet new people; you will likely realize that you have many similarities if you give them a chance.

Email me for a 10% dayrate discount off a future/new project.