CEDAR CITY – Cedar City native Tyler Condie had an idea for his manufacturing company, Rugged Material, after noticing that his father rode horses on a leather saddle made in the early 1900s. Anything made of the same quality leather cost too much, he thought, and so he started his own factory direct company using the online Kickstarter funding site.
“In the end I had to make my own because everything … durable cost more than $600,” Condie said. “My first bag started what became my business.”
Condi used Kickstarter to launch a business-building campaign that has surpassed one goal after another, allowing people to pledge money in exchange for rewards – in this case Rugged Material products. The current campaign, which ends Friday, allows him to offer factory direct pricing on many products, build inventory and establish his manufacturing company in Cedar City for both online and local sales.
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Video courtesy of Rugged Material | Kickstarter campaign linked here
So far Rugged Material has had fine success with the Kickstarter campaign, raising over $60,000. The initial goal was set at $15,000, with a secondary goal of $40,000, which was accomplished in only 15 days.
The current goal for the campaign is $75,000 and closes Friday.
“We’re using it to remodel our workshop and then to just pay off some of our overhead costs,” Tyler Condie, owner of Rugged Material, said, “which will allow us to sell the bags at a lower price.”
Although the company is online based, the remodeled workshop will allow for a display of products in the Cedar City area, he said.
Rugged Material has a goal to keep manufacturing in Cedar City, Condie said.
“I want to create jobs for a community I love and evolve our process as we grow,” Condie said. “That’s where our Kickstarter campaign comes in, we need to raise money to pay for a larger inventory to introduce our direct sales collection.”
The direct sales collection will allow the organization to transition from the current made-to-order model, by producing their collection in larger quantities.
Condie now strives to create a product that can be sold directly to the customer at an affordable price.
“It’s just been cool to see the evolution of his gear and watch him kind of refine his process and making it and designing,” Brenan Thompson, Salt Lake City customer, said.
To learn more about the Kickstart campaign, visit the Kickstarter website.
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so the bag which is photographed…how much is it and where is the link to buy it
I’m so sorry…I got obsessed with the photo and didn’t see the link at the top. This gorgeous bag is on there, along with the other items they offer. Nice!