Purcell Trench manufacturing company
About Page
History
Purcell Trench began in 1993, in Kootenai County, Idaho. After months of testing, we sold the first Travelers Grills to local sporting goods stores in the Idaho panhandle.
I took grills to REI. Camping equipment buyer and good guy, Gary Rose, was looking for such a product and REI became our primary outlet. Initial focus was on wholesale product production, primarily in the US, Canada and Japan.
Our grill selection expanded in response to customer request. The Packers Grill was a near copy of a product sold by REI years ago. The large Guide Grill was literally at the request of guides, scout groups and church groups. The Voyageur was designed for canoe travelers and horse packers.
We went online in 1996 and began deemphasizing wholesale production.
In 1997, in consultation with engineers from the DuPont chemical corporation, we started experimenting with a new, ultralight nylon called Soar-Coat. By 1998, the Selkirk Shelter was tested and available for commercial sale. The Shelter was dropped from our product line in September 2007.
The Purcell Trench office and shop moved to Stevens County Washington, in the Selkirk Mountain foothills near the Colville River Valley, in 1999.
Streamside (expanded metal surface) grills were originally available on a custom basis only. They gained market share and became standard in all frame sizes.
Until 2005, we provided wholesale product to a few established retail outlets. With advancements in communication, I feel it is advantageous for customers to go directly to the source for made in America small business products. Frankly, our material and labor cost are too expensive to allow for wholesale prices at profit.
Now sixty years of age, I am shifting the company into a semi-retirement status. On-line credit card ordering is replaced by a mail in order form. The custom grill option and Guides Grill are deleted from the product line. Customers are encouraged to order well before an outing as the shop will be closed periodically.
Origin of Company Name
The company title is borrowed from a geographic place name. Original production site was adjacent to the ice carved Purcell Trench stretching from Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho, north about two hundred miles into British Columbia. The trench lies between the Purcell and Selkirk mountains.
Partners
While I am the company owner, long time partners have played an indispensable role in the development and evolution of the company.
Chuck Woods Jr. was an Idaho neighbor with extensive welding and metal fabrication experience. Chuck helped develop our grills and serves as welding and metal fabrication expert. Chuck and his wife, Jackie, moved to Butte, Montana. Chuck's personal company is CFW Specialties, Inc., e-mail: cfwspec@bigskyhsd.com.
Gail Roberds designed and made our grill bags for several years. Gail had a small shop at her home in Spokane Valley. She also helped design and make Selkirk Shelters. Personal health problems sidelined her business. We miss her wise council and dedication.
Debra Tomme provided original artwork, advertising layout and web design from her home in Rathdrum, Idaho. She later opened a commercial design shop in Coeur d'Alene prior to relocation in Las Vegas, where she teaches computer art.
Currently, our sewing is done by Dana and Dixie Chichester near Newport, Washington. Upland, their company, produces high quality packs, bags, cases and products for folks like me. You can find them as www.uplandusa.com, info@uplandusa.com.
Recent printing and print development by Masters Printing of Colville (509-684-5869) and Dove Printing, Inc., Spokane (509-483-6164).
Current silkscreen work by Wildrose Graphics of Spokane (509-535-8555) and Magna-Vis Graphic Impressions of Colville (509-684-5659).
Owner Don Tryon does a bit of everything. Our web pages, brochures and sales materials don't look as professional as in the past because they have his fingerprints all over them.
Don Tryon, January 2008
Post Office Box 7, Addy, WA 99101, USA - phone: 509-685-9276 - sales@purcelltrench.com