Purcell Trench manufacturing company
About - 2012
History
Purcell Trench began in 1993 in Kootenai County, Idaho. We sold the first Travelers Grills to local outdoor stores in the Idaho panhandle.
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.
Our grill selection expanded in response to customer request. The Packers Grill was a near copy of a product sold by REI many years ago. 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 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 Northeast Washington, in the Selkirk Mountain foothills.
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 costs are too high to allow for wholesale prices at profit.
Now, after testing different grades and sizes of titanium tubing, we have obtained a supply of 6mm Grade 9 seamless aircraft titanium tubing that is very strong and light. Ti Packers grills are currently available.
Company Name
The company title is borrowed from a geographic place name. Our 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., owner of CFW Specialties Inc., Butte, Montana was an Idaho neighbor with extensive welding and metal fabrication experience. Chuck helped develop our grills and serves as welding and metal fabrication expert.
Talented welders at the following shops also work on our grills:
Selkirk Manufacturing in Sagle, Idaho. Owner and Metallurgical Engineer, Craig Munkeby, designs and produces commercial roasting equipment for the coffee industry world wide.
Creative Design & Ingenuity in Sandpoint, Idaho. Owner Ryan Hanson runs a multipurpose shop.
Hydrafab Northwest Incorporated in Spokane Valley, Washington. Owner Chris Henjum runs a growing multipurpose metal fabrication business. They weld our titanium grills.
Gail Roberds designed and made our grill bags for several years. Gail had a nice 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.
Currently, our sewing is done by Dana and Dixie Chichester near Newport, Washington. Upland, their company, produces high quality products for folks like me. You can find them as www.uplandusa.com, info@uplandusa.com.
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.
Recent printing and print development by Dove Printing, Inc., Spokane (509-483-6164).
Current silkscreen work by 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 2012
Post Office Box 7, Addy, WA 99101, USA - phone: 509-675-1413 - sales@purcelltrench.com -