At True North Gear® / Dragon Wear, they know tough tools are essential for tough jobs. And your job is one of the toughest. That’s why founder Alyx Fier started building rugged, groundbreaking gear in his garage in 1992. His work began with an idea and a home sewing machine after he learned how fire gear wasn’t being designed around the specialized needs of the crews who actually used it. Fier also knew that fit and design issues were causing back problems for wildland firefighters, and he thought he could make a difference with his brand of intelligently designed packs and gear. That’s how the company was born. Nearly three decades later, they’ve grown into a multi-brand company that distributes ISO 9001 registered products around the world. Even with their growth, they continue to be a family owned company, operated out of Seattle, Washington, and just up the street from that garage where it all began. Throughout the years they’ve remained focused on their mission of keeping their customers at the center of everything that they do. They regularly ask for and harness user feedback to create brand new designs or improve upon current products. Designing dependable, high-performance gear is the way they support your valuable work in life-risking environments each and every day. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation and I know you will learn a lot from it.