It Was Time...

It Was Time...

After spending a lifetime in the equine industry in various roles, it was time for me to start my own company. I began showing horses at a young age and transitioned to team roping in my teens, which earned me a rodeo scholarship for college. This kickstarted my career in the Western Equine Industry with my first position at a distributor that sold equine products to retailers throughout the USA. During this period, I continued my roping career, competing as a PRCA contestant for over 14 years.

From 1993 to 2003, I gained invaluable experience in the retail side of the industry, operating a retail location in Reno, Nevada, and setting up for events at major equine shows across the USA, including Cowhorse, Cutting, Horse Shows, National Team Roping, and Rodeos. This is where I first delved into product development and manufacturing.

I later accepted a national sales position with several brands, including Weaver Leather, which led to roles in product development and consulting. While at Weaver Leather, I generated over $12 million in sales and learned what it takes to build a powerhouse company. I was actively involved in developing and designing new products, many of which are still sold by Weaver Leather today. My position took me to Asia with Weaver Leather's sourcing team on 3 separate occasions where I gathered a wealth of information. I learned a great deal from Paul Weaver, knowledge I still draw upon today.

In 2013, I left Weaver Leather as one of their top sales reps to become the Director of Sales at Montana Silversmiths. During my three years there, I successfully rebuilt their sales team and increased sales. In 2016, I was recruited to be the Vice President and Independent Manager of Bob's Custom Saddles. At Bob's, we reset the quality of the products, created successful new sponsorships with leading associations in the equine industry including NRHA.com,  NCHACutting.com, NRCHA.com, APHA.com, ARHA AmericanRanchHorse.net, numerous others, and became the official saddle of The Run For A Million TheRunForAMillion.com, all of which boosted branding and sales.

However, on October 9th, 2019, my life took a dramatic turn when I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After three years of treatment, including a bone marrow transplant, I emerged 30 pounds lighter and with a renewed perspective on life. While sitting in the parking lot of the Cancer Treatment Center of America on July 28th, 2022, I told my then-fiancée, now wife, Tammy, that I was changing the direction of my life. Five weeks later, I acquired my first piece of leather manufacturing equipment. I didn't start the business right away, though, as it took a full year to recover from the transplant.

In October 2023, I informed the owner of Bob's Custom Saddles of my decision to change my career path and gave him six months to find my replacement. In March 2024, my wife and I proudly launched WD Leather LLC, embarking on a new and exciting journey in the equine industry.

I am also offering Consulting services for retail, sales, product development, sourcing, and sponsorships.