Hardware Podcasts

A Behind-The-Scenes Look at Custom Ski Manufacturing with Mike McCabe

Manufacturing Happy Hour · 27 Dec 2022 · 51m

What this episode covers

Mike McCabe, CEO and co-founder of Folsom Custom Skis, explains how his company survives in a challenging industry by maintaining a lean, debt-free structure and focusing on deep customer consultation to tailor ski geometry and materials. He details the specific material science behind their skis, including the use of wood cores (aspen, poplar, maple, bamboo), composites (carbon fiber, fiberglass), and plastics, contrasting their robust US-based manufacturing with overseas mass production. McCabe shares advice for aspiring manufacturers, emphasizing the critical importance of financial literacy, personal resilience during early recession-era struggles, and hiring a passionate, small team to maintain quality control without external funding.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Folsom Custom Skis, Aspen Brewing Company
Tools
SolidWorks, CAM Software
Materials
Aspen, Graphene, Tetanol

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