Council Tool Business Development Manager Walt Gray, left, 和行政副总裁卡梅伦委员会的照片在瓦卡莫湖制造厂拿着公司的飞狐短柄斧, 这是2020年世界掷斧联盟冠军瑞恩·史密特使用的模型.
By: Thomas Sherrill, The News Reporter
世界掷斧联盟短柄斧组的前两名冠军有一些共同之处.
2019年冠军克莱蒙斯的萨姆·卡特和2020年冠军弗吉尼亚海滩的瑞恩·史密特, Virginia, were throwing hatchets made in Columbus County.
That hatchet, known as the Flying Fox, has become an immense source of pride for Council Tool, 这是一家位于瓦卡莫湖的五代公司，专门从事非电力业务, heavy-duty, American-made hand tools. 这些工具服务于各种用途，从林业到消防再到军事.
“这太不可思议了，它连续两年被两个不同的投掷者投掷，这表明它是一个多么伟大的投掷斧头. I mean, it’s incredible for sure,” said Cameron T. Council, vice president of administration, 公司第五代理事会工具理事会秘书. “The exposure it’s brought us has been great so far. It’s one of those things where you almost don’t believe it. 你几乎要笑了，但后来你意识到，‘哇，这是真的.’”
开发投掷斧头只是Council Tool最近多样化的方式之一.
“We’ve transformed over the years, I’ll put it that way. Being an old company, 你不可能坚持135年前做的事，还指望继续做生意,” Council said.
The brainchild of Rooster
在十年前，开发一种投掷斧头的工具肯定是不可能的, but the sport has become more popular in recent years.
“大约三到四年前，我们开始听说扔斧头，并开始流行起来. We just heard rumors about it here or there,” Council said.
A full-time remote employee named Craig Roost, also known as “Rooster,” who lives and works out of Missouri, designed what became the Flying Fox, with a 1.6-pound head and a 16-inch handle.
“基本上，它的头部重量和手柄重量都很完美，”Council说. “It’s not too heavy; it’s not too light. 它是由我们的员工克雷格·罗斯特设计的，它比一般的斧头更符合空气动力学.”
从它的诞生开始，关于飞狐的消息就开始在投掷斧头的圈子里传播.
“我想说，我们从两年半前就开始卖这个东西了，”Council说. “And it is, by far, one of our most popular hatchets we’ve made in a long time, within the last 10 years.”
委员会表示，关于飞狐的消息是通过Facebook上专门投掷斧头的小组传播的, 以及Council Tool的经销商通过社交媒体进行推广, catalogues and newsletters.
“It’s not expensive; the retail price on it is below $50,” Council said. “我想这些人可能是在看了它之后买了它，然后说, ‘Hey, I’m going to give this a go’ and started throwing it and said, ‘Hey, this is great.’”
委员会说，飞狐仍然是一个可以作为工具使用的斧头. 柄端经过热处理，可以用来在露营时插入帐篷桩或楔子，而斧端可以为小火切割引火物.
在竞技掷斧的世界里，有两个主要的联盟. One is the National Axe Throwing Federation, and the other, bigger one is the World Axe Throwing League.
“If you go to any axe-throwing venue, whether it be Wilmington, or Raleigh, Charlotte, Atlanta, wherever you go, they’re going to either be a WATL or NATF member,” Council said.
2019年11月，卡特用飞狐赢得了2019年世界掷斧联赛冠军，这是飞狐的重大突破.
“这真的很好，因为它得到了很多国际认可,” Council said, explaining that axe throwing is a “worldwide community, but it’s a small following.”
委员会表示，该公司在2020年上半年“卖出了一堆”飞狐短柄斧头. Smit’s win aired on ESPN Dec. 4-6, so Council is expecting another boost going into 2021.
“I’m sure we’ll pick up some orders for it soon, but it’ll probably be another month or two out,” Council said in early December, two weeks after Smit’s win. “It’s kind of how our business works; it doesn’t happen overnight.”
理事会工具公司的爱德华·威廉姆森在公司的瓦卡莫湖制造厂拿着一盒飞狐短柄斧头摆姿势.
Building on a family legacy
That boom to business is a source of pride for Council Tool, which is proud of being 100% made in the USA, with all of its raw materials sourced domestically.
“我们在世界上唯一的地点就在瓦卡莫湖，”Council说. “And we’re a family business. I’m the fifth generation; my father is here, and he’s fourth generation. I have a brother who’s also here. We’ve kept everything in the family. We’re still 100% made in the USA. 我们支持美国企业，我们不打算改变这一点.”
Currently, Cameron Council’s father, John Council, 是卡梅伦理事会的曾曾祖父约翰·皮克特理事会于1886年创立的公司的总裁吗.
“我们从19世纪80年代开始制造松节油工具，一直到20世纪初. 然后我们进入了所谓的批发硬件分销业务. That was our business for a long time. We would sell as a manufacturer to a wholesaler, who would then sell the tools to the hardware store,” Council said.
理事会工具是工具从创建到客户购买的旅程的起点.
“We forge tools. We buy raw steel, 我们主要在感应装置中加热它主要是电加热到高温, and we’re physically beating it, 在一个开放的模具设置上，用落锤锻造它，然后用它做一把斧头, or a hammer, 或者像一个酒吧，你会用它作为军事应用的强行进入工具，或者消防员或特警队或任何类似的应用,” Council said.
Council Tool produces fire tools, whether for wildfire or municipal firefighting, including creating tools used by the U.S. Forest Service. 该公司还在与Ace hardware等零售商开展硬件业务. Council Tool also does private labeling, 而且街对面还有一家专门做木柄的公司.
“We also do finishing work; we’re featuring, painting, lacquering, wedging a hammer into something, branding, sharpening, packaging, etc.,” Council said.
Going forward, as Council knows, 随着商业的发展，有可能开发出专门用于投掷斧头的第二把斧头, but it won’t be for a while.
什么可能很快就会发生，使飞狐更大，以竞争在WATL的大斧部门, Council表示，这意味着一个更重的头和更长时间的掌舵——对于一个已经发展了一个多世纪的公司来说，这意味着更多的变化.