The Knife Junkie Podcast is the place for knife newbies and knife junkies to learn about knives and knife collecting. Twice per week Bob DeMarco talks knives. Email Bob at theknifejunkie@gmail.com; visit https://theknifejunkie.com.
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Announcer [00:00:03]:
Welcome to the Knife Junkie Podcast. Your weekly dose of knife news and information about knives and knife collecting.

Bob DeMarco [00:00:10]:
Here's your host, Bob The Knife Junkie DeMarco. Welcome to the Knife Junkie podcast. I'm Bob DeMarco. On this edition of the show, I'm welcoming back Ric Valdez of Ocaso Knives. I first met Ric shortly after he started Ocaso Knives following his many years in the E suite at Cold Steel. His new company was to become a lifestyle brand, making refined everyday carry knives for the discerning modern gentleman and lady. For that matter, Ocaso Knives has made its name on its classy and cultivated image, on the know how, garnered from Rick's experience in the knife industry and on the creative company it keeps boasting regular collaborations with some of the knife world's most acclaimed makers and designers. A lot has happened with Ocaso Knives since it first opened its doors.

Bob DeMarco [00:01:01]:
We'll catch up with Ric and find out what's new and exciting from the brand. But first be sure to like, comment, subscribe, hit the notification bell and download the show to your favorite podcast app. Also, if you want to help support the show, share it. That goes a great distance. Also, you can go to the knifejunkie.com Patreon and check out everything we have to offer you over there. By the way, if you sign up for a full year, you get 12. Go to the knife junkie.com patreon that's thenifejunkie.com patreon Want to sell your custom knives online?

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Bob DeMarco [00:02:02]:
Ric, welcome back to the show.

Ric Valdez [00:02:04]:
How you doing Bob?

Bob DeMarco [00:02:05]:
I'm doing great. It's good to see you.

Ric Valdez [00:02:07]:
It's good to see you too man. This is awesome.

Bob DeMarco [00:02:10]:
And as always, it was great to see you at the Ocaso booth at Blade show this year. How did that go?

Ric Valdez [00:02:17]:
It went good. It went good. I don't know if you noticed but the first time you saw the Ocasa booth It was a 10 by 10 booth. And then when you came by just a few months ago at Blade Atlanta, it's It was a 10 by 20 booth, a little different. So things have Changed things. Things are going great. But the show itself was pretty good and it went well for, for Ocaso.

Bob DeMarco [00:02:41]:
You had a regular. It looked like the kind of booth I wanted to get behind the scenes and just sit down and drink a little whiskey and smoke a cigar. It looked like a little men's lounge back there.

Ric Valdez [00:02:53]:
Exactly. It's, it's become a destination for some where they know they can come and hang out, sit, sit on those leather couches. There's leather chairs and at times we'll, we'll have, you know, some, some nice high grade tequila to sip on. Some people have brought by. Yes. Some whiskey and, and some other, you know, type of drinks and it's been great. And that's exactly what it is. That's what exactly it's meant to be.

Ric Valdez [00:03:19]:
And, and yeah, so yeah, definitely next time when you do stop by, come on in and have a seat.

Bob DeMarco [00:03:25]:
I will. I'm going to come around, going to come around the back and, and cool my heels for a minute.

Ric Valdez [00:03:30]:
You're with.

Bob DeMarco [00:03:31]:
So before we get in, I want to ask you another question about blade show. How important is it for a company of your size? I'm curious about this from companies of all different sizes. How important is it to go to a blade show and other shows like that?

Ric Valdez [00:03:46]:
Well, for me it's extremely important. This is the opportunity where I get to engage with a lot of the end consumers and this is where I'm talking to them and they're coming out to me and sharing their experience and what they think. And it's been, this is my third time and it's unbelievable to me and I'm grateful to see that, that I have some people coming back, coming back. I have some people coming to the booth carrying Ocaso product, you know, and you know, they're getting it out there somewhere, which, which is awesome. But it's important to me to see, you know, and hang out with everybody else, with all the brands, with the customers and, and to show that I'm still around doing what I'm doing. And it, I'm also getting recognized. It's, it's wonderful to hear that people are saying, hey, I was looking for gentleman's night and people are recommending Okaso knives. They're stopping by because they recognize it as a gentleman's brand that I'm offering gentleman's products.

Ric Valdez [00:04:50]:
So it's, it's, it's really important for me. Absolutely, really important because of the engaging with the end consumer, talking to the other brands at this point, the Company's about two years, nine months old. And I have these great relationship with all these other knife makers and knife owners and building these relationships. I think I did touch upon that point when I first started that that was happening, taking place. And now here we are. I don't know when we did our first session two years ago, but these relationships and these, these connections have continued up to this point and it's just been wonderful. So I'm going to say it one more time for a company like me. And I believe if you do it the right way and you utilize Blade show, that platform, you know how I think it should be going out, hanging out more than just selling your product, engaging with people.

Ric Valdez [00:05:42]:
It's very important.

Bob DeMarco [00:05:43]:
Well, you weren't new at all to Blade show, right?

Ric Valdez [00:05:47]:
Well, well, I, you know, when I was sitting, as you mentioned before, I did work for another company sitting in the, in the, in the C suite. I didn't attend Blade Show. I didn't do that at all. And so this is, this is the first time with, with my company that I, I've gone to Blade show and looking back at it now, you know, my previous role, maybe I should have, you know, there was a lot to learn, but yeah, I didn't. So I was nervous the first, first show, you know, in my little 10 by 10 booth, I was really nervous and it went well. And it continues to go so well.

Bob DeMarco [00:06:19]:
Well, we, we sort of tipped our hat a little bit to the Ocaso style. But let's talk about that. How did, how did you come to a gentleman's brand? Or I mean, if I know that this is your branding, it is a gentleman's brand, but it's, it's also just like kind of a cultivated brand. Like because, you know, my wife sometimes carries a solstice in her purse and it's like, it's refined and it's, it goes with her. So it's not just, obviously it's not just men, but gentlemen. The gentleman style brand as a sort of generic term. How did that come about for you?

Ric Valdez [00:07:00]:
Well, for me, I struggled finding, finding the right piece a lot of times to go with the situation with the outfit. That outfit, you know, I'd sit in front of my, my wallet caddy and I had had the wallet, had the watch, I had the pen, I had other things, but I never really had that elegant, cool looking gentleman style knife and they existed out there. This category has been around for a lot, lot and a long time. And so I struggle with that. And so now I'M also finding that a lot of other people, a lot of individuals, not just gentlemen, but like you said, there's women out there too, that, that's trouble finding that great looking premium material pocket knife or everyday carry accessory. And so I'm actually becoming more and more obsessed with trying to solve that problem for myself and everyone else that's out there. And I, I do love hearing that it, it is taking place in terms of me solving the problem. I get emails, I get DMed a lot, I get texts saying, you know, I, I found the ultimate jalamas knife that I can wear in the boardroom.

Ric Valdez [00:08:13]:
There's lawyers that are wearing it, there's doctors, engineers, the business professionals, the executives, the knife aficionados, you know, the collectors that just have all kinds of size and all range in terms of knives, but they were just missing this particular piece or they had a piece similar to this, but it wasn't of material. Prem material. It didn't have that elegant look to it. So that's what it was. It was ultimately. That's a great question because I solved the problem that I had and that was wanting to create a knife that I enjoyed carrying for a situation, for an occasion that was matching to everything else. You know, it's not, I, I shouldn't say it's as simple as that, but that's what it is and that's what it is. So.

Ric Valdez [00:08:59]:
And then I'm not just a category, I'm an entire lifestyle brand. So everything that we make has to stick to that script and it's working. And I really, really enjoy what we've done up to this point. And I have so many, so many, so many other ideas.

Bob DeMarco [00:09:16]:
Oh great.

Ric Valdez [00:09:17]:
So many other things that I want to do and at. I'll get there, you know, I'll get there. But I've pumped the brakes. I stalled a little because starting the business, I've learned that it's not about speed, it's about direction. And I know I came out the gate freaking just fast, man. I'm like, holy smokes. And so I had to slow down, you know, I had to slow down because it. A lot of a human being didn't have all that bandwidth.

Bob DeMarco [00:09:43]:
Yeah.

Ric Valdez [00:09:43]:
You know, to take on so many projects and this and that and you just on and up. But anyway, I have a lot more coming.

Bob DeMarco [00:09:51]:
How, how would you. Well, let me tell you how I would define a gentleman's knife. And then I want to hear what you think. To me, a couple of things that come across and a couple. And one Way in particular, that Ocaso knives bucks against one of these things I really appreciate. But what I think of is I'll use the Solstice as an example. Clean lines, very, very clean lines is a big part of it. Slender, easy to carry in light garments, you know, like suit pants, that kind of thing.

Bob DeMarco [00:10:25]:
And, and, and inherently beautiful to look at. Like, you can find those qualities and slip joints, you can find them in modern folders and that kind of thing. But one thing that Ocaso does that I really appreciate, it does all of those things, but it makes also a very, very robust folder. It's not just even the super featherweight carbon fiber versions. They're very, very robust. They're not just clean and slender, but they'll go the distance.

Ric Valdez [00:10:57]:
Yeah, absolutely. And of course, a lot of that comes from, you know, where, you know, cold steel in my previous role. And then Andrew Demko, I mean, Andrew Demko is like, he's a designer on, on the Solstice. And, and their motto is, you know, performance. You know, it's got to be a knife that performs and. Enough said. Right. So was there a way to apply that to this type of knife? The slim knife? Yeah, you know, Andrew wouldn't have wanted any other way.

Ric Valdez [00:11:27]:
It can't just be a good looking knife. It has to be a knife that can perform. And it does. I mean, I've got Solstices sitting in our warehouse at two and a half, three years old now, and they're still, they're still running. And they're still. We, we run them hard. We run them hard. And, you know, I'm sure that, you know, there's other torture tests that we can do.

Ric Valdez [00:11:47]:
Remember I left that? Yeah, I left, I left that. But in terms of what a knife can do, you know, sitting in the warehouse cutting boxes, prying this and that, I mean, they, they work. They truly work. So more than just answering.

Bob DeMarco [00:12:01]:
So how do you define a gentleman's knife generically?

Ric Valdez [00:12:04]:
I think you hit it on all the points. Lightweight, I think lightweight, but also very. It's got to be cool looking and good looking. And so that's why we've taken the Solstice on the titanium scales. We've added color, we've added engraving. And the reason for that, because, you know, you can apply a knife to different occasions or different situations to, you know, matching whatever outfit that you, that you have on. So you hit it on, on every point. Another thing too is I liked pens.

Ric Valdez [00:12:37]:
You know, Andrew knew I was a very pen, you know, big pen collector. So Very pen like and slim. And a lot of people said, well, it looks like this knife looks like that knife, you know. Well, you know what? You know, I've been carrying a slim knife for a long time and this was actually the first one, you know, cold steel. This was back, what, 2004. And so Lynn, always out. Lynn Thompson always out fit me, outfitted me with a lot of cold steel knives. But this, I believe, was the first night that I bought right away when Len introduced it to the lineup.

Ric Valdez [00:13:09]:
Why? Because I was drawn to that sleek, slim style knife. So I've always been into it. I mean, this is over 20 years old, so that's what I would add to. Very, very slim and sleek and pen like.

Bob DeMarco [00:13:24]:
So have you always been into, for lack of a better term, gentlemanly stuff or have you always been a knife guy or both?

Ric Valdez [00:13:35]:
That's also another great question. I've always been into gentleman stuff, but because I've been in the knife industry, I've worked that in, I've had to bring that in and then that's the right, that's the reason why I built Ocaso the way I built it, because of my lifestyle, which again, I believe there's a lot of, lot of individuals out there that live this certain lifestyle too, from what I'm hearing, from what I'm seeing. So, yeah, absolutely.

Bob DeMarco [00:14:03]:
Oh, man, it just occurs to me and you know, I'm not, I'm not a branding expert, I'm certainly not a marketer, but when I was a kid in the 80s, I used to look at GQ magazine because, you know, I thought when I grow up, I'm going to be the most gentlemanly gentleman out there. Going to shave with a straight razor every day and do all the things that Ocaso knives in gq. Maybe that's the, maybe that's the next advertising place.

Ric Valdez [00:14:31]:
Absolutely. Coming soon, gq, GQ and other places. You know, I, I was, I had a subscription to GQ when I was, you know, very young. Very young. And I kept those magazines for the longest time. I don't know why, you know, but absolutely. It's just, it's been wonderful. What's, what's happened to Castle up to this point and, and all those.

Ric Valdez [00:14:59]:
And Bob, I don't have to sit here and make something for everyone out there. You know, know, if you don't like, you don't like what I'm doing, that's fine. You know, there's plenty of other categories, other brands, other knives are out there and it's all great too, right? I'm just making what I enjoy and, and, and having it relate to a lot of people out there in my situation, into my world too. And it does, it does.

Bob DeMarco [00:15:25]:
So how do you find, just since we're on this topic, I want branding. Like, you know, it's pretty important that you get out there and that you get yourself and your company known for a certain thing in your experience through, you know, across all your knife world experience. How important is branding to selling something as elemental as a knife?

Ric Valdez [00:15:52]:
Look, I get asked this question a lot and I will answer like this. I'm not making a knife. I'm building a brand. Okay? That's what it is. Because when you're building a brand, there's a story behind it, all right? And then when there's a story in the brand that you truly believe in, that I believe in, it will be felt, it will be seen, it will be hurt. And then guess what? It's going to be supported. And that's what's happening with Locomo is being supported by all these wonderful people out there, all these customers, all these repeat customers. And, and I, I gotta continue to do my best to help them and, you know, to continue to produce, you know, products or items, you know, for the pocket, you know, for the suit jacket, for the desk and for the home.

Ric Valdez [00:16:44]:
Because, because I'm enjoying it, you know. And yeah, branding is important. And there's this thing that I read a while ago that, you know, when I'm out there, and here's another reason why Blade show or other trade shows of that platform is important. Because I want to engage with these people. I want them to see who, who I am because my smile is my logo, right? And you know, the way I make them feel, you know, after they interact with me is my brand and my trademark, you know, so all that, it goes a long way. You know, that personality, it's just, it's. I want them to see it's genuine. I'm not out there.

Ric Valdez [00:17:25]:
I'm doing what I love. You know, I mentioned this before. I'm doing what I love with the one I love and that's my wife. My wife Tisa.

Bob DeMarco [00:17:33]:
That's pretty amazing what you said. Just in terms of how you make people feel is your brand. And man, that, that's, that's important. That's everyone's personal brand. You know, you've heard that expression, everyone's got a personal brand, whether you like it or not. And, and ultimately, yes, it's how you, how you leave people feeling afterward. And you ad blade show definitely are working the scene and you're, you're not just planted behind the, behind your counter, you're walking around, you're engaging. That's something that I think is so important, especially for knife makers who are maybe newer and starting out going to blade show, because it's such a solitary activity, making the knives, especially if you're, you know, making it by hand in a shop.

Bob DeMarco [00:18:22]:
But you do have to get out there and press the flesh and, and be a part of the community you're trying to sell to.

Ric Valdez [00:18:28]:
That is right. Absolutely. You gotta be part of the community. And to be accepted by the community, you know, validates a lot of things. Um, and so, and I love doing that. You know, I love just, you know, a lot of times, okay, if there's, if there's no one walking up and down the aisle, okay, here's my opportunity to maybe sit down. Okay. But then some companies, I sit right back up, whether they walk by the booth or not.

Ric Valdez [00:18:51]:
But I, I'm, I'm ready. I'm ready to talk to anybody and everybody. Um, and a lot of times it's back to back, back to back, back to back. And I love that. And, and, and, and here's another thing too. When you go to blade shows, other trade shows, there's so much that take away from that. Right. And it's either gaining some more course customers, but also some more support.

Ric Valdez [00:19:13]:
Some more collaborations. Yeah, because I'm pulling into collaborations and working with other companies. You've seen the partnership with, with Andrew Demko. I was designing with Andrew and there's, I've always been talking to him. You got to become a partner. Let's, let's take this to the next level. Let's have you be part of this. And then that was the huge announcement at Bleed Atlanta, Right.

Ric Valdez [00:19:34]:
Where he's now a partner. And we have a Ocaso dental knife being produced by him out of Pennsylvania coming in a few months. We're really excited about that. I formed a great relationship with Connor Tour. Oh, another, another SoCal guy that's just three and a half, four hours down down the highway. I've gone down to see him a couple times and there's something in the works. There's. And you know, we'll be announcing something here very soon.

Ric Valdez [00:20:03]:
But he's a great guy. He's very young. He's really just intelligent, smart. What he's done in terms of his brand, I think it's great. And then the big idea design guys I love working with them. You know, there's a little collaboration on a pen that I have and then just on and on. I mean, there's other things in the works that again, you have to really watch what you take on. Right.

Ric Valdez [00:20:32]:
Because you always want to make sure that things don't get a little out of hand because then things start unraveling. And one thing that, what I don't want to unravel is continue to run this company where I can continue to service the customer the best that I can. I try to, you know, answer the emails as quickly as possible, answer all the phones. People are blown away that they'll, you know, they're calling on a Saturday afternoon and I'm picking up and I'm, I'm helping them with their, with their question of the request that I'm, I'm replying to their emails on a Sunday night, on a Friday night, just this. So anyway, it's just you have to be careful because there's all sides of the business that needs attending to.

Bob DeMarco [00:21:14]:
So collaboration in any creative field is totally essential. I know it is. In, in my field. What's it like working with so many collaborators? I mean, you have Andrew Demko, Mike Wallace, Kurt Wes Crawford, David Seaton, and then everyone you just named Connor Tor. You're getting more involved with Andrew Demko. What's that like? Having so many different creative balls in.

Ric Valdez [00:21:44]:
The air like that? Tra. It's hard. It's hard. And, you know, I do feel bad because there's others, you know, on hold right now because there is so much. And I remember when I first started the company and I did touch upon this before, that it's, it's not about speed, it's about direction and focusing on making sure everything is right. You're going down the right path. And one thing that I mentioned when I first started is bite off more than you can chew and chew like hell. And that was the Len Thompson thing.

Ric Valdez [00:22:18]:
And I think he was able to do that. He's very successful. So when he sold the company and then I started my company, I was still riding off a high off of cold steel and what I did close to 20 years over there. So I think that's why I started the company the way I did. But, you know, he had, he had resources, he had people, he had teams and, and, and all this other stuff. And I didn't. Right. It wasn't fair for me to say.

Ric Valdez [00:22:49]:
So I realize now, and I take that back, that no, for me, I, I couldn't bite off more than I can chew. And true like hell. Okay. Because then you're not giving everything the attention that it needs, Everyone the attention that it needs. And so it's hard. It's hard. But you know, you just got to focus, you got to manage, you got to prioritize and stay into it and be honest, you know, be honest with, with some of these people, we got to hold off or we gotta wait or this and that. So.

Ric Valdez [00:23:21]:
But it's, it's hard, but it's, it's, it's manageable if you stay focused. And you know that you don't, you don't take on too many things on your plate.

Bob DeMarco [00:23:28]:
Yeah. Well, you just alluded to new something happening with Andrew Demko. Can you tell us at all anything about that?

Ric Valdez [00:23:38]:
Yeah, absolutely. I feel bad because I don't have the actual prototype here. The prototype was sent off because I'm working on other things with the knife and this particular part of the project needed the sample. So I don't have the sample. But it's an American made folding knife. Magnacut high grade titanium scales. With the shark lock. With the shark lock and no, no fin on it.

Ric Valdez [00:24:02]:
So it's going to have some of his elements and definitely the old castle elements in the branding on it. You know, the diamond pivot, the wraparound deep carry pocket clip. And it was pretty, pretty sweet. I mean the prototype I had at Blade show was the first time I had held it in my hand and seen it in person. And he. And it was handmade by Andrew. Wow, that's incredible. And he did such a great job and showing off to everybody.

Ric Valdez [00:24:31]:
Everyone liked it and loved it, so. But what's in the works right now is the actual. I think he's already cut out the titanium scales. The parts are being finalized right now. But that's what it is. It's, it's, it's an actual knife category. It's the first of many.

Bob DeMarco [00:24:50]:
So a shark lock without the, the fin, that's the disengaging. Right, Interesting. So now I'm thinking of it like very low profile with Jimping, maybe that you engage it. I don't know. We'll find out, I guess, huh?

Ric Valdez [00:25:05]:
Yeah, it's out there. I mean, if you, if you Google Blade Show, Demko Ocaso partnership, I'm sure it'll come up because there was a lot of individuals that did filming, that did interviews. It's out there, so you'll see it. Okay, so I feel bad again. I don't have it.

Bob DeMarco [00:25:24]:
Oh, man.

Ric Valdez [00:25:24]:
No, no, it's being used right now.

Bob DeMarco [00:25:26]:
That's exciting. And it will, it'll garner even more interest. So let's, let's take a look at some of your knives. I know you've got some in front of you and I know you have something very exciting that's brand new out. Let's start with that.

Ric Valdez [00:25:41]:
All right. You were talking about the Lucent.

Bob DeMarco [00:25:42]:
Yeah.

Ric Valdez [00:25:43]:
Okay, so the Lucent, which is our automatic knife, it's a Solstice inspired body frame. And let's see. So here it is, a high grade aluminum scale. And it's got that wraparound deep carry pocket clip. And then it's got the diamond icons, which is not a pivot, but it's in there. Right, right. You see that?

Bob DeMarco [00:26:10]:
Yeah.

Ric Valdez [00:26:12]:
And it's a harpoon because everyone loves the harpoon on the Solstice M390. And this, the OEM is best tech.

Bob DeMarco [00:26:25]:
Yeah. Sweet. I love best tech knives. They do such a great job.

Ric Valdez [00:26:30]:
Of course we have the, we have The Cali legal 1.9 inches. One point.

Bob DeMarco [00:26:35]:
That's a, that, that's a cute. The Cali legal one is sweet. So like a sweet little knife. Kind of ridiculous knife laws you got out there, but you know, hey, that, that's the water you're swimming in. Hold up that the large Lucent for a second. Let's take a look at that blade. Wow, that is really cool. Now I've seen a, I've seen, I saw this on Melissa backwoods.

Bob DeMarco [00:27:01]:
I saw she had one of these.

Ric Valdez [00:27:04]:
She did. And she also had the black versions as well. So the, the Lucent Silver has dropped a few left on the site. And, and the black versions are going to be available about two to three weeks. They're on the way. Ashley, the black versions that she, that you saw in her videos. Right.

Bob DeMarco [00:27:27]:
So what is, what has the reception been from your regular fans about this?

Ric Valdez [00:27:33]:
They like it. It's just amazing to see. I've been waiting for this for a long time. Boom. I mean the, the launch, I, I fight. You know, I'm not one that. This is the first time where I announce, okay, it's coming, it's coming on this day at this time. I know that exists out there.

Ric Valdez [00:27:54]:
A drop, right. And a lot of people are successful. You know, my experience is you bring the shipment in and you fill your wagon up and then you sell. But you know, we decided to try it. Say, hey, okay, these are coming in gonna be on this day and around this time. And we loaded up so I was put on a Schedule, right. It's like when, okay, let's put these on now. But no, we did it this way and it was, it was great.

Ric Valdez [00:28:16]:
It was neat. It's like, okay, now I see why, why everyone does this. It takes this approach because it's pretty darn neat. So it went really well. And, and I, I don't know what it did, but in terms of having an OTF in the lineup now, I mean, there's our followers shot up, our catalog request went up, Everything just went up. I think this is a, a nice category for me to have, but then also have it relate to it being, you know, a gentleman. A more slimmer, sleek, slim style knife.

Bob DeMarco [00:28:52]:
Yeah. Because kind of classically we think of automatic knives. We think of out the side Italian stilettos that hoodlums in the 50s carried. Or we think of very tactical, you know, microtech kind of knives that are awesome, don't get me wrong, I love them, but they are not necessarily right for the boardroom. But this scratches that it, that is right.

Ric Valdez [00:29:20]:
You know, I just like, I wonder said, oh shit, I'm going to come out with a little gentleman style otf. And here it is. And you know, this particular diamond pattern milling on, on the, on the handle is just, just the start. I wanted it to match my favorite pen. This is my Mont Blanc. Kind of matches this, but little bit of a departure, but I still like it. But I have other designs already in the works right now because I want to keep going on this, on this category.

Bob DeMarco [00:29:54]:
Well, other out the front or other automatic knives?

Ric Valdez [00:29:58]:
Oh, yeah. Oh yeah, absolutely.

Bob DeMarco [00:30:00]:
Have you always been a automatic kind of guy?

Ric Valdez [00:30:03]:
So you just said like the little stiletto, the Italian stiletto. Right. So that's another one that I've had, I think. Oh, it's right here. Look at this guy right here. Oh, I think I've had this. I got this when I was 12 or 13 years old.

Bob DeMarco [00:30:19]:
That's awesome.

Ric Valdez [00:30:21]:
This is really, really old. I don't, I don't want to say how old it is because I might date myself. So old I am. But I mean. Yeah, here you go.

Bob DeMarco [00:30:28]:
Exactly what you swing guard stiletto from the old days and now your new thing. How cool is that?

Ric Valdez [00:30:35]:
But I got this in Mexico. He gives. You know, I was born in Texas and you can go across the border to go shopping and do, do things like that. And as a little kid, you know, I bought this because you can just walk up, buy it. My mom caught it that I had it and she kept it for years and years and years. And I didn't get it back until I, I was older, I think a teenager. But I still have it in my life. Look at that.

Ric Valdez [00:31:01]:
Two important pieces.

Bob DeMarco [00:31:02]:
Oh yeah, and they look similar too.

Ric Valdez [00:31:04]:
Yeah, they do.

Bob DeMarco [00:31:05]:
Beautiful. I, I, I, I want to backtrack. I want to talk another minute about the project with Andrew Demko. And you know, you mentioned that these lucents are made by Bestech, one of my favorite OEMs, period. I also like the stuff that they offer under their own shingle. I like bestech a lot. But so you oem your, some of your knives overseas or most of your knives overseas and now you're starting to manufacture here with this knife. What kind of differences do you see? I mean, I know there must be many in vats, but what impression has having knives in the works in the States had on you?

Ric Valdez [00:31:56]:
I guess the, the biggest thing for me is communication. I mean, Andrew and I will, will talk two, three times a day going back and forth and resolve an issue or go over a topic or discuss something in relation to the project right away. But for the most part, would you, when you're working with a factory overseas, they've all been good. And it's been like this, you know, it's, it's a day delay, right, where you send an email, you gotta wait till the next day. But a lot of times for me to shorten it, I'll stay up till freaking midnight, send an email, start talking to them because it's their morning there. But that's, that's been the biggest difference. Other than that the process is all the same, right. You know, you gotta go through the steps in terms of designs, the lead times and this, this and this and that.

Ric Valdez [00:32:43]:
Some people will carry material and have all the material in place. So lead time on, on delivery can be shorter versus someone that doesn't have that model in place. You know, some of the bigger factories will have all that. Okay, well, we got that steel, we got that material, we got that. So, so minor differences, Minor differences. But yeah, it's not keeping all your eggs in one basket. I got Taiwan, I've got Italy. The OEM that are brought on board is best tech there is a project with Reate.

Ric Valdez [00:33:16]:
You know, they kind of got put on hold. So you know, we're just, we were right there ready to pull the triggers. And that designer is actually Mac Kelsey from Big Idea Design.

Bob DeMarco [00:33:26]:
Oh, nice.

Ric Valdez [00:33:27]:
So Matt Kelsey is the, the designer on the lookout. Their fixed, their first fixed blade knife that came out. So I have a project that's right there, you know, getting ready to go start moving forward again. You know, just, just had to get past the tariff situation first. But things are going to start moving forward again. But yeah, it's been great working with everybody. Everyone's been really professional. Everyone knows what they're doing.

Ric Valdez [00:33:53]:
And I'm gauging with these factories because of the experience. So I think I might be able to share that. Okay. There is a big difference. If I was working with someone that maybe didn't have a lot of experience, which I don't know, I did some research first. Okay, that's, that's Vet Best tech. That's Vet Re. But they already had a huge name, so.

Ric Valdez [00:34:16]:
And then they're working in line with some of the giants out there in terms of service and communication.

Bob DeMarco [00:34:22]:
Yeah, well, I mean that's, that's also gotta be kind of exciting figuring out new OEMs, new companies that you're working with. And so some, some you produce in Italy. What, what's that about?

Ric Valdez [00:34:34]:
So Italy is the Damascus Solstice, which I guess here's an update. So there's a. In our lineup is the Damascus fat carbon frame lock, but it's being upgraded and changed and we're moving over to Damasteel. So this is Damasteel and it's going to be fat carbon liner lock on both sides. So the one that's in the lineup currently is a frame lot, but now we're going with the Damasteel. And this is the Bifrost pattern. So you'll see these probably November, December of this year. So this is Italy right here.

Ric Valdez [00:35:20]:
This is the Symphony knife.

Bob DeMarco [00:35:22]:
Hey, it's Symphony knife. Wait, I'm confused. You said the liner lock on both sides. What does that mean?

Ric Valdez [00:35:30]:
So I went from a frame lock because the currently what you have, if you look at the website, the Damascus Solstice, it's a, it's a titanium frame lock. But what we want to do, making this upgrade to a different steel, we went with a liner liner lock. I got you.

Bob DeMarco [00:35:49]:
I got you too.

Ric Valdez [00:35:50]:
We, we want the beauty because that carbon is so cool looking and on the current model it's. It looks fat carbon on one side and frame lock. Nothing wrong because it's a high grade titanium. But this we want a beauty on both sides. Yeah, beauty here, we want a beauty here. We want it. Some nice damasteel bifrost with some nice etching. Shine.

Ric Valdez [00:36:11]:
Shine to it.

Bob DeMarco [00:36:12]:
Oh, that looks nice. Yeah. Can see.

Ric Valdez [00:36:15]:
Yeah. In person. This is great. So we've Got that coming out of edit out of Italy.

Bob DeMarco [00:36:20]:
Italy, okay. Does that, I mean, do you choose a company they like the company in Italy because of the work they've done in the past or because of their access to the materials. I don't get why, why you would have some of the solstices made somewhere and then some of them made elsewhere.

Ric Valdez [00:36:41]:
Because remember, I think they didn't mention some companies are better at certain things. Fixed blade knives, liner lops, frame lops. Yes, materials. You know, fat carbon, I think has built a great relationship with a lot of factories in Italy now. And I really want fat carbon that elegant looking on the Solstice. Okay, so. So you got. Yes, the Solstice being made in Taiwan, Bob.

Ric Valdez [00:37:06]:
And then. Yes, I've got some nice pieces coming out of Italy. And let me say this too. In 2026, guess what? You're going to see a Solstice version coming out of Japan.

Bob DeMarco [00:37:16]:
Oh, cool.

Ric Valdez [00:37:18]:
Yeah. So with Japanese freaking Damascus steel and nice elegant. Well, I don't know if I want to see too much more now, but now we've got some nice looking classic Japanese solstice category being built coming out of Japan. Very cool.

Bob DeMarco [00:37:37]:
So Solstice is definitely your flagship. What else do you have on the table in front of us that you could show us?

Ric Valdez [00:37:45]:
So of course we got the wallet, right? Oh yeah, we got the wallet. But we've got that slip joint that's coming out of Italy and this is also in production right now. And this is going to be N390 high grade titanium with the diamond pivot. And what I've done with this one, Bob, is it also comes with that wraparound deal deep carry pocket clip. But in the packaging you can take that clip off and slip on this cover.

Bob DeMarco [00:38:20]:
Nice.

Ric Valdez [00:38:20]:
Okay, so now this becomes a slip joint that can live at the bottom of the pocket or fit perfectly in the Ocaso wallet. Just like that.

Bob DeMarco [00:38:33]:
That is sweet. So that, that's the Ocaso wallet with your slip joint. What's the slip joint name?

Ric Valdez [00:38:39]:
That's the slip joint. And this is the big idea design collaboration pen.

Bob DeMarco [00:38:44]:
Nice.

Ric Valdez [00:38:46]:
So it's got the Ocaso logo on there right here and it's their pen. And it just happened to be, you know, I was using this pen because it fits perfectly into that wallet. And so when they saw that, they said, let's do something. So that's, that's one thing that I have on the desk. I do have another thing I can show you.

Bob DeMarco [00:39:13]:
Yeah, let's see.

Ric Valdez [00:39:15]:
So this would be Coming out of this is one of the talks, one of the projects maybe coming out of the factory with tour knives. You know, we had our desk knife. Yes, right. And everyone enjoyed it. But there will be finally a fixed blade version of it.

Bob DeMarco [00:39:36]:
Oh, that's great. And we know tour knives is they, they make folders and fixed blades, but they make a lot of great fixed blades.

Ric Valdez [00:39:43]:
Yeah, they're. They do a really good job. So I said, well, hey, you know, I really want to get this project back on board. You know, can you guys do something with this? They said, yeah, we have another design that we went back and forth that, that we finalized on that would be in the works. So there's two models. I don't know how many skews out of that. That's still to be determined. But that's what I have.

Ric Valdez [00:40:07]:
And, and this is just such a great lightweight.

Bob DeMarco [00:40:09]:
Yeah.

Ric Valdez [00:40:10]:
And I'm going to be telling everybody that. Now this is something that you could wear in your suit jacket. You know, hey, gentlemen or hey, individual or hey, professionals. You know, it's, it's okay to carry a fixed blade now. Yeah, now in the office.

Bob DeMarco [00:40:22]:
Yes. Yes, it is. I've been, I've been acclimatizing my office for about 15 years to fix blade carry and I'm almost there. But. But yeah, I mean that's a huge trend right now. And maybe trend isn't even giving it proper due because trends always kind of go, this one seems like one to stay. It's like people have figured out, yes, we can carry fixed blades without having a Crocodile Dundee knife on the belt. It can, it can be in our front pocket like we're already used to with, with modern folders.

Bob DeMarco [00:40:56]:
But you can have fixed blades. And I love to see that Ocaso is, is occupying that space because it's fertile ground. And it also seems like right up your alley.

Ric Valdez [00:41:08]:
And that's a mistake I made when I think when we talked last is that, that I wanted to just kind of be in the pocket on the desk at the home. And I said, I don't know if I'll be making any fixed blades. And so here. What was I thinking saying that? Right. And we're able to do it, you know, a nice gentleman. This can be very good looking. I don't know what materials exactly, but if this thing just looks sweet, you know, cool looking and it's, you know. Yeah.

Ric Valdez [00:41:36]:
So you gotta watch what you say, you know, just be careful, don't. But here I coming out with fixed lane, pal.

Bob DeMarco [00:41:42]:
I love it. Actually hold, hold that Tor prototype up next to the desk knives and remind people of the desk knives and, and that whole design.

Ric Valdez [00:41:55]:
So the desk knife came. It's a, it's a, it's a piece. It's a very cool, elegant piece that sits on your desk shelf table. Because a lot of people say, oh, I don't have a desk. I know you have a table. Why it's messy. Well, I know you have a shell, so that sits there and looks cool. So I have an appreciation for cool things sitting on the desk or the aired it.

Ric Valdez [00:42:20]:
Right. You know, I have a, I feel like I have a really cool descape here, and this is one thing that sits on there, but it's two pieces that comes apart held by magnets. And then once, once you take it apart, it becomes the ideal thickness for a letter opener, a package opener, a box cutter or whatever. And it's, it's, it comes in two different pieces. Then you can also just do some snipping. You know, they're like, they can be scissors.

Bob DeMarco [00:42:49]:
Yeah.

Ric Valdez [00:42:50]:
But that wasn't the main thing. It was just a cool little piece that you could take apart if you're lefty or righty. Enjoy cutting open your letters or your boxes. And this is a Wes Crawford collaboration. And it comes Wharncliffe and another legend.

Bob DeMarco [00:43:07]:
Of the knife world.

Ric Valdez [00:43:09]:
Yeah, he's, he's been doing this for a long time and he's a great guy to work with too. So that's, that's what that is. And a lot of people say, I wish there was a fixed blade version of it. Well, there is. Coming soon.

Bob DeMarco [00:43:23]:
Let's see that out of the sheath. If you, if you wouldn't mind again. Well, that's a beauty. I like the sort of lattice pattern in the handle. It's really, really cool. So just looking at this and thinking about gentlemanly knives and I think, how, how do you feel about natural materials, about bone, stag wood, that kind of stuff?

Ric Valdez [00:43:49]:
Nothing wrong with it. You know, I, I see it lending itself to more of an outdoor hunting, traditional product piece. I do have a, an old. I think it's a, it's a stag handle Bowie that Lynn Thompson gave me. And it, it looks great, right? It looks really great. But they're, they're, they're fine. I mean, when. What.

Ric Valdez [00:44:22]:
Why Laskin? Why Bob?

Bob DeMarco [00:44:23]:
Oh, I'm, I'm only asking because I love them and I love them on modern knots. So this with bone or stag or something. That's just selfish, purely selfish self interest.

Ric Valdez [00:44:39]:
Well, it could be. It could, you know, you know, down the road. You know, I didn't think I was going to do any camo on the solstice, but, you know, out comes this grunge camo that's very popular right now, you know, that I'm doing for a specific group of retailers. Right. So these, these guys are outdoor guys, gun guys. And I did some, some grunge camo. Oh, cool.

Bob DeMarco [00:45:03]:
I'm not sure I know what grunge camo is.

Ric Valdez [00:45:06]:
Yeah, it's the. Supposedly it's a hit Cool. Camel looking that's. That exists nowadays. That's out there on, on streetwear, sportswear, gym wear. It's. It goes away from the mossy oak, the traditional style camel that's out there, it gets, it's more hip, it's more cool. So I built, you know, a lot of these for this trade show that's built with these members.

Ric Valdez [00:45:34]:
And so, I mean, look, I mean, there's camel on it. We did the topo, right? I mean, there's, there's an outdoorsman or a weekend seeker, you know, in every person out there. So we Way of Knife sent me this and they say, what about this? And I didn't, I didn't think it'd work, but this, the sample they sent me. And I work with Way of Knife out of Michigan. Yeah, a lot. They do a lot of the work, the anodizing. And this sat on my desk for a while and it just, I grew to like it. I added to the lineup and it's been, it's been doing really well.

Ric Valdez [00:46:13]:
So that's not, that's not a bad idea, Bob. And so when you ask me about why so many factories. Well, look, you've got Taiwan that can do the titanium, high grade. You got the Italians that can do the, the fat carbon. You got the Japanese that can do the nice classical. Okay, the wood. Yeah, dark wood. Look, you know, is there a factory that can do the jig or the bone? You know, to be determined.

Ric Valdez [00:46:39]:
You know, we'll see.

Bob DeMarco [00:46:41]:
Possibilities are endless, Rick.

Ric Valdez [00:46:44]:
Yeah, I mean, and I'm telling you too, I have. Sometimes it hurts my, my brain that I have so many ideas. It's like, oh, gosh.

Bob DeMarco [00:46:51]:
Well, okay, so what, what are some of the. Let us in the door a little bit. What are some of the, the high flying ideas that you're not even close to yet?

Ric Valdez [00:47:02]:
Just many more designs, okay. Many more freaking designs that, that I want to come out with. I touched upon this when we first talked before. I mean, there's I would love, because I like watches. I would love to add a nice cool watch that matches the knives. I love Pension. I love Mont Blanc. So maybe a nice, you know, pen added to the lineup.

Ric Valdez [00:47:35]:
When I, when I open up my first showroom, I want it to be a destination. I want it to be a men's lounge. I want you to be able to come in and of course, the main focus is going to be knives, whatever, but there's going to be all these other little things that you can enjoy. Maybe some apparel, maybe some bags. You know, I have, I have. I don't know why, you know, I have a shitload of bags that I don't even use, but I just, I see a bag that I like, you know, leather bags, this and that, and so things like that, Bob. But that's just, that's just down the road, right?

Bob DeMarco [00:48:11]:
Yeah, well, that's, that's a lucky position for someone like yourself to be in. Someone who owns a great knife company but also has interest in adjacent items. You know, knife guys love watches on the whole, love pens on the whole. And then there are all these other kind of, you know, things that guys like us get into. You know, some people love leather and, and those kind of things. So, I mean, it's a great position to, to have put yourself in where you can fill out and create all these things that are your interest. Because you also know that, that most, that many knife people, knife collectors, are also interested in these kind of things.

Ric Valdez [00:48:54]:
Yeah. And again, it's all, it's all, you know, it's all the very gentleman like type stuff. Right. You know, if you will. And, and, and guess what happens too, is that, that here I am creating this brand and talking to these maybe business professionals that didn't know that you could carry a knife. Right. Well, you can, you can carry an ocaso. You know, you have all these other individuals that didn't know that this community existed, but now they do.

Ric Valdez [00:49:22]:
Right. And so, and there's other companies already doing it. You know, they're making the watches and the pens and they're reaching out to those communities, and I get it. And that's happening. But yeah, an overlap of community is definitely taking place. So it's, it's something down the road. All. It's, it's on the list to do.

Ric Valdez [00:49:40]:
But just down the road, what's, you know, I'm up to two employees now, too, right. Before I had zero, just my wife and I. So now there's two employees. So there's another sign that there's growth there right. Going in the right direction. And a lot of times, even with these guys, we're still clamped, we're still backed up and we still can't keep up.

Bob DeMarco [00:50:00]:
I'm, I'm impressed that you do keep up with just two people because, you know, you're every, it seems like you guys are everywhere. So I think you're, you've got good. I'm not going to pretend to know the term, but I guess it's market penetration. Like you guys are in there. You're a force already. Who in the knife world, in the knife game, who is kind of doing something similar? Are there any other lifestyle brands that are knifey or knife centric that you can think of?

Ric Valdez [00:50:36]:
I know there's a lot of knife brands that have a category that's very similar to what we're doing. But I mean I like, I like William Henry. You know, they, they're, I think really focus on these high end, premium, great looking knives. Think, you know, and a couple other ones too. So. But I mean I try not at this point in time, I try to just stay focused and you know, they say don't, don't, don't worry what everyone else is doing. Yeah, just doing this. Just focus on what you're doing.

Ric Valdez [00:51:11]:
But before getting this started, it was, I really like Chris Reeve knives. I mean. Yeah, well, you got him too, right? So. Yeah, I guess he's on the brain and William Henry. So. Yeah.

Bob DeMarco [00:51:22]:
And, and, and they both make really fine knives for sure. But I can't think like I, and I am someone who is obsessed with what everyone's doing because I, I don't, I'm not, I don't have my own company. I don't have to keep my vision limited. And I, But I'm still not. No one's coming to mind who does what Ocaso does. And I guess I, I just wanted to get from your perspective, see if what, you know, your competition was in, in a more specific, in the specific realm of gentleman lifestyle. And I think that that's pretty, that's a pretty great spot to be in because I think it's needed.

Ric Valdez [00:52:05]:
So Bob, this makes this whole entire show for me right now, what you just said. A lot of times if, if, if I would have came out and answered that, well, I'm the only one, you know, it doesn't come off right. Um, a lot of times, you know, I will say to my wife, like, you know, I'm starting to see a little bit more of this a Little bit more of that. And it, you know, I think she's doing it to kind of keep me humble. She says, get old yourself or be quiet. You know, but for you to now say it. You know, I appreciate that because sometimes in my, in my elevator pitch, I will say I'm one of the few brands that really cater to a gentleman's premium, elegant looking pocket knife. Okay.

Ric Valdez [00:52:51]:
So I also heard just today from another huge influencer out there, he said, I'm starting to see a lot more gentleman's item. So when I hear that someone else is saying it. Okay, that's great. And so. Okay. And that's why I want to stick to this group and, and keep going. And then just really just. Yeah, I'm not gonna make everything for anybody out there.

Ric Valdez [00:53:21]:
So I just keep doing what I'm doing. And because I know it's solving the problem that maybe a lot of people have out there, you know, I'm gonna be grateful for that. Yeah. So they get it. There's a lot of people that get it. And I'm glad you get it. I'm glad you see it. So thank you for recognizing.

Bob DeMarco [00:53:38]:
Oh, yeah, of course. You know, back in my more metrosexual days, if you'll forgive the expression, but back when I was a little cooler and younger and lived in New York City.

Ric Valdez [00:53:49]:
You're still cool.

Bob DeMarco [00:53:51]:
Oh, thanks, man. I appreciate it. Before I was a middle aged father, I, you know, I always, always loved knives, but I was kind of in a very different kind of place. Place in my life and in a, in a different. I guess what I'm trying to say is ocaso would have come in very handy in the early 2000s for me because, you know, I was going to. I had a cool job with a, you know, I had to dress nice and everything like that and. But I still loved knives and I thought it was cool that I was the person I was, but still liked knives, you know, and so especially in the knife world, which can tend to be not that much, but it can tend to be a little macho in terms of like, you know, this is your high speed, low drag, tactical, you know, fighting knife. And that's the kind of stuff I love, believe me.

Bob DeMarco [00:54:45]:
But it's not always appropriate. But knives are always appropriate.

Ric Valdez [00:54:50]:
Yes, yes, yes. I think that's awesome. That's, it's great to hear that. And, but you're right, it's like now. And that's another thing too. Once someone who wasn't into knives and didn't carry A knife. Once they start carrying a knife, guess what? They leave the house without the knife, and now they're freaking out. Right.

Ric Valdez [00:55:09]:
It just becomes this little part of your. Your wardrobe, part of your routine of, like, putting on your watch and your pen and your wallet. And that happens to me, too. Even if I go on a freaking walk, I have to have a knife in my pocket because. Because if I don't, I just. I feel weird. I feel off. It's just on us.

Ric Valdez [00:55:30]:
Just is.

Bob DeMarco [00:55:31]:
Yeah. It's like walking out the door without your pants. So it's like. It's like the dream you have where you wake up or you're on stage playing piano with no pants. You're like, I don't play piano. Why am I not wearing. It's the same thing. Walking out without a knife.

Bob DeMarco [00:55:47]:
All right, so you mentioned you. It's you, your wife, two employees. But as you move forward, like, if you could. If you could see in a crystal ball right now, 20 years in the future, or however far you're going to take Ocaso, how do you see it expanding?

Ric Valdez [00:56:05]:
So another thing that I've learned is to kind of try to do things and set up things a little differently from what I experienced in terms of running a company. I've got to be able to create a business where I can step away and the business continues to be successful. It continues to run. Because if that doesn't take place, then all I'm doing is just creating another job for myself. So in order for me to do that, I have to pay attention to the people I bring on board and make sure it's a team that I'm creating. It's going to be a very focused team. I don't want to say that. And a lot of people say.

Ric Valdez [00:56:47]:
Say this, and there's nothing wrong with it. Where we're all going to run this company like a family. Well, no, we're going to run like a team. Because when you. When you have that team approach, there's competitors, there's competition. Nothing wrong with family. But then you feel like, okay, we're all safe. You know, we're all comfortable.

Ric Valdez [00:57:06]:
No, because sometimes business is more. Actually, those. A lot of the business is war. Right. So that's. That's what I want to do. So, first of all, I have that mindset right now that as I continue to. To grow and build this company, it's like I've got to fire myself in certain positions so I can pull myself in more strategic roles.

Ric Valdez [00:57:28]:
Right. I've got to go out there, continue to grow the brand and to create all these, these opportunities, these collaborations, these partnerships so I can continue to feed the brand so it grows. And I think one reason why we're growing is because, yeah, I had a Rolodex before, right. And so we're already global, so I'm already on the international waters out there with some of the connections that have. So I've got some big distributors out there all over the world right now that have helped us out. Right. There's still a lot of, you know, know, opportunities here that I want to engage in here, but, you know, there's enough going on right now that's keeping us busy. Yeah, well, I, I think that, so 20 years, you know, I'm no longer, you know.

Ric Valdez [00:58:13]:
Yes. I, I see myself as a business operator, not an owner yet, but, you know, down the road in a few years as an owner where I can step away because the worst thing an owner can say is, like, I can't leave because nothing gets done.

Bob DeMarco [00:58:26]:
Yeah.

Ric Valdez [00:58:26]:
Yeah. Bad. That's freaking bad. You want to be able that you can step away and they can, and that the continuation of success is still taking place without you, and you have reliable people, reliable team, reliable individuals that you can trust running the company.

Bob DeMarco [00:58:41]:
I love that you said make a team and not a family ever, Anywhere I've ever worked. Whenever they start using the F word, oh, we're a family. I'm like, oh, what do you want from me that you're training me for? You know, and, and you can't get rid of family. You can fire employees, you know, so I love that you say team. Yeah. So. Well, anyway, that's, that's my insight. I, I, I can't wait to see the team you build.

Bob DeMarco [00:59:10]:
I think what you're doing is awesome.

Ric Valdez [00:59:13]:
Thank you.

Bob DeMarco [00:59:13]:
Yeah. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast again and talking about it. I think this stuff is awesome, and I'm really excited to, to check out the Lucent and also to, to see that this, well, all the projects you mentioned, but especially this Demko collaboration coming out of PA—it's awesome what you're doing, and best of luck to you over the next year.

Ric Valdez [00:59:35]:
Thank you so much. It was, it was great, you know, talking to you. It was great seeing a blade show, too, man. You were just everywhere. And everywhere I went, you were there, and, you know, you know so many people, it's just like, there's Bob again. How you doing, Bob? You know, so, you know, you're, the things that you say and coming from you, that means a lot. And it goes a lot because you're in tune with the industry, the market, with communities out there. So thank you.

Ric Valdez [01:00:02]:
Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Bob DeMarco [01:00:03]:
Oh, my pleasure. All right, Ric, we'll talk soon. Take care, sir.

Ric Valdez [01:00:07]:
You too. Thank you.

Bob DeMarco [01:00:08]:
There he goes. Ladies and gentlemen, Ric Valdez of Ocaso Knives. And remember, build a team for work. Leave the family at home. I wish everyone would do that. Great sage advice from the head of Ocaso Knives. Be sure to join us next Sunday for another engaging interview with a luminary of the knife world.

Bob DeMarco [01:00:42]:
For Jim working his magic behind the switcher, I'm Bob DiMarco saying until next time, don't take dull for an answer.

Announcer [01:00:49]:
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