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>> OUR STATE HAS A RICH HISTORY OF FINE WOOD CRAFTSMEN, BUT OVER
THE YEARS, MANY OF THOSE JOBS HAVE GONE OVERSEAS.
HEATHER BURGISS INTRODUCES US TO A NEW NORTH CAROLINA BUSINESS
THAT IS REVIVING THE OLD TRADITION OF HAND-TURNED WOODEN
LUXURY WRITING PENS, BUT WITH A MODERN TWIST.
>> MY NAME IS CASS BALTZ AND I'M CO-FOUNDER OF BALTZ PENS.
>> WITH EVERY SHAPE, TURN AND POLISH, A LITTLE BIT OF WHAT YOU
MIGHT CALL THE AMERICAN DREAM IS BEING HANDCRAFTED IN NORTH
CAROLINA.
>> ALL THE COMPANIES THAT WE SAW WERE MAKING JUST VERY GENERIC
PENS MADE OUT OF ONE WOOD.
SO WE WANTED TO DO SOMETHING DISTINCT.
>> THEY'RE HANDMADE BY US.
A LOT OF LUXURY PRODUCTS ARE MACHINE MADE IN CHINA OR ABROAD
SOMEWHERE ELSE.
I THINK THAT DEFINITELY HELPS IT STAND OUT AGAINST OTHER
PRODUCTS.
>> WHAT STARTED OUT AS JUST TWO FRIENDS TALKING ABOUT
POSSIBILITIES TURNED INTO A NEW DISTINCTIVE LINE OF LUXURY
ROLLER BALL PENS MADE IN RALEIGH.
>> WE BOTH HAD AN AMBITION TO START OUR OWN COMPANY, BUT
HAVING THE DREAM AND ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH AND DOING IT ARE
TWO DIFFERENT THINGS.
>> BEFORE THEY WERE BUSINESS PARTNERS, THE TWO 20-SOMETHING
DAVIDSON COLLEGE GRADUATES MET UP AS TEAMMATES ON THEIR COLLEGE
SOCCER TEAM, NEVER DREAMING THEY WOULD ONE DAY START A LUXURY PEN
BUSINESS TOGETHER.
>> I THINK PLAYING ON A TEAM BUILDS A LOT OF CAMARADERIE AND
TRUST.
IT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE BART ALONG.
HE KIND OF KEPT PUSHING EVERYTHING FORWARD.
>> I THINK THE MAIN THING FOR ME IS SEEING JUST A BLOCK OF WOOD
YOU WOULDN'T THINK TWICE ABOUT BECOME THAT SOMETHING WOULD USE
OR VIEW AS A LUXURY PRODUCT AND JUST SEEING THAT TRANSFORMATION
FROM RAW MATERIAL TO A FINISHED GOOD WAS REALLY WHAT INSPIRED ME
TO REALLY KEEP GOING WITH IT.
>> AFTER COLLEGE, THE TWO FRIENDS BOTH WENT ON TO
DIFFERENT JOBS UNTIL CASS HAD AN IDEA TO GO BACK TO HIS OWN
FAMILY TRADITION OF WOODWORKING.
>> I CAME BACK TO RALEIGH AND I WAS WORKING FOR MY FATHER'S
CABINET SHOP AND READ AN ARTICLE IN A WOODWORKING MAGAZINE ABOUT
WOODWORKERS WHO ARE MAKING HAND-TURNED PENS AND SENDING
THEM TO SOLDIERS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ.
THEY WOULD USE THEM TO WRITE FRIENDS AND FAMILY AND HAVE
SOMETHING MEANINGFUL TO WRITE HOME WITH.
BART AND I STARTED DOING RESEARCH ABOUT COMPANIES MAKING
THESE HAND-TURNED PENS.
THEY WERE FAIRLY BLAND.
WE THOUGHT WE COULD MAKE SOMETHING MORE INTERESTING.
>> CASS AND BART CAME UP WITH A DISTINCTIVE DESIGN USING TWO
SPECIES OF WOOD TO GIVE AN ELEGANT LOOK TO THE FIRST LINE
OF BALTZ FINE WRITING INSTRUMENTS.
>> WE HAD A VERY GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT WE WANTED THE DESIGN TO
LOOK LIKE RIGHT AWAY.
>> TWO-TONE WOOD BODY.
WE USE AFRICAN BLACK WOOD, PADAUK, AND MAPLE.
THEY'RE NOT WOODS YOU'D SEE ALL OVER THE PLACE.
YOU LOOK AT THEM.
THEY HAVE INTERESTING PATTERNS AND COLORS.
THEY REALLY STAND OUT AGAINST EACH OTHER IN THE PEN BODIES AS
WELL.
>> TO GET STARTED, THE TWO ENTREPRENEURS GOT SEED MONEY
FROM A FAMILY LOAN.
BUT ALSO GAINED CAPITAL THROUGH THE ONLINE FUNDRAISING WEBSITE
KICKSTARTER.
>> WE NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO TEST IT WITHOUT TAKING TOO MUCH RISK
IN TERMS OF GETTING MONEY AND QUITTING OUR JOBS, SO IT WAS A
PERFECT MEDIUM FOR US TO SEE IF PEOPLE ACTUALLY LIKED OUR
PRODUCT AND IF WE COULD MAKE A BUSINESS OUT OF IT.
>> BUT THE END PRODUCT DIDN'T COME WITHOUT A LITTLE TRIAL AND
ERROR.
>> FOR INSTANCE, WE'RE USING THE ROUGHING GOUGE.
YOU GO TOO HARD, IT CAN CHIP THE WOOD AND BREAK OFF.
>> THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE FIRST STARTED PRACTICING, MAKING
THESE PENS.
HOPEFULLY THIS BOX DOESN'T GET BIGGER.
WE'VE COME A LONG WAY.
>> WITH MARKETING AND BRAND MANAGEMENT, BART AND CASS HOPE
TO TAKE BALTZ FINE WRITING INSTRUMENTS TO NEW LEVELS THAT
REACH THROUGHOUT NORTH CAROLINA AND BEYOND.
>> FOR NOW, IT'S JUST SURVIVAL.
AND THEN WE'RE JUST GOING TO TRY AND GROW THE COMPANY AS MUCH AS
WE CAN.
>> YOU KNOW, OUR GOAL IS JUST TO MAKE STUFF THAT WE THINK LOOKS
REALLY, REALLY NICE SO WE CAN EXPAND OUR PRODUCT LINE.
WE'D ALSO LIKE TO BUILD NOT ONLY PENS, BUT OTHER HANDMADE ITEMS
WE CAN OFFER PEOPLE.
>> BOTH CASS AND BART BELIEVE THERE'S A MARKET FOR THEIR PENS,
WHICH SELL AT $150.
THE COMPANY RECEIVED A GREAT RESPONSE AFTER BEING FEATURED IN
MAGAZINE AND NEWSPAPER ARTICLES.
THE CRAFTSMANSHIP AND CARE THAT GO INTO EACH CREATION SEEM TO
RESONATE WITH CUSTOMERS.
>> IT'S JUST THE CONNECTION THAT A PERSON WHO'S BUYING A PRODUCT
CAN FEEL IF THEY CAN IDENTIFY WELL WITH WHO'S MAKING IT AND
THEY KNOW THAT SOMEONE, THAT ONE OF US TWO IS MAKING THE PRODUCT.
THAT DEFINITELY WILL MAKE IT STAND OUT AGAINST SOMETHING
THAT'S JUST MADE BY A MACHINE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT JUST MAKES IT A MORE SPECIAL PRODUCT
FOR THEM TO BUY.
>> FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BALTZ WRITING PENS, LOG ON TO OUR
WEBSITE AT unctv.org/ncnow AND CLICK ON THE WEB LINKS ICON.