You've seen him all over Instagram with thousands of pictures of Medford knives. You've seen his Facebook live drop videos in Medford Knife groups. You've seen him at exotic car shows and you seen him at bike rallies. But, who is "The Medford Guy?" Read the interview below for a behind the scenes look at who Jake - The Medford Guy is. Learn what he's about, his history with Medford Knife and Tool, and what his plans are for the future of The Medford Guy business.
When did you start The Medford Guy?
It’s funny, we were just talking about when The Medford Guy started! April 16th will be our four-year anniversary!
You mention having a business partner [Jesse], how long have you guys been in business together? Is The Medford Guy your first business venture? If not, what else does TMG have his hands in?
Jesse is my lifelong friend and business partner. We have been best friends since the fifth grade and started our first business 13-years ago together! Our first business was a landscape company! That 13-year-old company is still running--tried and true! We do everything from backyard grading to all kinds of new construction and concrete work. Now with The Medford Guy, we get to travel to exotic car shows all over the country and soon to be world! The Medford Guy has some top-secret projects up our sleeves. When the time is right, we’ll reveal them to everyone, and they should bring a lot of excitement to the community!
What got you into knives? What was your first knife?
When I was 9 years old, I watched the movie the “River Wild.” In that movie the boy’s mom gives him a Swiss Army knife and for my 10th birthday my mother did the same thing! I have been a freak about knives ever since!
What was your first Medford Knife?
My first Medford knife was the On Belay. I have to give BladeHQ some credit here, because they made a video in 2016 that convinced me to purchase one off their website. I never thought a knife would satisfy my OCD but finally Medford hit the bill! The Medford On Belay is a knife that is capable of anything, yet it’s completely badass as pocket jewelry! Never have I seen a combination of the two!
There are loads of knife manufacturers in the industry, but you only focus on one. Why Medford knives?
It’s funny because I get asked if we carry other brands of knives all the time and each time I nail it with the same response: “No, because I think they’re gross!” Of course, that is meant to break the ice and bring some humor to the situation. But, it’s not far from the truth!
On top of being the perfect pocketknife, I also fell in love with the people making them. This is why “The Medford Guy” is a thing! The people are why I’m not just a collector and we decided to do business with them. Since 2016 we have become a family! Always bouncing ideas off each other and trying to think of the next new thing. It’s fantastic! It’s how a partnership should be. People often say “don’t mix business with pleasure,” but if business is not pleasurable I do not believe it should be conducted!
What was the very first knife you sold as an Authorized Dealer for Medford Knife and Tool?
One of the best things about being a hard-core knife collector before becoming a dealer is that there is instant ‘fine used inventory’ on hand when you start! I sold one of my personal knives before the first shipment ever showed up! So, before we ever got our first knife from the factory, flying down to Arizona, becoming a dealer, and making a video with Amy I sold my personal knife: a Medford Knife and Tool Colonial!
You recently just hit a benchmark by uploading your 500th knife. What’s your next big goal with Medford Knife and Tool as an Authorized Dealer?
It’s so exciting hitting 500 knives on the website. Let me tell you -- we are thinking large! We are looking to put in a 500-knife single order for a club we’re working with. Hopefully doing a couple hundred knives at upcoming shows, and really coming in strong with a 1000 knife year! That’s our next big goal.
What was it like visiting The Diamond District and getting to do a collaboration with diamond artist, Greg Yüna?
Traveling and luxury collaborations are a key focus to our brand! We choose to work with key players who have core values like our own! A great example of this is working with gÿ, Greg Yüna. In less than a five-minute conversation on the phone, we decided we wanted to work together! It started with a diamond knife, but just wait till you see what we have up our sleeves! Plus, I’ve been looking for another reason to go back to New York. There is something special about that place! When I was there visiting the diamond district, and hanging out with Jacob & Company, it had a sense of home to it. It’s crazy how a big city like that can feel so home-like. I loved it!
Recently you collaborated with Medford Knife and Tool to bring the “TITAN™ - Medford OAK Collection” to life. There’s a lot of new technologies tied to this incredible piece. What motivated you to get involved in the project and to spearhead such a disruptive, yet controversial knife.
Working with duPont Registry has been a dream come true! Everything about their company and the people involved with it are incredible. Our “traveling family” that gets to meet up from show to show. I wouldn’t have it any other way! It’s been amazing having backstage passes to photograph some of the most incredible exotic cars on the planet and I am so thankful for that. I think working with them has given us the confidence and credibility to do a project like the Medford TITAN™! Without what we’ve been building with them, we would not have gone into the project. With what we have built, we feel extremely confident and extremely proud to be able to bring the Medford TITAN™ to the world. It’s the most exciting thing to be able to hold it and know that there is a special feature about it in duPont Registry! We are talking with quite a few people about it. Although we’re not sure where its journey will lead, you can rest assured that we will cover the story every step of the way!
Speaking of the new technologies tied to the TITAN™, you created the TITAN™ NFT. Where do you imagine emerging technologies, like NFTs, will take the knife industry? Do you think they’ll eventually be widely adopted in this space?
NFT’s are here and going to be a method of future business! It’s incredible to be able to create an NFT of such a unique item, so that it could never be forged or copied. Insurance companies love them, and they are going to make luxury transactions much more convenient moving forward. It’s exciting to be part of the process. Pioneering the way is very much part of “The Medford Guy” culture! It’s only natural for us to get involved with the blockchain in this manner. The cool thing is that it isn’t just an authenticity receipt for the TITAN™. It comes with all kinds of utilities including discounts and promotions. The TITAN™ NFT comes with special invites to luxury events and private parties. It’s a very exciting thing for us! We’re not sure how the knife community will take to it at first, but we do feel they will love the idea once it takes off.
You constantly exhibit the “TMG” brand and Medford Knives at luxury/exotic car shows and events like Sturgis. What’s your favorite show to exhibit at?
Speaking of events… Pebble Beach is coming up! That is the week after Sturgis! Two of our favorite shows back-to-back! Although, I might be a little biased towards Pebble Beach because of the gracious invite to play golf at that beautiful course from duPont Registry. What a great time! What an incredible place! Yup that settles it… Pebble Beach is just simply amazing!
I met a family of surgeons there and wow, what amazing caring people they are -- so interesting and so smart! I just love that place. With that being said, it’s tough to pick a favorite exhibition. They all have their unique features that we absolutely love about them. The Cavallino Classic in Palm Beach is right up there, if not number one! It’s always a battle for number one. We love them all!
For fun - If Jake TMG could have one luxury/exotic car, what would it be and why? There’s no question in my mind. If I was going to get one exotic car it would be the Bugatti Chiron. It was already my favorite exotic car, but our friends at Jacob & Company did a collaboration with them! Jacob & Company created a matching luxury watch to go with the Bugatti Chiron and boom -- there’s no turning back! The combination of the watch and the car are complete ‘The Medford Guy’ style if you ask me!
As one of the largest global MKT dealers, where do you see ‘The Medford Guy’ in the next 5-years?
As I mentioned before, we have some secret projects currently underway, and they are groundbreaking! These projects are exciting and new to the luxury world. We hope to launch these and keep building our brand as the luxury accessory pioneer of our day! We’ve got a lot of work ahead. About 20-years of work that we’re going to cram in the five years -- at least that’s how it feels! That is how we do it though! Hard work, drive, and passion is how we keep moving forward and bringing value to the world through what we do! We’re going to do big things and that is because of all your support! Everyone following us along the way, and being part of the journey, has made it all worth it! That’s what’s going to keep making this grind worth it. So, cheers to everybody! Let’s do crazy big things! Let’s build a world suitable for everybody. A world where all who choose can live in paradise. That’s our goal. That is always our mission!
Last question. If you could only have one Medford Knife to carry and use, what would that knife be? What about Jesse's Favorite Medford?
That mission we mentioned requires an extensive tool. If I had to break it all down and could only carry one knife -- that knife would be the one that makes me feel invincible. That knife would be a Medford! OK fine, the Medford Fat Daddy if you really must know! 😜 Jesse loves the Medford Praetorian Slim - the perfect blend of lightweight, badass design, and incredible action!
Thanks for reading along everyone! The interview was recently conducted by a friend of mine and we thought this would be a great way for new and current followers/customer to learn more about who The Medford Guy really is and what we stand for! We're really excited about what the future holds for The Medford Guy, and a grateful you're along for the ride!
As always, if you have any questions about our great products including Medford Knives, Metal Urgency Hand-Crafted Men's Jewelry, or Nash On-The-Roam please don't hesitate to ask!
Cheers,
Jake - The Medford Guy
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