The Buck Stopped Here. How Buck Knives got on the road and found happiness in Post Falls, Idaho

Soaring business costs in California were driving Buck Knives to the brink. The company regained its edge by dismantling its factory–and putting it back together 1,453 miles away.

Rising out of the snow-dusted fields like a gargantuan block of Post-it notes, the Buck Knives factory in the Idaho panhandle looks for all the world like a Northwest native. From the basalt columns adorning the driveway to the moose trophy gazing implacably down on the lobby and the spectacular chandelier built of antlers, the building feels like it belongs here, where the unyielding prairie of the Columbia Plateau confronts the chill hauteur of the Selkirk Mountains.

Appearances can be deceiving, however. Depending on how you look at it, Buck Knives is a transplant, a refugee, or a pilgrim from southern California. The story of how Buck moved its knife manufacturing company from the dusty, sun-drenched hills of El Cajon to this rugged patch of Idaho turf is a case study in business relocation. If it’s true that geography is destiny, then Buck’s voyage demonstrates that you can shape your destiny if you’re willing to redraw your geography.

From: Inc. Magazine, May 2006 | Page: 86 By: Chris Lydgate

Full Story: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20060501/buck-stopped-here.html

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