Outfitter creates pack products for hikers, hunters. Cross Creek Trading Co.

When hunters think convenience, Larry Surber is hoping his business’ name will be the first thing that comes to their minds.

Entrepreneur Spotlight By BETH BRITTON
Tribune Business Editor

As the owner of Cross Creek Trading Co. http://www.crosscreektrading.com in this Hi-Line community, Surber knows what it takes to make hunters happy. And an increasing demand for his company’s products is bringing a smile to his face, too.

Surber, a 1965 graduate of Denton High School, and his wife, Rita, have owned and operated the business for four years. A friend in California started the business eight years ago, but it’s the Surbers who have expanded selection and chased larger markets.

"It has increased every year," he said of the demand. "It’s done really well."

Today, Cross Creek’s products are available in about 140 stores throughout the West, including Montana.

C.D. Schantz is one business owner who recently invested in Cross Creek’s products — namely the Quik Packer, a 2Þ-pound frame that can be broken down and stored in a larger pack and is capable of hauling up to 100 pounds.

Schantz, one of the owners of Red Rock Sporting Goods in Miles City, said he first saw the product in a hunting-related magazine and was pleased to see that it was the invention of a fellow Montanan.

"I like that it’s a small Montana company I am supporting," Schantz said, adding that he has stocked the Quik Packer for the upcoming hunting season.

"It’s great for bow hunters or anyone going deep in the backcountry because it is confined to such a small space. You can just throw it in your day pack," he said. "I just sold one yesterday."

Surber’s expertise in hunting-related design comes from 18 years of firsthand experience as an outfitter; he operates L.S. Adventures. For the most part, Cross Creek Trading Co. is a two-person operation except for the times when the couple’s son, Chad, an engineer, returns home to help build the business.

In her nonhunting life, Rita Surber, a 1969 graduate of Denton High School, is the principal of Chinook’s elementary school. During the summer, she travels to shows with her husband.

"We go to seven or eight shows a year; right now it’s the best way to get word out," Larry Surber said. "In August we’ll try television with the outdoor channels, but mainly it’s just word of mouth and our quality products that spread the word."

The Surbers are spending more and more time on the phone and the computer — being proactive and contacting stores that might be interested in selling their products.

"Nobody sells it better than the person that builds it," Larry Surber said.

The Surbers began the Cross Creek operation out of their garage, but today an old furniture store houses the business, complete with spacious shipping, assembly and storage areas and a play area in front for the grandchildren.

The Quik Packer, patented by Surber, may be the item that he and outfitters like him find especially helpful in the field, but it’s just one of Cross Creek’s products.

Washable, reusable game bags in five sizes also are in demand, and Cross Creek specializes in customizing the bags with logos and designs for individual outfitters, businesses and organizations, including the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

And although Larry Surber admits that he has learned a lot about sewing in the past few years, the bulk of the work is in the hands of area seamstresses who get paid by the bag.

"The hardest part is keeping up on inventory, second guessing on demand and keeping a supply on hand," Rita Surber said.

Other high-demand products include deer and elk hoists and gambrels, orange vests made from quiet, rip-resistant material and hunting tools such as game skinners, pack-saws and pack-axes.

A new item in the works for this fall is a hoist designed especially for recreational vehicle owners.

As for the future, the Surbers say they aim to expand the market for the hoists and the Quik Packer and potentially design a lightweight pack for hikers.

A long-term goal is to build catalog sales and expand the business’ reach east to the Mississippi, with the help of additional employees.

"It’s just really about time and contacts," Rita Surber said. "We have to make the connections."

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