User:Steventxseo/sandbox

Saddleback Leather Company (SBL) is a Fort Worth, Texas, United States-based, privately owned American leather goods retailer founded in 2002 by Dave Munson. The company produces primarily on bags and luggage, beginning originally with a single leather briefcase design, but has since expanded into many other areas including wallets, laptop cases, electronics cases, and other accessories  for men and women. Saddleback is an online-only retail business that ships globally, with no current brick and mortar stores. The company focuses on a high level of quality and durability in their products, using full-grain leather, marine-grade thread, and minimal seams, as well as providing a 100-year warranty on every item.

History
In 2003 Saddleback Leather Company founder Dave Munson was living in Southern Mexico as a volunteer English teacher. In search of a sturdy bag to carry school books after poor experiences with the quality of mass-produced bags, he found a leather shop and asked the owner to make him a bag that he had designed. Munson used the bag extensively while in Mexico and upon returning to the United States found that many people admired its rugged beauty.

Wanting to test its marketability, Munson returned to the shop in Mexico and had 8 more bags produced, which he brought to his hometown of Portland and quickly sold from the back of his Land Cruiser. With the success of his initial sales, he decided to move back to Mexico to have more bags made and start the Saddleback Leather Company.

After a failed attempt at manufacturing in Acapulco, Munson decided to move to Leon, Mexico, known as Mexico’s leather capital, where the Mexico-based leather production remains today. Munson first began selling his bags online on eBay, but quickly outgrew that resource. He started the Saddleback Leather website in 2004 and the business began to grow rapidly. As the company quickly gained a loyal following, the demand for ever more products increased and a second production company was started in Fort Worth, Texas in 2015.

The company is currently planning its first brick and mortar presence in Fort Worth.

Production
Old Mexico Manufacturing company (also owned by Dave and his wife Suzette Munson), based in Leon, Mexico, is the primary manufacturer of Saddleback Leather products.

The factory employs approximately 200 workers and manufacture products for not only Saddleback, but various other leather goods retailers. Ft. Worth Manufacturing, a business unit located in Fort Worth Worth, Texas opened in 2015 and employs approximately 15 workers with plans to expand.

Company Culture
Saddleback is cited for and has received several awards for its engaging content and unique voice, as seen in the company's origin story as found at the website. Saddleback is also known for its social media presence, and created content such as How To Knock Off a Saddleback Leather Bag, a video in which Munson describes methods that the brand's counterfeiters use to simulate Saddleback bags as a tutorial to would-be imitators. On June 10, 2013, Munson participated in a Reddit AMA forum, where he discussed the formation and history of the company, and the products.

Munson is a born-again Christian and his faith has had a major impact on the company. The company provides significant personal and child care benefits to its factory workers in Mexico, and donates 10% of its profits to Africa New Life Ministries. The company slogan states “Saddleback Leather Company exists to love people around the world through making high-quality leather goods.”

Munson is also a self-proclaimed world traveler and has spent a great deal of his adult life trekking around the globe. Owners of Saddleback Leather products are encouraged to share photos of their bags while travelling and many blogs, articles, and videos are posted on their website.

Philanthropy
In 2010, Dave and his wife Suzette Munson began supporting Africa New Life Ministries (ANLM), an organization founded in Rwanda, East Africa to help Rwandans recover from the brutal genocide of 1994. Shortly after they began their support, they were invited to visit the country to see firsthand all of ANLM’s activities. This began a partnership between the Munsons and ANLM that remains strong today. They take 2 - 3 trips per year to Rwanda and frequently take teams of 10 - 20 people with them in order to assist with the work of ANLM and minister to a people still suffering from poverty, hunger, and disease. They donate regularly to the organization and sponsor 17 children through ANLM’s child sponsorship program.

After one of their trips in 2010, Suzette felt compelled to do even more for the people of Rwanda and started a second online retail business called Love 41. She based the company name on a Bible passage from Psalm 41 which states “blessed is he who considers the poor.” Love 41 sells leather bags and fashion goods aimed primarily at women shoppers, and all profits from the company go towards helping ANLM and other charitable causes.

Recognition
Awards, recognition, and placement of Saddleback products include:


 * Retail TouchPoints 2015 Retail Innovator Award
 * Retail TouchPoints 2015 Social Media Maven Award
 * 2014 Badger & Blade Top Briefcase
 * Gift, 2008 MTV Movie Award presenters & performers.
 * Contagious.com Most Contagious 2014: How To Knock Off a Saddleback Bag
 * Multnomah University 2015 Alumnus of the Year Award, Dave Munsion

Saddleback Films
An additional business interest of Saddleback Leather is Saddleback Films and their sponsorship of filmmaker Joe Callander. They have produced several short films which have received recognition and appeared in various notable film festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival. Their most distinguished films include:


 * Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns (Sundance Film Festival)
 * Midnight, Three, and Six (Sundance Film Festival)
 * Tina Delivers a Goat (True/False Film Festival)
 * Life After Death