The 24/48

Joe Caughey is a passionate firefighter and entrepreneur with a unique background in both fields.

Growing up with a fascination for firefighting, he was inspired by his uncle to join the fire service. Joe's entrepreneurial spirit emerged at a young age when he started making snow in his backyard and later ran a successful lawn mowing business.

While attending a college at Saint John’s University in Minnesota , where he served as a student firefighter, Joe pursued an entrepreneurship program that focused on learning by doing and mentorship. He partnered with a classmate and together they started Triink, a company that developed innovative tools like the Pick Axe, a multifunctional beer and spirits tool. Throughout his journey, Joe has emphasized the importance of community in both firefighting and entrepreneurship. He believes in giving back, helping others, and the value of mentorship.

With a strong passion for what he does, Joe successfully merged his love for firefighting and entrepreneurship by working at Rosenbauer, a fire truck manufacturing company, before joining HiViz LEDs to lead their fire market division. With his extensive experience and dedication to making a meaningful impact on the world, Joe Caughey serves as an inspiring figure for aspiring entrepreneurs and firefighters alike.

Wayne Stevens has had two stints in the fire service, and two stints in business. With a 30-year career in the fire service and coming from a family with a history of firefighting, Wayne quickly rose through the ranks and eventually became the deputy fire chief in Richmond, British Columbia.

He retired from the fire service and transitioned into the world of business, starting as a fire truck salesman for an E-One dealership in Colorado. With no prior sales experience, Wayne utilized his background in the fire service to target underserviced areas and build a successful sales career.

Wayne later became a partner at Rosenbauer dealership before returning to Canada where he re-entered the fire service for a time. He eventually accepted a partner role to help build Safetek Profire, a national dealer for fire trucks in Canada. Under his leadership, Safetek Profire has grown significantly and recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. He credits much of the company’s success to the culture they’re building around leadership and serving customers.

With over 20 years of experience in the fire service, Luke Geleynse leverages his firsthand knowledge of the challenges faced by firefighters to design practical solutions with his company, Motis Fire Rescue. In 2013, Luke co-founded Modus with family member Paul Terpstra. The duo began by creating a tool belt designed for comfort and easy access to essential firefighting tools.

Since then, Motis has expanded its product line to include various firefighting and rescue tools, many of which have been designed and tested by Luke and Paul themselves. Aside from developing cutting-edge tools, Luke is passionate about building a community of firefighters and promoting safety within the profession.

Luke's entrepreneurial journey has not been without challenges, including funding obstacles and time constraints. However, his drive to make firefighting safer and more efficient has led him to envision Motis as the "Amazon of firefighting," helping other small tool manufacturers gain recognition in the industry.

Mark Sallada is a passionate entrepreneur, police offer, and firefighter with a deep understanding of the emergency services industry. He is the owner of multiple businesses, including 911 Rapid Response, Vengeant Apparatus, Homeland Outfitters, and more, all of which cater to the diverse needs of first responders and public safety professionals.

With a family background in fire departments and emergency services, Mark's love for public safety led him to become a police officer, where he gained valuable experience in ordering police cars and equipment. This experience inspired him to start his own business selling and installing lights for emergency vehicles. In addition to running his businesses, Mark continues to work part-time as a K-9 handler and volunteer firefighter, staying actively involved in the public safety community.

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Travis Matthews is the founder and owner of Light the Way, specializing in outfitting emergency vehicles with state-of-the-art equipment. They focus on smaller vehicles and refurbishing bigger trucks.

With a background in fire service, Travis leverages his experience to ensure first responders have the latest technology and equipment to enhance their efficiency and safety. Travis places a strong emphasis on giving back to the community. He uses Light the Way to support local organizations and events, making a positive impact on those around him. Travis takes pride in maintaining a strong online presence, with consistent branding across all social media platforms and the company's website.

With a passion for helping others and a dedication to providing top-notch service, Travis Matthews has established himself as a leader in the vehicle lighting and technology industry.

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The heat of firefighting meets the smoky goodness of authentic barbecue at Ben's Backdraft Barbecue, founded by firefighter Ben Hooper.

Ben’s BBQ business has grown from a fun hobby to a flourishing side hustle that brings mouth-watering Texas-style barbecue to your events. What started with a small smoker and a dream has now turned into a mobile food unit ready to serve delicious smoked meats and homemade sides throughout western North Carolina.

Despite the challenges of running a food truck, such as weather conditions, equipment breakdowns, and finding suitable locations for setup, Ben remains passionate about his business. He attributes much of his success to word-of-mouth advertising, social media promotion, and a strong commitment to hard work and dedication – values he carried over from his firefighting career.

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Axe and Awl Leatherworks is a family-owned business founded by Spencer and Courtney Tetrault in the heart of Waynesville, North Carolina. With a rich history in the fire service and nursing professions, Spencer & Courtney have combined their passion for craftsmanship with a dedication to creating durable leather goods for both fire and non-fire customers.

What started as a hobby on a kitchen island has now grown into a thriving business that has expanded from a two-car garage to a commercial space in a historic building. Spencer & Courtney take great pride in creating an experience for their customers and providing a diverse range of handmade leather goods, including fire service-specific items like axe sheaths and suspenders, as well as everyday essentials like bags, belts, and wallets.

Throughout the episode, they discuss the importance of hard work, learning, and embracing challenges in defining success. How has their experience in the medical field and emergency services shaped their business operations and customer interactions? How do they balance work and personal life while managing a handmade leather goods business? And, how have their unconventional sources of inspiration influenced their unique approach to craftsmanship and products?

Lenwood Brown III is a full-time firefighter with a passion for art and graphic design. He is the owner of Notorious Fire Company, which specializes in creating stickers and other products for the firefighting community. In this episode, he shares his journey from studying fine art to discovering his love for firefighting and combining both passions in his business endeavors. Lenwood emphasizes the importance of community and brotherhood in the firefighting profession and seeks to bring people together through his products and designs. He also discusses the challenges of running businesses alongside his firefighting duties and the need for balance in managing both roles. Throughout the podcasts, Lenwood's passion for helping others and serving his community shines through, making him an inspiration for both aspiring business owners and firefighters.

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Luke Schneider, founder of Fire Department Coffee, shares his journey from serving in the navy and as a firefighter to starting a coffee company. He emphasizes the importance of building a strong team and branding, finding the right people to work with, and networking. Schneider discusses the challenges of balancing growth and cash flow and offers advice for aspiring entrepreneurs. He also talks about the importance of giving back to the community and his plans for expanding Fire Department Coffee in the future.

Unkie's Seasoning is a unique line of all-purpose seasonings created by Adam McCoy, a firefighter with 19 years of service in the city of Chesapeake, VA. Born from experiments with spices and flavorings, Unkie's has grown into a successful business through Adam's dedication to creating quality products and forming strong relationships with his customers.

Adam's passion for food and cooking was inspired by his childhood spent in his grandmother's kitchen, and he brings that same enthusiasm and attention to detail to every bottle of Unkie's Seasoning. Adam's work in the fire department has helped him develop a cult following for his seasonings.

Get Hosed is an Ohio-based custom leather shop that specializes in creating unique apparel for first responders. Founded by Jay and Staci Ernsberger, the couple has 21 years of experience in the fire service and a background in education respectively. With an ambition to give back to the community, Get Hosed started by repurposing old fire hoses into products such as belts, radio straps, collars, and leashes. With their dedication and hard work, they have now grown into a successful business with an extremely loyal community.

This interview covers a range of topics, from the challenges of balancing work and personal life when owning a business with a spouse, to the importance of community building and authenticity on social media in order to engage customers.

Danny O'Connell is a third-generation firefighter and small business owner from Westgrove, PA. He has been active in the fire service for 20 years with the Westgrove Fire Company. After seeing an iconic number on a neighboring department's truck, Danny started Box Alarm Grilles to create metal grill numbers for fire apparatus. His experience in land surveying, along with his knowledge of computer programming and business, helped him bring his idea to life. The business has recently grown to include mud flaps for emergency vehicles, which have been incredibly popular.

Follow Box Alarm Grilles: https://www.boxalarmgrilles.com/

·      Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BoxAlarmGrilles

·      Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/box_alarm_grilles/

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David Dufek is the CEO and founder of XDcuff, a restraint system designed for medical professionals and first responders. The idea came to mind after witnessing the dangers and difficulties of restraining individuals in the field to both the care provider and patient. David designed XDcuff to be a small, portable, and easy to use with one hand, making it a better alternative to traditional handcuffs or zip ties. It also has a blade-resistant cover to protect both the individual being restrained and the first responder from injury. David has faced many challenges in bringing his product to market, but his long-term goal is to see XDcuff become a staple in the firefighting, law enforcement, military, and private security industries.

Taylor McLaughlin was a career firefighter passionate about making art in his off time. He dabbled in woodworking, then pop art paintings, eventually landing on metal shields. After posting some early prototypes in the Fire Hall Flea Market group on Facebook and receiving an abundance of positive feedback, he started to take the business a little more seriously.

After a few years, Taylor suffered an injury and was on medical leave for a few months while he recovered. With more time to focus on Taylor’s Tins, the business quickly quadrupled. Realizing his passion had shifted from firefighting to his new business, Taylor went all in on the world of shields.

Throughout the episode, Taylor gets personal with Sam. He shares some of his regrets about not taking advantage of his time in the fire service, his decision quit drinking, and his philanthropy, all of which have played an essential role in Taylor’s journey. Stay tuned for a special epilogue after the credits and a sneak peek of a new project.

Kory Pearn is a professional firefighter and entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to protecting people in his community and helping others succeed. Through his magazine, Crackyl, Kory has brought together the worlds of firefighting, lifestyle, and health, breaking down barriers and providing valuable insight into the unique challenges faced by first responders. With articles from professionals in the field, as well as outside influences, Crackyl strives to provide content that helps firefighters and their families live happy and successful lives.

Matt Hoffman started his career in the fire service by working for his brother-in-law at a gas company. He had several friends whose fathers were firefighters and, when he left his job one day, asked what he had to do to become one. His friend told him about a process happening on Saturday and he decided to attend it. After completing the agility test, he was hired and sent to the Federal Technical Fire Academy. Matt worked every single day from 6am to 6pm and eventually got hooked on the fire service.

Steve Hunt found himself in need of benefits and a steady paycheck after the economy took a dip and wondered if the fire service had room for someone like him. With no prior experience, Steve enrolled in a training academy where Matt was one of the instructors. After the academy, Steve joined Matt at the New Hanover Country Fire Rescue in North Carolina. They had a high level of respect for each other, but typically had very different ideas on life and the fire service.

As the years passed, Steve noticed a need for mental health support and wanted to normalize the need for community to process emotions after tough calls. He immediately thought of Matt to join him in this project, and they launched the Primary Complete podcast in December 2019. Each episode features a range of topics in the fire service, all aimed at shedding light on those critical firehouse kitchen table conversations on a larger scale.

Justin Cagle is a third-generation firefighter and the owner of Fully Involved Leatherworks, an ecommerce business that produces custom handmade fire service leather products. He has been passionate about the fire service since he was young and received his firefighter certification at 16.

He started his business with $100 to invest in tools and leather scraps to create a fire shield and soon realized the potential of his hobby. After doing it all on his own for a while and receiving a lot of advice from mentors around the kitchen table at the fire house, Justin his first employee and started making moves. started hired a manager to help with customer service, trained employees to be ready for the next step, and moved into a 7500 square foot warehouse.

With hard work, determination, and the support of his family and friends, Justin was able to make a successful transition from being a firefighter to running his business full-time. Justin still enjoys giving back to the fire service community by mentoring others, helping his employees grow professionally, and coaching football with his youngest son. And most days, Justin still harnesses the power of kitchen table conversations by cooking lunch for his team.

Larry Kohan is a veteran fire service and law enforcement officer with 32 years of experience. After several years of selling command vehicles on the side, he spotted an opportunity in the market and started what is now known as 10-75 Emergency Vehicles.

His first employee was Ryan Dodd, who has been volunteering at Franklin Lakes with Larry for 14 years. Ryan was only 18 when he joined 10-75, with no formal business training or experience. He taught himself everything he needed to know, from automotive wiring to woodworking, and was passionate about creating something that could help those who help others.

With Larry's business knowledge and Ryan's creative vision, they grew the company into one of the most prominent mobile install and custom vehicle upfitting companies in the Northeast. As they look toward the future, they’re focused on growth, particularly via their cabinetry brand 1st In Emergency Products.

Jeremy Donch is a 27-year volunteer firefighter, entrepreneur, and host of National Fire Radio. When he hit age 40, he was feeling burned out and decided it was time to pursue something just for him. This planted the seed that eventually became National Fire Radio.

It started with a podcast to bridge the gap between young and old firefighters and share stories and experiences. After seeing something unique on one of his fire engines, he decided to document it and found a new niche in sharing apparatus innovations. Since then, he has partnered with many companies to create content, hosted conferences and roundtables, and organized fundraisers for fallen firefighters. Jeremy is passionate about the fire service and working hard to make sure that National Fire Radio is a household name within the American Fire Service.

In just 5 years, National Fire Radio has grown to be one of the most recognizable brands in the fire space, and he’s only just begun.

We pick up on Sam’s story as he attempts his first pitch to the fire market at a Chief’s Association meeting in North Carolina. Given his lack of first responder experience at the time, it didn’t exactly go well – but it led to a mentorship with Donny Suggs, Assistant Chief at Summerville Fire and Rescue (now Summerville Bunnlevel), who encouraged Sam to join the fire department and get certified as an EMT.

Tragically, Sam’s first call as an EMT was for Donny who was in cardiac arrest, and he didn’t survive. This fueled Sam’s fire to build HiViz into the business that it is today.

In the early years, Sam and Kaoma hustled and made up for lack of budget by outworking their competitors and forming strategic partnerships with dealers and manufacturers, including Vision X. They also spent over 200 days on the road per year, putting 450K miles on the demo truck, which was instrumental in growing customer demand.

Then came time to expand, so they moved the business to western North Carolina, bought a building, and started to hire a team. Sam made a unique choice to hire creatives first, which was crucial for brand building. They took advantage of the global supply chain to ensure every product was the best of the best.

Lastly, Sam and Kaoma touch on the dynamic of running a company together while also being married – something many small businesses owners experience – and talk about the future of HiViz.

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We’re kicking off the first episode(s) by flipping the script: Kaoma Massa, HiViz COO and wife to Sam Massa, puts Sam (firefighter, EMT, and HiViz Lighting CEO) in the hot seat to dig into his past.

Kaoma has been working with Sam for over a decade now, but much of how HiViz came to be stems from Sam’s early years. He struggled with school and didn’t have many friends. A PTA mom gave Sam an idea to change that. Leveraging school resources and his love of Thomas School busses, Sam started a DJ business while in school: He bought a school bus, registered it as an RV, and hired someone old enough to have a driver’s license to chauffeur Sam (aka DJ LiftOff) and his equipment to gigs.

This led to a fascination with diesel engines that eventually sparked a plan to get his GED and start a business focused on biofuels. The business, Massa Green Enterprises, was successful for a few years. Sam then moved to North Carolina to work at Coble Ski School while thinking about his next move but was briefly called back into his old business to convert Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fleet of hummers to biofuel.

After experimenting with imported lights, Sam started the beginnings of what is now HiViz, partnering with Vision X, to bring products to the fire market – but without any experience in the fire service.

Come back next week for part 2, where we learn about Sam’s entry into the first responder world and the HiViz Lighting we know today.

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