Posted by Lacey WIlcox on October 10, 2014

Jacob Spalding works as our Shop Manager, and has been with Two Guys since our beginning. In this interview, Jacob shares more about his woodworking background, his love for Monster energy drinks, and his recent engagement to his girlfriend.

2GBT: What’s your background? What life experiences lead you to work at TGBT?

JS: I have been into woodworking for about eight years. Growing up, I’ve always been interested in making and building things. I have been lucky enough to have work in a variety of fields. Working in these different areas has taught me a lot about customer service and woodworking and how to look at things from a different perspective. I like to think that I have a strong work ethic. I believe in always doing more than I’m asked to do and to put in the extra effort to get things done and help people out. I have put a lot of time and effort into learning more about how something works and how to do it better.

I first met Adam when he came in to Woodcraft with a project he was working on. I offered to help him out and even offered to take it home as well. A few months later, he offered me a job making wooden bow ties part time. Not long after I was hired, I was offered more of a full-time position, and Adam and I also started a side project of making wooden maps, which is becoming a thriving business all its own. And the rest is history.

2GBT: What about the idea of wooden bow ties first appealed to you?

JS: was a little skeptical at first about working at TGBT making wooden bow ties to sell as a fashion piece. But I liked that there was passion in making something no one had thought of before. Just the idea itself of wearing a wooden bow tie seemed intriguing to me and I wanted to be a part of it.

I didn’t really have time to think about how successful it would be at first. I was more focused on the large amount of orders coming in and trying to keep up with production. Everyday it seemed like I would make anywhere from 50-200 ties and push them onto the next step in our “assembly line”.

2GBT: How would you describe your role for Two Guys?

JS: I would describe my role as the shop manager. Most recently I’ve been focused on getting the wood processed from the rough cut lumber to individual handcrafted ties. We have come up with a great way to push our bow ties through every step of production. I help do a little bit of everything, depending on what needs to be done on any given day. My working involves anything from shipping, fixing machines, packaging product, running the equipment, assembling product just whatever needs to be done I’m there to help.

2GBT: What’s your preferred work environment (setting, music, time of day, etc)

JS: I prefer to work alone for the most part on most things, but it always helps to have someone with me to help with projects that have deadlines or that require more than one person. I listen to just about all music while I’m working. While I’ve always been a night owl, I’ve had to become more of a morning person since running a business.

2GBT: What’s your personal style like? How do you like to wear TGBT products?

JS: MI like to dress nice regardless of what I’m doing—even when I’m working in the shop and get covered in sawdust 24/7. Right now I’ve been in a trend of buying things from the Buckle, but I tend to shop around.

When I first started making wooden bow ties I couldn’t see myself wearing them. But since then, I have worn some of our wooden bow ties a handful of times and always have people ask me about them. They’re definitely a conversation starter.

2GBT: Which wooden bow tie or lapel is your personal favorite?

JS: I would have to say that Frank is my personal favorite. Bocote wood is one of my favorites because of the crazy grain pattern. You never know what the piece will look like until you saw it in half and take a look inside. Canary wood is definitely my favorite to work with: it’s so easy to work with and it looks really good when finished.

2GBT: What drives you or motivates you?

JS: I get my motivation from wanting to succeed and making sure we do our very best to make this a great company. I love pushing myself to make as many bow ties as I can in a day and making sure everything gets done. Its satisfying to make something that people want and buy.

2GBT: What gets you up in the morning?

JS: Monster energy drinks…some people drink coffee, I drink monster energy drinks. That and my girlfriend, who just became my fiancé this weekend.

2GBT: What is your favorite Two Guys Bow Ties memory?

JS: Christmas time last year. We had so many orders and were working non-stop to get them done, and they just kept coming and kept coming. It was a crazy feeling to be so excited about doing so well and working so hard to make sure we got everything done in time. Thankfully we finished them all in time for the holidays.

Jacob, you wear sawdust as well as anyone we know. Thanks for being a part of our team and all that you bring to Two Guys. We couldn’t be more excited for your engagement.