Toys More Than Child's Play For Home Builder
October 6th, 2008
As the demand for construction declined across the country, one contractor found a creative, successful niche building rocking choppers.
by Richard Markosian Edited by Ann Gambrino
When Doug Premo's construction business was not making enough money to make ends meet he didn't start looking to the government to bail him out, instead he started making toys.
Doug Premo's story epitomizes the can-do american spirit. Doug transformed his career from home builder to toymaker -- and by working hard he has realized success.
Three years ago, the Premos began to consider moving out of Los Angeles. Doug's wife Tammi, had a good paying job, but the commute to and from Los Angeles was dreadful.
After placing her resume on a national job board Tammi was called for an interview in Salt Lake City. When they visited, they found the neighborhoods, community and landscape all to their liking. Tammi took the job and moved to Salt Lake. It would be another year before Doug could wrap up his construction projects and join her.
Doug's initial intention when relocating to Utah, was to restart his construction business. But he found the building and construction market wasn't much better in Salt Lake than in in Los Angeles. The realization that his construction career might never be what it was, motivated Doug to take his toy making to the next level.
The inspiration for his Rocking choppers (rocking motorcycles) came from the custom motorcycles built on the Orange County Choppers TV show.
After building an inventory of toys, he sold them at every craft show and market along the Wasatch Front.
Driving to Doug's workshop in South Jordan's Daybreak, I'm surprised to find a new development project so atypical. There are tree-lined streets with sidewalks, houses with front porches, parks and bike paths. Daybreak is reminicent of everything that was great about the old American neighborhood design. It feels old-fashioned yet new, charming and inviting. The charm of the neighboorhood is a lot like the toys Doug makes there.
I meet Doug on his porch, and we head downstairs to his workshop. Doug tells me, "One of the advantages to doing this are the fuel savings -- My daily commute is down two flights of stairs."
Doug's toy designs are simple, and also remind me of an older era because of the craftsmanship involved.
In the first room, Doug's inventory is lined up in neat rows -- 30 dump trucks, 30 cement trucks, 30 lumber trucks, airplanes, and dinosaurs --all miniature, made of pine. Then I see his flagship product. Everything else Doug builds could come from any other toymaker, but not this -- an incredibly detailed, wooden Harley Davidson rocking chopper. If I were four-years-old, this would be my dream machine. Complete with wood engine block, front forks, kickstand, and tires I can see how Doug might just have created the next big thing. I've seen other rocking Harleys on-line, but Doug's design is much more detailed, and the shape and proportions are much closer to the real thing.
Doug then shows me how he builds his rocking chopper -- the process is much simpler than one might imagine. It requires using a band saw, followed by a belt sander, and then a router -- a tail pipe is completed in under five minutes. Thirty or more pieces are completed in this same fashion, then they are stained and finished, which Doug says takes, by far, the most time.
It seems that Doug's hard work and dedication have payed off with the huge demand for his rocking choppers. Before I arrived, Doug shipped eight mini-choppers that took him two weeks to complete. Charging $350-$450 for each, Doug says, "I'll never get rich doing this, unless something big happens. But as long as my wife has a good job, I don't mind the pay
reduction. I'm having a great time."
Doug also tells me he loves South Jordan and Salt Lake City. He especially likes that there are so few fences leaving everything wide open, which
reminds him of New England where he grew up. "If you were to walk through someone's yard in L.A., you would likely be shot." Doug says he will never return to Los Angeles, because in Salt Lake City, their money goes farther, and the standard of living is higher. And now, Doug has created a product that is fitting for parents who are looking for a creative alternative to video games.
I tested Doug's rocking chopper on my four-year-old nephew, Ernad. It required no explanation or coercion, on my part, to get the shots I wanted for my video. Ernad definitely gives Doug's chopper a thumbs-up.
This piece is the ninth in Utah Stories ongoing Farmer's Market series. Utah Stories' videos are featured on the KJZZ Cafe morning program Monday mornings.
I tested Doug's rocking chopper on my four-year-old nephew, Ernad. It required no explanation or coercion, on my part, to get the shots I wanted for my video. Ernad definitely gives Doug's chopper a thumbs-up.
This piece is the ninth in Utah Stories' ongoing Downtown Farmers Market series. Click here to visit our Farmers Market Stories main page.
This piece is the ninth in Utah Stories ongoing Farmer's Market series. Click here to visit our Farmers Market Stories main page.
