Interview with Dorge Huang, the Man Behind Firenock
The Desert Rat 06.19.12
I’d like to thank Dorge Huang from Firenock for answering some questions. I was blown away by the innovation Dorge has demonstrated. The hunting world is full of gizmos and gadgets, not all of them practical. Dorge invents and produces cool and interesting products that have great practical applications. I wanted to learn more!
The Desert Rat: You have a number of really innovative products. How did you get started?
Dorge Huang: I get divorced and bankrupted, bored out of my mind. I start going hunting a lot. And I notice most of the hunting equipment is not really what I want. I know what can be done as I have been involved in advance manufacturing and process re-engineering all my life. So I start making a few products that I know will be market/technology leaders, which is how it all started.
What is your most popular product?
Firenock for sure, that is how I started and hence the company name.
From development to production to marketing to distribution, what has been your biggest challenge?
Development is not an issue for me, those product ideas just come naturally. Distribution is a big deal for me – which is my biggest challenge. Most dealers and customers are not accustomed to this level of technology and understanding, which makes my products very difficult to sell to the average hunter. After the last 4 years, I have discovered that my average customer very seldom is younger than 35. They are likely a professional and most are college educated. For my Aerovane Jig customers, most are over 45 and are seasoned professionals of their field (lawyers, doctor, accountant, business owner).
Which product are you most proud of?
I am proud of all my products as every one of them addresses a specific need that was not addressed until I came along, or was not addressed to the level that I have been doing. From a simple insert like the AeroOutsert to a very complex product like the iBowSight. The level of attention to each product is the same. It is a matter of how much discipline each product involves and the integration of the discipline one needs. If I have to choose one, I think the iBowSight would be it as it involves an ultra deep understanding of archery, software, machining, optics, and integration of all these.
Check out a video demoing the iBowSight below.
Where would you like to see your company in 5 years?
I am not sure as I am not just over 5 years old. My intention is not to make Firenock into a household name and be seen in every archery shop, that would be fundamentally wrong for the product I am selling; just like you should not see Firenock brand product being sold in box store or Wal-mart. It is the wrong place to see high-end product that need a tons of education and understanding, which Firenock products all are.
What is your favorite thing to hunt? Is there a particular place or species on your wish list?
Since I am more of a fisherman than hunter and I only bow hunt. To make my life easy I stick with whitetail deer that are roaming in public land. It is more of a challenge than harvest. I was privileged and lucky to harvest quite a few B&C and P&Y class deer.
For readers not familiar with your products or company, what would you like to tell them?
If you are just a casual archer, Firenock’s product will not be for you. To use the product, it is required that the user have deep understanding what the product is intended for and what it can do for you. For a few of the products a commitment to a change of equipment and how one hunts is also needed to use the product well. It is a very narrow focus, extreme-performance approach to nearly all our products. Last, the products are not cheap and without understanding and commitment to learn, my product in most cases will do for the customer about the same as what one can normally purchase elsewhere. So I think when I sell a product of mine, the most important is the knowledge transfer. If I cannot accomplish that, I would prefer not to sell for it will do the customer less good and thus generate negative results for both the customer, me and my company.
You’ve developed some really creative products. Have you confined your inventive nature to archery products only?
Archery is now mostly what I do. The rest of what I do, at this time I would just let you all keep guessing.
Thanks again to Dorge Huang. If you are an avid bowhunter or archer always trying to bring your game to the next level, I encourage you to visit Firenock’s site and learn more about these cool (and effective) products. I think you will be impressed!
You can visit Firenock’s online store here.
I have been a freelance outdoor writer since High School (a long time). I have two successful blogs - Desert Rat which focuses on hunting and fishing in Arizona, the southwest and beyond. If you like smoking, barbecue and other fun cooking stuff, visit the Dry Rubbed Rat. On both sites you'll find cool product reviews, interviews, industry news and more. My "other" job is in Facilities Management. I was born and raised in New Brunswick, Canada; I lived in northern Maine for about 6 years before moving to Arizona 15 years ago. I live in Queen Creek with my wife, daughter and dogs.
