Contractor Boots
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Benefect Botanical Disinfectant – 1 gallon $39.99 What does Benefect® mean to you? As a contractor or homeowner you know that Benefect® has been reviewed for safety, efficacy & environmental impact by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) & therefore you can trust what the label says. Naturally, Benefect’s® botanical ingredients give it some distinct advantages: No Rinse or Wipe Required |
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Shoes and Boots Slippers – Bigfoot Pushovers Overshoe Pullovers. Keep your floors clean without removing your shoes. Great for quick in and outs when bringing in groceries or firewood or when coming in from the yard. Perfect for guests, kids and contractors too. LARGE Fits Mens Size 10-12 or Woman’s 10 Up- Other sizes available upon request. $32.95 The Bigfoot Pushover Overshoe Shoe and Boot Slippers easily slips on over your shoes and boots keeping your floors clean. Designed with a flip up heal giving you the choice to wear the heals up or down. Made in Maine with recycled materials. LARGE will ship with you order unless you let us know otherwise. Other sizes available by request are:… |
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Official US Military Cold Weather Rubber Mickey Mouse Winter Snow Combat Boots Official US Military Cold Weather Insulated Rubber Mickey Mouse Boots. Please note these boots are military surplus and have been sitting in boxes so may have light scuffs…. |
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Itasca Steel Toe Boot $64.00 Itasca Steel Toe Supervisor Boots. Rugged and ready! Way up in Northern Minnesota, you’ll find the humble headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River, named “Itasca” – or “true source” – by explorers in the 1800s. And much like Lake Itasca is the source for one of the world’s most celebrated waterways, you’ll find Itasca Boots are your source for comfortable feet on the job. Lace’ up their Steel To… |
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Washable Shoe and Boot Covers The material used on the upper portion of the shoe cover is a sturdy nylon with a permanent interior finish that will contain any moisture or dirt on your shoes. This same fabric is used to manufacture such items as luggage, tarps and hammocks. The soles are made from a rugged, waterproof material that is anti-slip in wet and dry conditions. There are four sizes to ensure a great fit. SMALL fittin… |
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Fairy Godmother Tycoon $0.66 Help the Fairy Godmother Build Her Potions Empire! Build a thriving potions business and climb the ranks of the Fairy Godmother’s operations in this fun, easy-to-play business simulation game featuring cheeky new takes on your fairytale favorites. Buy supplies when prices are low, sell potions when demand is high, employ savvy marketing techniques, and keep an eye on that competition! A motley cre… |
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Disposable Polypropylene Shoe Covers, 100-Pack DSC100 $8.90 The disposable polypropylene shoe covers protect carpets and floors. Fitting shoes up to size 10, these covers are made of polypropylene non woven fabric and will help protect floors and carpets during painting and other construction work. Economical and disposable, this 100-pack includes 50 pairs of blue shoe covers…. |
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Makita JR3070CT Reciprocating Saw $165.00 Powerful 15 AMP motor with electronic speed control maintains constant speed under load. Long 1 1/4in. stroke is ideal for faster cutting. Unique clutch assembly helps protect the gears should the blade bind. Anti Vibration Technology provides 2X less vibration. Cordless: No, Amps: 15, Variable Speed: Yes, Stroke Length (in.): 1 1/2, Strokes Per Minute (SPM): 0 – 2,800, Tool Length (in.): 19 1/8,… |
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Plastic Shoe Covers Disposable for Service Providers $34.99 High quality plastic booties. One size fits most. Box of 150 pairs (300 pieces) Great for service people, home owners, and anyone else who wants to protect the flooring. Also, great for outdoors to protect from rain and mud as well…. |
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Flyer’s Coveralls CWU-64/P, Authentic U.S. Air Force Issue, Sage Green, 50 Long (NSN: 8415-01-500-9620) $99.98 Flyer’s Coveralls CWU-64/P, Authentic U.S. Air Force Issue, Sage Green, 50 LongConstructed of 100% fire-resistant Aramid fibers, and feature a quilted weave soft inner layer and a tough, tear-resistant outer layer. Featuring eight pockets, one on each calf, each thigh, a knife pocket on the left leg, two slash pockets, and a shoulder pocket with pen stall, these also feature a zipper on each side … |
Ridge Outdoor’s Rob Granger
Granger, who moved to Orlando when he was a tot and thus considers himself a Florida native, grew up in central Florida and moved to Eustis in 1969—and ‘never really got into motorcycles’ till he returned from college.
His first bikes were dirt bikes, and like many riders, he graduated to street bikes, and rode everything he could get his hands on, including the biggest powerhouses available—all long before the Boss Hoss was ever dreamed of.
Then, in the early 2000’s, he recalls, he began seeing the occasional Boss Hoss here and there. As he began seeing more and more of them at the Daytona events—Bike Week and Biketoberfest—he found himself gravitating toward the tent of Mountain Boss Hoss, and spending time getting to know the staff, and looking over everything on display.
“Most of my life I’ve fooled with old cars, especially muscle cars, and still do today. I’ve got a garage full of them,” says Granger. “I’m a Chevrolet nut, and since I used to drag race and run Chevrolet motors, consequently I’m a fairly decent mechanic. So when I first straddled that Boss Hoss with a Chevy engine on it and fired that thing up, that was pretty much the deciding factor. You don’t even have to roll on it. Just crawl on it and fire it up and that will pretty much crank your tractor right there!”
(It didn’t hurt, he added, that he knew a couple of local Boss Hoss owners who persistently nudged him along, convincing him that he HAD to have one, too!)
So in 2004, Granger bought his first small block at Daytona—from his friends at Mountain.
“It had custom paint and extra chrome, so it was a little bit more than just a stock factory bike. I rode it for a couple of years while I planned what I would do differently if I were to have another.”
Then, in 2006, he took his accumulated wish list to Mountain Boss Hoss and had a new one built—one that is still his current pride and joy.
Resplendent with chrome frame and “everything chromed that you can imagine”, Granger’s Boss Hoss boasts a stretched slicked tank free of gauges, scoops, or other impedimenta. The fine hand of Chris Cruz is evident in the paint scheme Granger brainstormed with him.
The custom touch is also there in the mirrors, handlebar gauges, chrome wheels, “300” rear tire, and even the crocodile seat. “It makes it just a little bit different,” Granger says with satisfaction.
Granger’s wife Beth, a backseat rider, enjoys riding with him, and their grown son Jeremy is also an avid rider on his own motorcycle, and is working his way up to a Boss Hoss of his own someday, Granger reports. Meanwhile, he occasionally borrows his father’s.
Boots for Bikers
Jeremy also serves as Marketing Director of Ridge Footwear, the company Granger and Roy Baker, an old high school buddy, established 13 years ago. Ridge’s primary product is black boots—which they originally designed and manufactured for law enforcement, fire department, emergency services, military security, and “anyone uniformed that was required to wear black footwear,” Granger explains.
The lightweight but durable tactical footwear from Ridge enjoyed immediate popularity and has recorded constant growth and worldwide sales expansion since its 1996 introduction.
Then, just a few years ago, recalls Granger, he realized that a number of motorcyclists he met were buying Ridge tactical boots and raving about them.
“Our whole claim to fame in the black boot industry to date,” said Granger, “and what set us apart, had been the fact that we were the first in the industry to develop air technology and build very lightweight and comfortable boots. Nike had done it with tennis shoes, but nobody had introduced it in the black boot industry until Ridge did it.”
The old style biker boots were very heavy and not very comfortable—especially if you got off the bike and wanted to walk around at a rally or event, Granger points out. Ridge boots, with their extra comfort factor, were already recognized and embraced enthusiastically by many bikers before the company officially began exploring and designing for the motorcycle market.
“The more widely our product became known, the more we started seeing it on motorcyclists; so, in response, we began developing some specific product strictly for the motorcycle industry, in addition to our existing crossover tactical styles.”
Drawing on his 35 years of experience as a rider, Granger was able to translate the existing lightweight and comfort features of the tactical styles into durable designs that are more similar to the popular and traditional motorcycle boot.
The rest, as they say, is history. After test marketing in their home state, Ridge took the biker line of footwear global, with gratifying results.
“We now have sales reps and stores nationwide carrying Ridge motorcycle boots, and we ship to more than 20 countries. More styles are on the drawing board, coming soon to a motorcycle shop near you,” says Granger with a grin.
Better yet, Granger was at a rally, chatting with Mark Seiber, a Boss Hoss factory representative who was complaining about the back pain he was experiencing as a result of spending all day on his feet in cowboy boots. Granger later sent him a pair of Ridge boots, and “Mark’s been one of my best salesmen ever since!” claims Granger.
Boss Hoss Country editor Chad Osborne heard about the miracle boots and asked for a pair—with similar results.
“Doing 20+ shows per year with the Boss Hoss Factory Power Tour, I spend 12-hour days on my feet on hard pavement, and by day’s end my feet and back were killing me. I had tried other boots and even running shoes, but nothing seemed to help. Then I got a pair of the Ridge Ghost boots and I can honestly say they saved my feet and back. “I can’t say enough good things about these boots! If you ever see me at a show, look down and you’ll see a pair on my feet.”
- Chad Osborne, Boss Hoss Country
Although the biker market at present represents only about 15%-20% of Ridge’s boot business because they have only been targeting it for three years, it is growing rapidly.
(It’s likely to boost sales significantly among Boss Hoss riders if Granger continues to prominently feature his Boss Hoss in the Ridge catalogs!)
Although the downturn in the economy has affected the boot industry, too—an effect Ridge noted primarily because the government agencies they serve have experienced budget cuts—Granger is optimistic, citing 2008 as their best sales year to date.
“We’re not just tied to the U.S. market; and we have close to 600 dealers around the country—it’s a good business. We’re consistently developing new product in the motorcycle line as well as for tactical use, now,” he points out. ‘We build a little bit of everything—short boots and tall boots, waterproof boots, nylon-and-leather or all-leather, lace or zipper styles. Side zip boots are a big deal these days. We’ve got something for everybody.
“The whole focus is to try to build footwear that is not only useable for riding, but is very lightweight. It’s something that can keep you comfortably on your feet all day, if necessary.”
The Ridge line includes about 25 styles and includes a line of U.S. made socks that features the popular CoolMax® moisture-wicking design that Ridge has shipped to U.S. military troops stationed in Baghdad.
See it all –along with some cool dynamic videos that include footage of Granger’s showpiece Boss Hoss—on their web site at www.Ridgeoutdoors.com .
Boss Hoss Travels
When he’s not designing the motorcycle boots that are winning new converts daily, Granger is busy terrorizing his neighborhood on the Hoss Fly he brought home two years ago.
“That sort of completed my whole experience with Boss Hoss,” he chuckles. “Mine is the kind of neighborhood where you can safely turn your kids loose on four-wheelers. When they hear me fire up the Hoss Fly, they know I’m coming!”
While he’d love to ride his bike every day, he regrets that work often gets in the way of his playing. In addition to his co-ownership of Ridge, Granger has been a General Contractor for 35 years, and divides his time between both businesses.
“Fortunately, our Construction Business is very diverse, and has a great reputation and the advantage of longevity, so we’re doing okay.”
His Boss Hoss time is thus limited mostly to short rides around rally destinations to which the bike has been trailered behind his motor home. “If I’m on it 300 miles in the course of a day, that’s probably as far away as we get at one time. We do a lot of traveling, we just don’t do a lot of traveling on the bike. But we do take it all over the country with us when we go.”
He reports trips to rallies in Pennsylvania, Myrtle Beach, Dyersburg, and Paris—where he plans to join us again this year for the Boss Hoss celebration. “We try to stay within 1,000 miles of home when we go to rallies. Too much time on the road takes away too much fun!”
Be sure to look for Granger and his Boss Hoss at Paris Landing in September—and if your feet hurt, be sure to tell him so!
About the Author
Will dry ice pop out dents in wood?
I’ve heard about dry ice popping out dents in metal. I had a contractor put a hole in my ceiling yesterday when he was in the attic. Drywall fell on the floor. He was walking around on the floors with big boots afterwards trying to clean up and got some sheetrock on the bottom of his boots. It’s caused some dents
It is Brazilian cherry hardwood (real, not prefab)
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide. I am not aware of any effect it may have of this nature on wood. If water were soaked with water it might freeze the water and cause it to expand. This would no doubt damage the wood in the process.
Water alone will swell wood and is sometimes used to finish oak as it will raise the grain that can then be sanded off for a smoother finish. But it can be a delicate and uneven process. More often you hear that water has discolored or damaged a floor. It is not often used to repair a floor. Steam is also used to bend wood so it can also have a warping effect particularly where it is introduced on only a part of the wood (the warp will be toward the dry side and convex on the swelling steamed side.) So use this with care and as a last resort to the replacement detailed elsewhere.
Sounds like a nice floor.
Private Military Contractors Diary, part 1 – induction
In by gone days all a contractor had to do was give the customer good quality and good service and he/she would be set. Then set back and let your customers do your selling for you. They would tell a friend and then that friend would tell a friend. Your phone would be ringing off the hook. I remember as an Architectural designer some days I would have up to four people wanting to schedule appointments for designs. Those days are long gone! But Fear Not! Click Here For Help
