How Wiggy's Began: Jerry and Kok Bou

THE DAY WIGGY’S STARTED

September 6, 1988 was the first day that Wiggy’s opened its doors in Grand Junction, Colorado.

When I started, I had already hired Kok Bou as the head of all manufacturing for Wiggy’s. We have had this relationship for all these years and as you can imagine it has gotten as close a relationship as any two people can have both in the world of our business and outside the doors of Wiggy’s. It is a partnership that one can only dream of. I handle the easy part of the company; making sales and Kok handles the manufacturing and makes my ideas come to life.

Kok is from Cambodia and arrived in the U.S.A. 40 years ago at Camp Pendleton, CA. after about 6 months he and his family were sponsored by a church in Grand Junction. He worked picking fruit and eventually got hired by Marmot. His father was a tailor in Cambodia so he had some sewing knowledge. This was his introduction to the outdoor industry and sleeping bags. When I showed him how I made my bags he was very happy.

It is impossible for me to put into words what he has contributed to our partnership at Wiggy’s, without him I would probably have struggled and ultimately failed years ago. Kok has streamlined production to the point that we have been able to keep our prices at a popular price point level for all these years.

In the final analysis I give credit where credit is due and that recognizes Kok Bou as an equal force in the success of Wiggy’s.

So Labor Day has special meaning for me.