Meet Jeffrey Silver of Awesome Diecast in Boca Raton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Silver.

Jeffrey, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As far back as I can remember, I have loved anything with wheels. Big, small, 2, 4, 18… if it had an engine with horsepower and sounded impressive, it captivated me. Naturally, in that I couldn’t afford a real Ferrari or a Peterbilt tractor trailer, at least I could sort of own one, even if it was just a replica.

Driving a bus during the Summers while in college in the Canadian Rockies, tractor trailers for the family business and in my 20’s as the Captain in charge of driver training for the largest volunteer fire department in Canada, there was no lack of opportunities to fuel my passion.

After moving to Florida in 1997, my career continued with a Fortune 100 company, One day, in need of a model truck for a trade show as a promotional give-away, and as a long time collector of die-cast models, when the question came up as to where to order 1,000 replica trucks from, I knew who to call. And so began a small business in 2002 based out of my garage that ultimately saw orders coming in from several of the company’s divisions around North America. Intended for internal release only, pretty soon collectors were calling to see if they could purchase a model for themselves, and so with subsequent orders, I began producing a small over-run with them in mind.

Pretty soon the line of products we were offering grew to include police cars, fire trucks, buses, construction equipment – there was really no limit to what we could do. Eventually, we outgrew the garage and after several moves over the last few years ended up in a 2,500 sqft warehouse in Boca Raton.

Inquiries continued to come into the business from companies around the world looking for precision replicas. After partnering with one of the largest die-cast model manufacturers in the world, a diverse range of orders began coming in including largest dairy processor in New Zealand, the Singapore Police Force, a large petroleum producer in Saudi Arabia even a major bus manufacturer in Turkey, The company was soon producing thousands of models a year for clients in almost 20 countries around the globe.

In 2015, we launched our own line of die-cast models under the Iconic Replicas brand. With licensing agreements from a number of large manufacturers including General Motors, Volvo and the three largest bus manufacturers in North America, we were able to secure licensing deals with numerous companies including Greyhound Bus Lines, MTA / New York City’s transit authority, DHL, Publix, SYSCO, NAPA Auto Parts and numerous other companies.

Being in Boca Raton, we often have clients visiting here on vacation popping in to walk the warehouse aisles and purchase models which they either carry back with them on the plane or have us ship to their perspective countries. As busy as we are, we’re always happy when customers come through the door – regardless of what country they are from.

The best part about being this company’s Crew Chief, is that it still fuels my vehicular passion every day, and I try and impart this same passion in my team members every time a new customer inquiry comes in, a new model arrives or we ship one out halfway around the world! What more could I ask for?

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Transitioning from a small one-man operation to a company that I could never operate on my own. Dealing with the financial struggles of a growing business and seemingly never having enough capital, but somehow always find a way to keep the bills paid and the lights on! Learning from mistakes that cost me money, but understanding that nothing can beat a degree from the School of Hard Knocks!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Awesome Diecast – what should we know?
As the Crew Chief / Director of Development & Design, it is up to me to orchestrate projects with clients a half a world away, while coordinating with our production facilities overseas, all of which needs to result in the kind of replica productions that has clients repeatedly returning each time a new project comes about.

We are a highly ethical company and are determined to impart peace of mind and excellent communication in our business relationships which is so important when a client might be 10,000 miles away and they only contact us via email or SKYPE. If we make mistakes, and that is inevitable in the manufacturing process, we make things right, regardless of whether we are on the losing end financially. Happy customers are repeat customers and the entire team strives to impart that mentality at all levels of the organization.

Each die-cast replica we produce might be comprised of as many as 200 pieces. Looking at the finished product which can be described in many cases as museum quality, is like appreciating a work of art. From concept to delivery, often times a new project can take upwards of 8-12 months. When the final pieces are done and delivered, and customers are exclaiming “this is so awesome!” that’s what makes us proud!

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Passion for the product being produced.

Work ethic that never has you watching the clock – only working until the job is done.

Imagination – not only in figuring out how to get customers but how to keep them too.

Inspiring team members to go the extra mile – in the same way you do.

Contact Info:

• Address: 125 NW 13th Street, Suite: B7, Boca Raton, 33431
• Website: www.AwesomeDiecast.com
• Phone: 561.350.4045
• Email: sales@awesomediecast.com

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