Today we’d like to introduce you to Kendra Taylor, Don Taylor, and Karl Williams.
Hi Kendra, Don, and Karl, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I, Kendra Taylor, Owner, along with Don Taylor, Owner, and Karl Williams, Owner, created Dark Wing Industries one evening in our basement around our computers in West Haven, Utah! Karl Williams is an Aero Space Engineer by trade and had a concept of a design for a gaming table for RPG gaming, like D&D that he wanted to build for himself. He asked Don if he would be interested in helping build it. Then one night as we were playing a PC Sandbox game, we began chatting about “how cool would it be” on making tables for other gaming enthusiasts. Two weeks later, he and my husband, Don were scheming once again and asked me if they could bounce some ideas off me. Well, I was hooked on the concept of turning it into a business. The wishing, the dreaming and the planning became a reality. It wasn’t just about a gaming table though. It was also about the “Why” we would build a gaming table like this. We found that in the shutdown due to Covid in 2019-20, everyone became so secluded in their own worlds. Once people were back doing more things in person, we wanted to include the new world of online applications, to the old school pen and paper in one place; in person, face-to-face interaction of game night; Our WHY. In fact, our slogan is “Play In Your World”. We wanted people to come together once again around one table to play but not have to learn all the mechanics to the games, so with our table, it allows you to use your digital interface at the table, with simple keystrokes with applications like Roll20, or lay all your accouterments old school out and start creating a night of fun. We also had some major changes with Jobs and relocations to Idaho but all the thoughts we had that night became actions and actions became sales and today, Dark Wing Industries produces Digitally Interfaced Gaming Tables for Role Play Game Play both old school pen and paper and new school online application all at one table. Our table also includes dice trays, cup holders, power ports and a digital monitor in the center of the table. You do not have to give up any of your food frenzy, caffeine-filled nights to play around a table or feel like you have to learn new mechanics! We laugh and say it’s grandma’s card table meets the matrix on a ton of mountain dew! We all have our strengths that we bring to the table (no pun intended). Karl is our lead engineer, creator, and engraver to the custom details of the tables, as well as a true master in his craft as a Dungeon Master. He writes campaigns, plays actively each week, leads games online with people in many states and brings all the best worlds to one place with many of the concepts for what the tables need to encompass. Don is a Radar Technician by trade and hones in all the electric components to the table as well as our wood craftsman in the assembly and production. Both Don and Karl work on the details, from assembly to finish work together. As for myself, I am a counselor and professional photographer by trade, but with Dark Wing, I am everything else. I manage the office, the sales, the inventory and the quality assessment before any table goes out the door. Together we fill in all the cracks with all the other things that come along with running a business. We run a pretty tight ship because building tables is not the only thing we offer. We have many branches under the Dark Wing Umbrella, from gaming tables, gaming accessories, custom engraving with Wyrm Burn Engraving, and our second biggest launch is Dark Wing RPG-Con debuting September 2023.
It’s been a wild ride so far! Dark Wing Industries held our first official opening on June 25th at Game Grid in Layton Utah. We showcased the prototype table to the public, ran games showing off all the features, ate a lot of pizza and had giveaways all day long. The feedback was immensely positive, validating, and priceless in terms of learning what customers wanted to see in our tables. We have now placed a Dark Wing Table at Game Grid in Layton, Utah. Our first table to have a home!
We just participated in our second public event at the UT Ren Faire in September. Once again amazing feedback AND generated many orders! From this event, we are now in contract with another game store owner to fill up his store with Dark Wing Tables as well as have some on hand for retail out of Lehi, Utah. We are now gearing up to have a Demo table with all the features offered to customers displayed in one table at Anime Bonzai in Layton, UT in October. Shortly after returning from this event, we turn around to get our table ready for a showcasing event in Meridian, ID.
Since we are just starting out, we do not mind wearing all the hats, we know its temporary and we understand the best companies are made by the hard work of the owners If we are not willing to put in the blood sweat and tears, and get dirty, then how can we expect any employee to. We pride ourselves on the concept of our company being about helping others along the way. “Help me help you” We want to team up with other like-minded entrepreneurs and give them the exposure they deserve while gaining traction as well. For example, we are teaming up with a web creator who is currently coding his own application and it will be used in the e-commerce side of our web page. Our website will give him all the shout-out he deserves, so when you look down to see who created the app, it will be his name! (it’s still in process….so stay tuned) This is one of many who are teaming up with Dark Wing because they love our concept and the way we want to move into the future of gaming using this strategy.
It truly has been fun making dreams come true for us, as well as seeing the fun others are having with our table so far, as well as the fantastic people, we are meeting along the way. We won’t be holding our breath for the future, instead, we are breathing in every second and exhaling with so much appreciation that we “get to” take this wild ride! It’s exhilarating!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I think the ups and downs to create that flow with three business owners has been a challenge equally for all of us, but not the biggest one that I am sure comes with creating a business from the ground up. For me, personally, it is the advancements in web design and all the social platforms. I didn’t raise our girls living every moment on social media so many of the platforms are foreign to me. As for Don, the most challenging for him staying focused because life has pulled him in many directions and while we are in the building process of the company, he still is working his full-time job. As for Karl, the most challenging has been working on the daily tasks, the mundane tasks to running a business, instead of the big things of building all day long, designing, or laser engraving the octagon table coming in 2023
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Myself, Kendra, my background is Correctional Counseling and running a business as a Professional Photographer. I have a degree in Criminal Justice and have worked in corporate America for most of my adult life. I created my photography business so I could spend more time with raising my girls when they needed me the most (Jr. high and High School) and along with that I now take care of a young woman (30) who is my sudo daughter full time who is Autistic. I am known for my management skills, artistic abilities (I drew our logo, the Dark Wing Dragon) and the care and attention I have for others. I am most proud of my girls, ages 25, and 28 and my Sudo, daughter for who they are today and what they have accomplished. The quality that sets me apart from others is my ability to bounce back with grace and lead and mentor others by example. Most say I am like a dog with a bone when I really want something with how hard I work to accomplish it, but I feel what sets me apart from others is my ability to see the positive in life and others and I’m not afraid to work hard.
Don’s background is the US Air Force where he was a Radar Technician and retired after 24 years. He currently works for the National Weather Service as a Radar Specialist. He is known for his work both during the Airforce and now out, but mostly his great sense of humor and making people feel so comfortable. He brings laughter to any group of people. He has stated the thing he is most proud of is not only his body of professional work during his military career, and then as a program manager for the government but also his daughters who, in spite of being on active duty most of their young life, they turned out to be great kids thanks to his wife for being a constant force in their life. What sets him apart from others is his ability to connect with people on an organic level to find out who they are and what their needs and wants are.
Karl has a Master’s is Space Studies with an emphasis in Orbital Mechanics, with an undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering, where he worked for a company at Hill Air Force base. However, he left that government position to pursue Dark Wing full-time. In work environments, he has an uncanny ability to work through a problem and come up with the most optimal solution that maintains functionality and safety. Outside of a work environment, he is known as Vic the kookie Warlock player who also has mad skills in being a Dungeon Master for running RPG games and writing campaigns. He is most proud of making the decision to pursue his dreams in spite of having all the safety and comfort of a government job that were in place at the time. What sets Karl apart from others is he actually loves the entire process of engineering. He thrives on a problem that needs a solution. He finds comfort in the process of creating success over the problem. In this process, he finds peace and enjoyment not because of the chaos that a problem presents, but because of the order, he brings to the problem with solutions because you always learn something along the way and there is a sense of accomplishment.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Well, I am not sure we have enough time for this one. First, Utah has a magical sunset every evening of the Wasatch Mountain Range. The majestic purple and pink hews are breathtaking. This is what we all miss the most with having to relocate. The amount of outdoor life is abundant no matter what activities you are into with all the hiking trails, ski ranges, lakes and city life, all within a max 40 min radius. The one and only thing we didn’t like was the never-ending construction work on Utah’s only major highway! Sadly, work outside of Dark Wing Industries relocated us to Boise Idaho, but we travel to Utah once a month to continue the work that started there with Dark Wing Industries. So we always niche out a little extra time to take in the peaceful outdoors of Utah while there.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.darkwingindustries.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/darkwingindustries/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/DarkWingIndustries
- Twitter: twitter.com/DarkWingCon
- Youtube: KenDarah with Dark Wing Industries
Image Credits
DKTaylorPhotography
