Jake met Sally McCoy when DAC introduced the original Featherlite pole in 1998. Since then, Sally and Jake became good friends. Nobody can deny she is a distinctive leader in the outdoor industry in USA.
Sally was the first CEO of a major US brand to request Jake develop a tent for the brand. Jake developed ‘Hercules’ and she promoted the tent could withstand 100mph winds.

Petra is the daughter of legendary tent guru Bo Hilleberg. Jake first met Petra as she was establishing Hilleberg USA. Under Petra’s lead Hilleberg is generally respected as a top tier tent brand. Petra now acts as the president of the Hilleberg group. Petra and Jake have deep trust for each other, and they are lifetime friends. Petra is one of the strongest supporters of Jake Lah and DAC.

thirty years of friendship

Jake first met Gary when he was a sourcing agent for LL Bean. He was the first US customer who believed in Jake’s ability to develop tents. LL Bean introduced the Woodland Series featuring DAC’s DA17 pole architecture to great success in 1992.

Over the years Jake and Gary have collaborated on projects while maintaining a great friendship. Jake enjoys Gary’s integrity and believes he is one who understands the outdoor product industry inside out.

thirty years of friendship

Gerold was the first European customer who had faith in Jake. Jake developed the ‘uni-connector’ – a machined aluminum hub for Jack Wolfskin’s Termite model.

Gerold says Jake is the person who has been driving innovation of tent industry. Gerold and Jake have spent over twenty years sharing their ideas on tent development.

thirty years of friendship

A tent designer with his background in Physics, Mike challenges Jake whenever they meet. He knows so much about so many things. He has so many ideas all the time. He helped drive Jake to be a better tent designer. They met when Mike asked Jake to build a backpack frame.

“It seems like over 30 years in one industry is not a short time when I look around. There has been a continuous stream of people coming and going. Fortunately, there are so many good people I still communicate with.”

Man is President of Jasper attending an exhibition of Jake’s daughter. Jasper is one of the top tier tent manufacturers. He is a man you can trust.

Ted was hired by Sally McCoy to work with Jake on tent development projects. Ted is now CEO of Helinox USA!.

the CEO and the owner of Big Agnes

Bill has been a driving engine in developing the ultralight tent category. He gets deeply involved with product development. He knows what consumers want and he is not afraid of trying new things. It is not surprising Big Agnes became the number one selling tent brand within 20 years of their introduction.

DAC’s Featherlite pole caught Andy’s eye when he saw most of the top tent brands changed poles to DAC. He has been leading Exped’s efforts in the high-end outdoor segment.