C.S. Gibbs/Sure-Loc archery.

Back in the late '60s and early '70s corporations in large cities held after-work athletic competition in high regard. Many companies would display employee team trophies in foyer display cases for all to see. These were not just friendly games--they were serious business! Teams competed in a variety of different sports, including archery.

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One such company was Commonwealth Edison, also known as ComEd, a world leader in nuclear energy located in the Chicago area. In 1969 a young Steve Gibbs joined one of the company's divisions as a draftsman. Through some coaxing by his coworkers, Steve joined the Rockford Industrial Athletic Association in 1971 to try his hand at archery.

He was soon recognized as a natural, the first to shoot a perfect field round and helping to win several team competitions for ComEd. The success didn't stop there, however, as he went on to win in regional and later national contests. To date, Steve has eight National NFAA tides, three National ASA titles, one IBO World tide and an IBO Triple Crown tide to his credit!

Testing The Water

Some of the best archers in die Rockford league were highly skilled machinists. Together, Steve and the machinists came up with new design ideas for archery equipment. The true craftsmanship of the machinists coupled with Steve's detailed drawings produced accessories that were superior to what could be found on the market. In 1985, Gibbs had an idea that would change die archery industry and in time, his life. His invention consisted of a one-piece sight extension that was locked into place by forcing it down and into the lower corner of the slide bracket. Nothing like it existed at the time. His creation was an instant hit and he started selling the one-piece extension and mounting block combo to pay for flights and entry fees needed to compete in archery tournaments across the nation. At one point Steve thought of patenting his idea and selling it to a current sight manufacturer but was told it was not a patent worthy invention-a notion that he bought into for a while.

In 1986, well-known professional archer Dean Pridgen began to use Steve's sight extension system. At the outdoor national tournament of that same year Dean actively promoted and sold all of the systems available. Responding to the increased demand Steve bought a small milling machine to start manufacturing parts in his basement. By 1988 industry icons Terry and Michelle Ragsdale began using die system as well. At the 1989 Watkins Glenn tournament, Terry suggested that Steve make an entire sight rather than just the extension. Shortly thereafter he did just that by designing and manufacturing a sight for an existing archery accessory company. The relationship ended when that company used Steve's windage system with their own sight without compensating him. In response, Steve went back to the drawing board and designed an all-new prototype that developed into the first production model in Sure-Loc's popular sight line.

Steve took the prototype to the Cobra Archery Company who had expressed interest in the design. JT Smith, the gentleman that met with him liked the sight but asked that it be cleaned up. Steve recalls, "That really hurt my ego but was one of the best lessons I've ever learned. I took the sight and redesigned it to reduce the weight by half without sacrificing strength. In the mean time I decided that I wanted to market the sight myself and let JT know. His response surprised and impressed me; he told me that he would do anything he could to help. Not only that, but he hired me to do R & D work while I started my own business! There were not many people like him."

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The Start Sure-Loc

In 1992 Steve took a huge risk and refinanced his home to make parts for his sight and late in the same year formed the C.S. Gibbs Corporation. For the entire first year he continued to work in the nuclear industry. At home, Steve would make sights late into the night and then start again just a few hours later before he headed for work. On the way home, sights were dropped off at the UPS station to be shipped. By the end of the first year Sure-Loc's products were shipping internationally.

It was at this time that Steve left his company of 24 years and took the plunge. As it happens with most upstart companies the road got rough. During the transition away from Edison, Steve became seriously ill and spent time in the hospital. Still, after recovering, he pressed on and continued with his plan. In the early stages, Sure-Loc employed one assembler and one machine programmer in a rented unit at an idustrial park. They now reside in a 12,500 square foot building constructed on three acres in Versailles, Indiana.

Steve is passionate about his company but is all the more energized about preserving the sport and specifically the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). Sure-Loc is also a distributorship for the Mathew's Genesis bow--a major component in the program's astounding success.

Record Sales

"The first three months of '06 have blown away '05," said Steve of Sure-Loc's current sales status. Contributing to the success is an expanded Lethal Weapon hunting sight line, the availability of the Swarovski lens for Black Eagle Scopes, sight customizing colored knobs and decals, and the popular X-Press bow press. The top-notch line of hunting sights offers excellent variety with seven sight configurations.

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From the beginning, Sure-Loc's Sight System has been recognized by champions for its precision. Early prototypes were used at the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992, and other models were used at the Atlanta Games in 1996, winning individual and team gold. At the 2000 Games, an Australian won the individual gold and the US team brought home three bronze medals-all using Sure-Loc. The latest win for Sure-Loc came at the 2004 Greece Games.

When asked, what is the driver behind Sure-Loc's success, Steve says, "A lesson I learned years ago-if it is worth doing, give it your all and do it the best you can. As some of our ads state: "Sure-Loc, Nobody ... does it better!!" We will continue to strive for perfection in design and execution of products that have function and need."

For more information, contact: Sure-Loc Archery Products, Dept. PB, 100 Quality Lane, Versailles, IN 47042; [phone]; www.sureloc.com.