No problem. It's a valid question and I don't mind answering it.
Do I have an offroad shop? No.
What do I bring to the table? I work at the US headquarters for an international company that installs pressurized piping systems in industrial applications. I am the Engineering Manager for our U.S. Division. We have a team of pipe fitters and welders that lay bead for a living when lives depend on it. We have a fab shop on-site. Work is slow and our welders are looking for "projects". I can help them (paying work) and I can help you (the community) by supplying a product. I have access to a local fab shop and steel supply company that has a CNC Plasma Table and a 10-Ton Press. They are slow on work and need "filler" jobs for their staff. This is good filler work for the shop. They typically build components for the windmill electric generation industry as well as offshore oil/gas platforms. They have two shops who do PC for them who also need work and would love to do bumpers to keep staff billable.
Why do it? Because I can. I have been building 4Runners for years. I'm relatively new to UZJ's but not to the offroad community. I have the CAD and engineering tools. I have the labor force, equipment, and talent to get the job done. I want a bumper that nobody offers, yet. I want the smaller profile of a TJM, but with the strength of an ARB and the lines of a SLEE at a good price, yet made by US labor.
This is not a profession for me. This is not a cash-cow. This is not what I intend to do as a steady income. I intend to pop out 2-4 bumpers at a time, each fitted and tacked up on my truck, then welded up and prepped for shipment. Sell those bumpers and start a new batch when interest is there and shop time is available. Basically, they won't realistically be built-to-order and they won't necessarily be on a shelf ready to ship when someone has the funds. However, not having to worry about foreign exchange rates, trans-oceanic shipping, cross-country freight, and all the costs involved with having inventory in the supply chain that is months-long in timing is allowing me to keep local guys busy while keeping pricing down to what I feel is a good point in the market. Having a shop with staff and bills to pay is not a necessity.
Don't get me wrong. I most certainly appreciate what Slee and the other companies do every day for the offroad community. I had an ARB on my old 4Runner and never had any issues with them. I've never owned a TJM, but I would have liked to have found one a few months ago when I was looking. I don't have anything of Slee's - yet, but that's not because I don't like his stuff. It's because I don't have rocks here. I have sand and mud. I'm at the beach. The nearest rocky trail is probably 150 miles from here. Go back 3 years and I was in East Tennessee living 40-minutes from the North Gate of Tellico. Now that was FUN.
Why do I want a bumper then? Because I like the look. I like the extra protection for the fire roads and trails in the woods. I like the ability to have a winch. Why not?
I believe this will fill a niche that just isn't out there. You can't touch a bumper for a UZJ for under $1000 anywhere. This one would be 15% cheaper than that. Will it be cut by the latest laser table and bent on the best CNC press for repetitive perfection from one bumepr to another like an ARB? No. However, I can guarantee that each bumper will be symmetric, durable, built to last as a quality piece of work.
What more can I say???