Derya’s Blueprint for Growth (ft. Derya USA)

Dustin from Derya joins John and Kaylee on State of the Second to explain how a firearms brand can stand up its own name and start making guns in the United States in record time. He came to the gun industry through an accounting background. He is a CPA who worked big four public accounting at PwC after college at the University of Nevada, then joined Arms Corp / Rock Island through his longtime friend Martin Twassen during the company's hyper growth in the 2013 Obama era. He spent close to 12 years there before helping start Derya, which incorporated on March 28, 2024 and was manufacturing guns in the United States within a year. Most of the conversation is a practical look at how Derya runs. Dustin walks through why they chose Jacksonville, Florida for the US factory: it is close to the Savannah port where shipments from Turkey land, Florida is gun friendly and manufacturer friendly, and the labor pool already had manufacturing experience. He explains the company's pricing strategy of starting low to entice buyers, backed by efficient production across over 140 CNC machines in Turkey plus US machines. The DY9 is the flagship and most popular gun, and the team moved 95% of its production from Turkey to the United States. He previews a heavy 2026 lineup: the DY9Z at a $299 MSRP with a 15 round magazine and ten colors, releasing on Black Friday, the TM22 rimfire at $249 on January 1, and a new shotgun at the end of Q1, plus several more projects. Kaylee pushes the discussion toward women buyers, sharing her own struggle to find a concealable carry gun that fits a small hand and her advice that companies wanting to know what colors women want should look at Pinterest wedding palettes. Dustin says women are a big market for Derya and that the brand is leaning into tutorial content and a woman's perspective to make the buying experience less intimidating for first time owners. In the Soapbox segment he gives measured takes on the Glock conversation in the industry and on US manufacturing, arguing tariffs make US investment more attractive but manufacturing here is not easy, and that the United States is the deciding factor for nearly every gun design. He closes by plugging the nonprofit Walk the Talk America, which works to bridge the gap between the firearms and mental health worlds. Questions this episode answers How did Dustin go from a big four accounting career at PwC to the firearms industry? Dustin is a CPA who worked big four public accounting at PwC after attending the University of Nevada. His longtime friend Martin Twassen brought him into the gun industry at Arms Corp / Rock Island, where he stayed close to 12 years before helping start Derya. When did Derya incorporate, and how fast did it start manufacturing guns in the United States? Derya incorporated on March 28, 2024, and was manufacturing guns in the United States within a year of starting. Why did Derya choose Jacksonville, Florida for its US factory? Jacksonville is close to the Savannah port where shipments from Turkey land, Florida is gun friendly and manufacturer friendly, and the local labor pool already had manufacturing experience. What is Derya's pricing strategy, and how does it keep prices low without cutting quality? Derya starts prices low to entice buyers, backed by efficient production across more than 140 CNC machines in Turkey plus US machines. Dustin says they use premium material and accept making less money than competitors rather than cutting the product. Which Derya gun is the flagship, and how much of its production moved from Turkey to the US? The DY9 is Derya's flagship and most popular gun, and the team moved 95% of its production from Turkey to the United States. What new products is Derya releasing in 2026, and at what price points? Derya is launching the DY9Z at a $299 MSRP with a 15 round magazine and ten colors on Black Friday, the TM22 rimfire at $249 on January 1, and a new shotgun at the end of Q1, with several more projects to follow. How does Derya think about women as customers and first time gun buyers? Dustin says women are a big market for Derya, so the brand leans into tutorial content and a woman's perspective to make buying a gun less intimidating for first time owners. Co-host Kaylee adds that brands wanting to know which colors women want should study Pinterest wedding palettes. What are Dustin's takes on the Glock conversation and on US versus overseas manufacturing? In the Soapbox segment Dustin gives measured takes on the industry's Glock conversation, and argues tariffs make US investment more attractive while warning that manufacturing here is not easy. He says the United States is the deciding factor for nearly every gun design. Chapters 00:29 — Rapid fire questions 03:18 — Dustin's path from accounting to guns 05:05 — Starting Derya and US manufacturing 06:28 — Building a brand on its own name 07:57 — The DY9 and proving the price point 10:53 — Why Jacksonville for the factory 13:11 — The 2026 product pipeline 17:40 — Colored guns and the market for them 18:42 — What women want in a carry gun 22:06 — Making the brand less intimidating 24:24 — A women's survivors range day 27:24 — Soapbox: the Glock conversation 30:00 — Tariffs and US manufacturing 34:34 — How the US and Turkey teams design together 40:05 — Walk the Talk America and wrap up About the guest Dustin works on the operations side of Derya, the firearms brand featured in this episode. He is a CPA who worked big four public accounting at PwC after attending the University of Nevada, and he was born and raised in Las Vegas. He entered the gun industry through his longtime friend Martin Twassen, joining Arms Corp / Rock Island during its growth period and staying close to 12 years before helping start Derya, which incorporated on March 28, 2024. He pitched Jacksonville, Florida as the site for the company's US factory. He is also involved with the nonprofit Walk the Talk America, where he handles the money. His last name is not stated in the episode. Key quotes "we started, incorporated, we started manufacturing guns in the United States within a year later." — Dustin "Any volatility, any challenges creates opportunity." — Dustin "we're using premium material and you're getting a good value product for a good price and we just don't make as much money as other people." — Dustin "if there's a market for it, you know, we're going to make it work." — Dustin "Manufacturing United States is not easy." — Dustin "my advice has always been go to Pinterest, it's free." — Kaylee