Meet the Maker: Ben Carlson and Nick Hernandez of Furnace Industries (Mini Episode)

This episode is part of the Meet the Maker series where we highlight an entrepreneur who is making specialty gear for ice climbers. If you’ve ever wanted to hear the story behind some of your favorite – and soon to be favorite – products, that’s what today’s conversation is about.We’re doing this because we believe that thoughtfully-designed gear is more than the sum of its parts: they are crafted by folks who have decades of experience in the sport, are refined through countless iterations and testing, and brought to life with genuine passion to solve real problems. Said another way, these folks represent the heart and soul of product innovation.🎙 Today we chat with Ben Carlson and Nick Hernandez, Co-Owners of Furnace IndustriesBen and Nick make gym-safe training equipment for ice climbing and drytooling.Quite simply, you’d be hard-pressed to find another company that has done more to promote drytooling in the U.S. Core to it all, it’s because they care.The company was started as a way to give back to the community. Ben and Nick knew they weren’t going to chase FAs or push the grades, but they could help folks train year-round and encourage new people to try the sports. Why? They believe in giving back to the sport that has given them so much – from sponsoring ice fests and Team USA to loaning out tools for drytooling nights to producing educational material – Furnace Industries is always forging ahead to help the community.Hear more about their story and what makes their tools special in today’s episode.🎁 GiveawayBen and Nick are generously offering a set of DRY ICE Evolutions.Here’s how to enter:In the conversation, be on the lookout for the answer to the following question:👉 On the original DRY ICE prototype that Ben saw, the tool was made with a fan belt from what car?Once you have the answer:Follow @furnaceindustries and @ice_ice_beta on InstagramDM the answer to the question to @ice_ice_betaComment on the giveaway post on our Instagram: “#itsalwaysiceseason” once you’ve sent in your answerShare the giveaway post to your story for an extra entryWinners will be randomly selected from submissions that meet all the rules on Monday, December 2! Credits:Intro music by Hannah Noelle Enomoto (thanks, sis!).This episode was edited by Andrew Salomone of salomonesound.com.And of course, a big thanks to our sponsors, Aniiu  Gloves and Furnace Industries! Become a member:Thanks for listening! If you enjoyed the conversation and want to help us do many more episodes like this, please consider becoming a member.   (For less than the price of a bougie beer per month!). 🗣️ Leave us a review!:You can also help us out by subscribing to the podcast and leaving us a review on your podcast platform of choice. Reviews are helpful for new listeners that come across the show, and a good rating means Spotify, Apple, and other platforms are more likely to recommend it to others.