The DMO Story - By Dr. Jen Lofton

The Dead Moose Ops (DMO) brand began over ten years ago, but the vision of the Master Craftsman began long before that. For years, Rob Garcia had been making blades on his own but he wanted to know more, so he went and received training from the late Tom McGinnis. Between the knowledge he gleaned from McGinnis and his own creative approach, Garcia’s skills soared.

 

Garcia was also a local law enforcement officer at the time. One of the Command Staff and SWAT Team members, Brian Cathey, asked him to make a tactical blade. He provided a general idea of what he wanted; Garcia went to work, and the first Breacher was born. Upon receiving his Breacher, Cathey knew he had something special. He came to Garcia with a proposal to launch a business, with Cathey funding the business and Garcia being the Master Craftsman. They shook hands and in 2013, DMO Knives, LLC went on the books as an official business.

 

Here’s where the story gets interesting. My husband, Jeff, was also a law enforcement officer and I was a local school principal who worked closely with our Sheriff’s department as a member of the DARE committee. Upon seeing the first DMO Breacher at a meeting, I requested one. I have one of the original Breachers ever made, we are pretty sure it is number 3. The following year, I bought one for Jeff to carry on his SWAT vest and we continued to do business with DMO every year from that point on, building a solid relationship.

 

We’ll come back to this -

 

From the start, DMO took off. From Shot Show to the Blade Show to magazine appearances, it seemed like DMO was everywhere. Several of the customers even started hash tagging #dmoeverywhereigo. People couldn’t stop talking about the quality and sharpness of the blades, and the customized Cerakote designs were the icing on the cake. No one else was doing anything like it at the time. It was new and novel and people were there for it! As time went on, the demand was difficult to keep up with but Brian and Rob did their best to keep rolling out DMO Blades. Law enforcement agencies, like the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Enforcement Bureau and several other departments jumped in and still carry our blades 10 years later.

 

Fast forward to 2020, following several life and job changes for both Garica and Cathey, plus the pandemic, the business was at a low point and Cathey knew it was time to sell if DMO was to live on. Jeff and I were the first people he called. We had built a solid friendship over the years and Brian knew we loved the DMO brand. He had also grown to know us personally and professionally and knew he could trust us to carry on the vision of DMO while keeping Garcia as an integral part of the team. After several months of praying and talking about it, we signed papers in early 2021 and became the official owners of DMO Knives.

 

We were so excited, and it is a good thing we love a challenge because it wasn’t easy. I have my Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership and spent the last 14 years of my 20 year career in public education as an elementary school principal and director of school safety. Over the years, I served on many local and state-level committees for school safety and was awarded DARE Educator of the year for the State of Missouri. Jeff received his Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and recently retired from his position as Chief of Police to focus full time on DMO. During his tenure, Jeff served in numerous leadership positions, including Command Staff, SWAT, Training Instructor, and more. Even with all of this experience, running a knife company was something brand new.

 

Since purchasing DMO, we have jumped in feet first and learned the craft, from the initial grind to the final lasering and everything in between. We believe in our products so much and know the value they bring to people's lives. Whether the blade is a tool to use in the field or on duty, a gift to commemorate a special event, or an everyday carry piece, our DMO Family members know they have a legacy piece.

 

Recently, we gained some new business partners who have joined forces with us and since then, things have skyrocketed. We are overjoyed with the momentum and opportunities on the horizon, and are so pleased to have you on this journey with us.

 

Rob Garcia is still the Master Craftsman for the company and we continue to produce the same quality blades, with the same amount of care and attention to detail, as always. Carrying on the law enforcement owned and operated vision from the beginning and supporting all military and first responder families is something we are committed to doing, while expanding our outreach to the 2A community and others. As we grow, we promise to always treat our customers like family and to continue providing amazing products. Putting good tools in the hands of good people, the DMO brand never fails the operator and is here to stay.