Cutting In: Dark Operations Fighting Knives LLC

He came away from the expo with exclusive U.S. distribution rights for Italian knife maker Extrema Ratio.

Miller ended that relationship in 2004 so he could design and sell his own knives, starting Springfield-based Dark Operations Fighting Knives LLC that year.

Just two years later, Dark Ops Fighting Knives is selling more than 3,000 knives annually through a network of 1,500 worldwide dealers and distributors.

“We’re much further along than I had anticipated,” said Miller, who credited heavy advertising in trade publications with his rapid growth.

In its first year, Dark Ops Fighting Knives made less than $100,000 in revenues. This year, it has made $250,000 in revenues, and Miller expects more than $1 million in 2007.

“With great marketing and a great product, it’s really started to skyrocket,” he added.

Product placement

Among the dealers and distributors buying Miller’s knives is Allen Smith, owner of Frank’s Uniforms Inc. in Springfield.

Smith said Dark Ops Fighting Knives fit in well at his uniform store because many police, fire and emergency crews shop there.

Miller sells four varieties of fixed-blade knives and four varieties of folding knives, all of which retail for between $199 and $269.

He said his knives are ergonomically designed to not slip out of users’ hands and that they are designed to withstand grueling use.

“I knew it was the premier type of knife for what it was designed for,” Smith said regarding his decision to carry the knives in his store.

Miller said only about 20 percent of his product is sold to police and military customers, though he has shipped hundreds of knives to troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“Most people are not going to ever use this type of knife for what it was probably initially intended,” he said. “They just like really cool, heavy duty knives, and they collect them.”

On-the-job training

Miller credits his 17 years of experience as a reserve and full-time deputy for the Greene County Sheriff’s Department with inspiring his knife designs. He resigned from Greene County in December 2000 but has been a reserve deputy with Douglas County for the last two years.

“With a lot of the police training that I had gone through and the different experiences that I had, I saw what worked (and) saw what didn’t work,” he said.

Miller’s folding knives have a more secure locking system, he said, and all of his products have a quarter-inch thick blade, whereas competitors typically have one-eighth-inch-thick blades. All knives come with lifetime warranties.

Miller also contacted experts at a knife manufacturer in Rochester, N.Y., for advice. He currently contracts with that company, the name of which he wouldn’t disclose, to manufacture his knife designs.

“Their body of experience really helped me with what I was doing,” he said. “I did not want to reinvent the wheel.”

Miller’s real world experience combined with outside counsel led him to win Tactical Knife of the Year honors in 2005 from American Sporting Trade Magazine. The award was for his line of folding knives, which he calls StratoFighters.

Dark Operations Fighting Knives LLC

Owner: Frank Miller

Founded: 2004

Mailing address: 2030 W. Woodland St., Springfield, MO 65807

Phone: (417) 883-9444

Web site: www.darkopsknives.com

Products: Tactical-grade knives, sold through a network of 1,500 worldwide dealers and distributors

Employees: 2 full time