Fire Critic An Unadulterated View of the Fire Service
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXxImH7t9MA
Phenix Technology Web Site – Phenix Technology on FB
It is no secret that I love my Phenix TL-2 leather helmet. I just received a brand new TL-2 Miller 1884 and have been wearing it for a couple of weeks. My love of Phenix helmets is an interesting relationship…and one that I share with a few of the great fire service companies across the Nation. I know them personally, I speak with them often, and I consider them friends.
A recent article below prompted me to put this article together for your enjoyment. Complete with video about Phenix and the helmets they make.
RETAIL: Riverside helmet maker fired up to expand
Ray Russell and Ronny Coleman, launched Phenix in San Clemente with $22,000 and high hopes to produce safer and more comfortable helmets. By 1976, they were selling 1,000 a month. Before they knew what hit them, the demand spread like, well, wildfire.
Today, located at 12391 Sampson Ave., Phenix quietly blends into an industrial complex. But its unprepossessing headquarters belie the fact that even after more than four decades in business, the company’s revenues are smoking hot. Phenix has become a multimillion-dollar company from sales of three types of customized firefighter helmets made of leather, composite materials and thermo plastic.
Phenix remains a close family affair. Ray Russell, 73, who lives in Corona, has passed the torch to his daughter, CEO Nicole Clesceri, and to one of his sons, Shaun Russell, the national sales director.
TERRY PIERSON/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Phenix Technology family from left CEO Nicole Clesceri, Director National Sales Shaun Russell, 35, Founder Ray Russell, 73 and COO Angel Sanchez, Jr., 42 with just a few of the firefighter helmets they manufacture in Riverside, CA. Tuesday, February 4, 2014.
