A Message From Doug Burson
Hi. My name is Doug Burson. I and my family have taken the reins of American Heritage Stainless Buckles (AHSB). We pledge to use American made products, supplied by local companies wherever possible, to build your buckle. As you may already know, our buckles are a marriage of state of the art technology and good old fashioned hand craftsmanship. All our parts are laser cut to machine tolerances and then assembled with craftsman hands to give you the best, most durable buckle possible. We look forward to serving you and building a company that you can count on for years to come.
History About the Company
American Heritage Stainless Buckles, formerly known as Exotic Stainless Steel Buckles, was founded in Nenana, Alaska by former Marine Don Applegate in 1976. Over the years, he’s made more than 9,000 buckles and has a large personal collection. According to an article in the Fairmont, WV times wv.com, dated August 2, 2007 by Debra Wilson, Mr. Applegate says it is: “…the largest collection of stainless steel buckles in the world.” According to the same article, Don’s Buckles were featured in ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’ newspaper column of March 22, 2003, for having “the world’s most unusual stainless steel belt buckles.” Don’s buckles were known for their unusual “Exotic” properties – thus the name Exotic Stainless Steel Buckles. In 2007, his stepson, Bill Bright, took over the business.
Article Reference: http://www.timeswv.com/news/local_news/buckles-by-the-thousands/article_b8604d06-d9b2-58f3-96da-86547ed48702.html
Don is retired and living in Bellevue, Washington. He sells our buckles and is ready to offer advice based on his expertise due to his love for the company he founded.
In October, 2016, Bill Bright turned the business over to his good friend Doug Burson and family. Bill is involved in the background to offer technical support and advice. We appreciate Bill!
Doug and family are committed to continuing on in the same tradition Bill worked so hard to instill while owner of Exotic Stainless Steel Buckles. American Heritage Stainless Buckles has the same quality, the same guarantee – the only change is the name and the man at the helm.
Larry Haworth, our company sales leader, with his experience and western charm, is an asset to AHSB. We are grateful for Larry and all his hard work!