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Kwikee Kwiver - 50 years of excellance
By Shirley Gelinas
Sep 7, 2006, 04:46
 

To See 50 Years of Excellence: Kwikee Kwiver

When you think of quivers, what name automatically comes to mind?  I would imagine that name would be Kwikee Kwiver. Well, there is a reason why you relate quivers with Kwikee Kwiver and that is because the company has been manufacturing efficient, top quality, affordable quivers since 1957!  Kwikee Kwiver is the standard that all other quivers are measured by and even with a deluge of new quiver designs, Kwikee remains the top selling quiver. The reason remains the same today as it did back in 1957, efficient, effective, long lasting quality and simplicity. Kwikee is still effective and efficient today as it was when invented.

Bob Stinson, the founder, inventor and owner of Kwikee Kwiver Co.  was born and raised in Galion, Ohio. He vacationed with his parents at Arbutus Lake in Mayfield, Michigan every summer and at a young age fell in love with the hunting and fishing that northern Michigan had to offer.  One of his first businesses as a little boy was taking tourists fishing on Arbutus Lake…he even guaranteed fish!  He was able to do that because he had a holding tank that he kept fish in just in case his customers weren't very lucky that day.

Bob in front of his P38 Fighter

Bob also loved to fly as a young man so he enrolled as an aviation cadet right out of high school.  He served a fighter pilot for WW II and flew P-38s.  He still has fond memories of his pilot buddies, their mischievous activities, and their missions together.  We salute and honor you Bob for serving your country!

Bob with Ty Brown hunting bear 1974

After he was discharged from the Air Force in 1946.  He married and had four boys (Stuart, Jon, David and Steve) followed by 5 grandchildren (Shawn, Brandon, Benjamin, Brittney and JR).  Bob eventually moved to northern Michigan where he had a charter business and also flew mail out of Traverse City.  There he could continue to hunt, fish, fly and dabble with making things.  He made his own archery equipment and in doing so he became friends with the legendary Fred Bear who was just 50 miles away in Grayling, Michigan.  Fred Bear offered a quiver, but Bob wanted to build his own bowquiver that was effective, quiet and light weight.  The beginning of Kwikee Kwiver Company was when he made his first recurve bowquiver that fit on the limbs of his bow.  You can still purchase the much-improved recurve quiver and cover today (DK-KV quiver).  His original prototypes were made of cork-like material and plywood, then metal plates and now they are plastic, injection-molded.  After he discovered the effectiveness of the quiver, he produced them for his friends and he conceived the idea that he could make a living manufacturing and selling quivers.

Bob with his 1957 buck

Out of the spare bedroom in his home he started mass producing quivers.  The cork had to be died green and dried outside.  If you can imagine this, the green-died cork was placed on the front lawn, which then created a new problem…grasshoppers loved to eat the cork!  With that, Bob had his boys trying to scare away the grasshoppers with sheets tied to sticks.  He riveted the quivers together and sold them for $2.95/pair.  He was his own sales rep and would load up his trunk and head from northern Michigan to Ohio and stop at all the archery and sporting good stores along the way.  Orders began to pour in and Kwikee Kwiver was off and running.  Kwikee Kwiver Company was incorporated in 1957.
 
By the 60's archery was becoming a very popular sport and Kwikee Kwiver offered the most popular bowquiver available.  Bob had also made changes by offering a separate cover for the quiver to protect the hunter from the broadheads.  Today, both units are sold together.  He also conceived the idea of two different bowstring silencers, the Mini-Hush and the Kwikee Silencers.  The Kwikee Silencers are still sold today to the traditional hunters.  The first customer to purchase Bob's silencers was Fred Bear Archery in Grayling, Michigan.  Kwikee Kwiver also produces a Bowtip Protector that fits on the end of the recurve bow.

Shirley with the first Kwikee Kwiver die

The first Prototype Kwikee

The 70's were revolutionary for the archery industry and the first compound bows were being introduced.  Since the famous DK-6 quiver was designed for recurve bows, Bob had to go back to the drawing board.  Within weeks he had designed the first lightweight, quick-detachable quiver for compound bows.   In 1976 the KK-6 quiver was introduced and is still the most popular bowquiver on the market today and is the standard for the industry.  Again, history repeated itself and as soon as the dealers and distributors seen Kwikee Kwiver's compound quiver, it became an instant seller and has remained so because of the quivers quality and effectiveness.

Aase, Bob & Bert at SHOT Show 1971

Shirley with Legendary Fred Bear

In 1978 Shirley Gelinas became part of the Kwikee Kwiver team.  As Office Manager, she took over the day-to-day operations of the company.  She offered superior public relations, accounting, production and management skills.  Twenty-eight years later, Shirley is the General Manager and still offers the same superior service.  Shirley's son, Nelson Jr., was raised at Kwikee Kwiver and as a teenager and during college, Nelson would work during the busy season assembling quivers.  In 1992, when Nelson was 13, he made the Commemorative Bucks of Michigan Youth 1st Place for his first turkey.  Again in 2004, Nelson shot and killed a record black bear for Kalkaska, Michigan.  It green-scored at 20.5 inches, 460 pounds.  Today, Nelson owns Gelinas Safety Consultant in Traverse City.  Nelson's wife, Lindsay, has become an integral part of Kwikee Kwiver assisting in the office as well.  Lin Prough is another valuable employee and manages the production of all quivers.

Velma Galloup and Nelson making Quivers

 
In 1981 Bob invested in a new injection molding company.  His friend, Chester Grant, was starting Grand Traverse Plastic's and it was a perfect fit for both Chet and Bob.  Today GTP not only does the injection molding for Kwikee Kwiver Company but has many auto industry jobs as well.  GTP provides the quality injection molded quivers that hunters have come to expect from Kwikee Kwiver Company.

Marie Dennet working in the garage 1962

Bob has always played with ideas and he conceived the idea of a one-arrow quiver, but decided two was better.  The two-arrow quiver was still a quick-detachable quiver, but was designed to fold so that you could use it with a back quiver.  The Kwik-2 was then produced and became very popular, but hunters wanted just one more arrow even though they liked the light weight and compactness of the Kwik-2.  Eventually the Kwik-2 evolved into the K-3 that holds 3 arrows.  A few more changes have been made over the years like the addition of the second arrow holder for the mechanical broadheads, a permanent lock-down screw has been included and the arrow holders have been sized to fit most carbon arrows on the market today.

The one millionth Kwikee

When mechanical broadheads started hitting the market, Bob again went to the drawing board and invented the first mechanical quiver.  The quiver was a 4-arrow quiver with the second arrow holder built inside of the shield.  This allowed hunters to snap their arrows with the mechanical broadheads into the second arrow holder without shoving the broadheads up into the shield.  With time, the K4-Mechanical quiver evolved into the Combo quiver.  The Combo quiver is a 4-arrow quiver, is light weight and is the perfect quiver.  It holds both the mechanical and standard broadheads and the arrow holder has two positions for carbon or aluminum arrows.

Nelson getting ready for deer season

Nelson and his first deer

 
Over the years bows became shorter and smaller and again Bob seen a need and invented the HR-2 High Riser.  The High Riser is an extension plate that allows the hunter to mount his quiver off of the bow and move it up so his arrows are more inline with the rest of the bow.

Donna Marino, Lindsay Gelinas, Shirley Gelinas adn Lin Prough The Kwikee Girls

Over the years, Bob and Shirley have offered the KK-6 (6-arrow quiver) K-3 (3-arrow quiver) K4-L (Lite-4 quiver) and the Combo quiver in most all of the popular camouflage patterns.  This has allowed hunters to match their bow of preference.

Bob & Shirley the cover story in Inside Archery

 
Kwikee Kwiver Company also offers a lifetime warranty against defects in material and workmanship.  Kwikee Kwivers are effective, efficient, affordable and does everything a hunter expects a quiver to do.  Every year Kwikee Kwiver Company also receives the most prestigious awards from you our customers.  Kwikee Kwiver wins the Readers' Choice Awards, Dealers Choice Awards and the Best Buy Awards.  Thank you very much for your support over the past 50 years!

To See 50 Years of Excellence: Kwikee Kwiver
 

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