Ben Wolfgram is an entrepreneur and engineer.  He is the founder of a company in Philadelphia called WE Automation that designs and produces industrial machines for extrusion and blow molding, material handling systems, and packaging systems.  Why might he be of interest to me?  Because of a different company he started called BenShot.

BenShot is a handmade glass company in Wisconsin that makes unique glasses that feature bullets, shotgun shells, arrow heads, golf balls, and fishing lures embedded in the side.  Benshot was started in 2015 when Wolfgram wanted to make it easier for his glass-making parents to sell their wares.  Before Wolfgram started BenShot, his parents were traveling around the country to various craft, vendor and art shows.  Wolfgram thought it would be easier if his parents had an eCommerce store to connect with their customers instead of traveling around the country all the time.  His parents loved the idea and are now selling to an international customer base.

Wolfgram’s father manufactures the glasses along with a resident designer and glass worker in a historical furniture factory that was formerly owned by Thomas Edison, in rural Wisconsin.  The packaging, etching for the glasses, and wood etching for coasters, are done in Wolfgram’s WE Automation factory in Philadelphia.  Everything they design and manufacture is made and sourced in the USA.  Before creating their own glass factory, Wolfgram and his parents approached many different manufacturers and were told that their idea would never work and the only way to get an object to stay in the glass like Wolfgram wanted, would cause glass to break.  That did not stop Wolfgram and his father, they experimented with different and unconventional methods.  They figured out that if you make a dent in the glass while the glass is still soft, then glue the bullet, golf ball, fishing lure, or arrow head into the glass after it has slowly cooled off in a kiln, the glass will not shatter.

BenShot has also partnered with several companies to etch the company’s logo onto their glasses.  They have also made several limited runs of glasses raising money for various charities.  One of their most recent charities was Project K-9 Hero, a non-profit that provides assistance with medical costs, food, and end of duty services for retired police and military dogs.

Ben Wolfgram, and his company BenShot, is inspiring because he saw a need with his parents to connect with their customers without traveling all over the country, and combined it with the resources of his manufacturing company to create a unique eCommerce business.  Wolfgram and his father also had to create a new method of getting objects to stay securely in glasses without shattering the glass.  Due to their success, they are now able to give back to their community and country by partnering with various charities and non-profits as well.