One of our minions thought you might like a look behind the scenes of Tough Hook. He has a HUGE head and is chronically flatulent, but he’s usually a good judge of interesting material. We purged it (mostly) of his typical drivel (grunts: drivel), leaving what should be a decent article behind. It’s a good product serving a need, but just as importantly to us he is a Veteran Entrepreneur who [like most] are trying to get his feet under him to start the incredible journey that is the American Dream.

Vetrepreneur Spotlight: Tarik Lazri of ToughHook

The week before SHOT Show, I ran across an interesting product on Facebook called the Tough Hook. Intrigued, I contacted the creator and owner of the company, Tarik Lazri, to pull a little more information out about his product. Some of you may have heard of the Tough Hook through other news and media outlets. However, what they haven’t provided is a little background on Tarik himself.

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Tarik joined the Army in 2006 as an intel analyst who spent time in Korea and Ft. Drum and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2010, Tarik’s time was up, so he transitioned to a Counter-Drug and Counter-Insurgency contractor operating in various parts of Afghanistan.

The idea for the Tough Hook was born from a need to better organize heavy and bulky kit in his locker and elsewhere. Tarik saw a need and began his research for a dependable solution. At the time, some SCUBA companies were making larger hanger-type hooks for gear but nothing that would appeal to the military sector. Eventually, his ideas and research became a computer-aided design and then onto a prototype version.

The Tough Hook had found its place in the world; it just needed a bit of financial backing to solidify its foundation. So Tarik began his Tough Hook Kickstarter Campaign to raise the capital for startup, manufacturing and shipping. As I’m currently writing this article, 241 folks have pledged $7,402 towards the Tough Hook. Tarik has 15 days to go to reach his modest goal of $11,000. Here’s the cool thing about pledging a few bucks and where your money goes:

$20 pledge– You have the option of sending a Tough Hook to a service member deployed overseas or grab one for yourself.

$35 pledge– Receive 2 Tough Hooks

$55 pledge– Receive 3 Tough Hooks

$110 pledge– Receive 6 Tough Hooks

$140 pledge– Receive 8 Tough Hooks

$170 pledge– Receive 10 Tough Hooks

$1,000 pledge gets you 10 Tough Hooks, a custom color, a custom emblem and names laser-etched onto the hangers.

So you’re not just helping a Veteran get his business off of the ground, you’re benefiting from his product line and/or helping a deployed service member get a Tough Hook to make their life a little easier downrange.

The Original Tough Hook Prototype

For the full story, more information and to donate your portion towards the Tough Hook, check out Tarik’s Kickstarter Campaign at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/699164092/tough-hook

Support Lazri, if you would, and go hit his Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ToughHook). Once you’re there, tell him Breach-Bang-Clear sent you and to Continue Mission!

Mad Duo Clear!