The Paulding Chamber of Commerce is recognizing two thriving and growing local businesses at its fifth annual Industry Appreciation Event on April 14. For the past four years, it has been a breakfast event. They are pleased to enhance it this year by making it a part of the Georgia Power Luncheon series.
Chattahoochee Technical College continues as the presenting sponsor for the awards to be presented at the April Georgia Power luncheon being held at the Paulding Senior Community Center. The event will begin at 11:00 am with a 20 member business expo featuring local manufacturers and other Chamber businesses.
The 2016 honorees are Dobbs Defense as Manufacturer of the Year and Aerospace Fabrications of Georgia as Industry of the Year.
   “Industries that have chosen Paulding County are helping our citizens by diversifying the tax base and providing jobs for our community,” says Robert Reynolds, Executive Director of Economic Development for Paulding County.    “These awards show our appreciation for these industries and they also increase public awareness about the manufacturers that are here in our community,” he said. “Much of the public is not aware of these companies or what they do. It is a privilege to honor industries that have chosen Paulding County as their home and contribute to our Economic base.” The Paulding Chamber of Commerce is pleased to name Dobbs Defense as Manufacturer of the year. This business was started in 2013 in a 1200 square foot space as a small gunsmithing shop with a tiny retail store out front. It offered gunsmith services and coatings as well as a selection of firearms for sale. They began custom making silencers per order for people wanting to plink and not disturb the neighbors. As the name grew and word of mouth spread it became apparent that they needed a larger space and bigger tools to keep up with demand.
By the middle of 2014 Dobbs Defense had purchased a full array of machinery included CNC lathes and mills. With this addition they had gained full manufacturing capability. They immediately picked up some small OEM parts contracts for a couple of Georgia based manufacturers but did not have a product to call their own. As contracts began to pick up Dobbs Defense began experimenting with a production line of small caliber rimfire silencers (22lr). Then, in September 2014, Dobbs Defense released its first production line of rimfire silencers. The ARC22 was named for CEO Bryan Dobbs’ children; Audrey, Riley, and Caden. The ARC22 was a great success and was found to handle more than it was originally designed to do. It could handle the pressures of small centerfire calibers such as the FN 5.7 round, which is popular with military, police, and security agencies around the world for close combat situations. The next logical step was to trim some fat from the robust ARC22. The ARC22AL was born, and made completely from lightweight aluminum bolstering plenty of integrity to handle the small caliber the ARC22 was designed for. It is a third of the weight and little more than half the cost of its original design. Sales began to soar and Dobbs Defense left the 1200 square foot store front and retail behind entirely to pursue NFA firearms manufacturing. By 2015 they moved into a much larger 5000 square foot facility, still offering gunsmithing services and gun coating applications, but capable of full time production. Employing 5 full time workers and a couple of part time clerical assistants they began to send sales reps into the field seeking contract work and retail sellers for Dobbs Defense products. The word spread nationwide that a small company out of Dallas Georgia could provide manufacturing services for OEM parts and brand name parts to Type 07 FFLs (Firearms manufacturers), law enforcement agencies, and security agencies. With that, Dobbs Defense fulfilled several contracts with Government agencies and security groups from Maine to Texas as well as a large international contract that Non-Disclosure Agreements prevent them from discussing. They continue to contract and fulfill jobs as they come in with little to no hiccups in the process.
In October 2015 they were approached with an opportunity to design a large caliber silencer and began to work immediately designing the ARC30 .308 caliber silencer. It was an immediate success by all accounts. The stainless steel centerfire rifle silencer suppresses sound on par with the most respected manufacturers and comes in at half the cost. The ARC30 is suited for applications on the battlefield and in Law Enforcement as well as it is in the hands of sportsmen and hunters alike. The success of the ARC30 has solidified the name, Dobbs Defense, as a legitimate firearms manufacturer that will stand the test of time. Today Dobbs Defense products can be found in retail stores all around the South Eastern United States and on internet sales sites, as well as local Class III firearms dealers in Ga. The product line continues to grow with variances on the ARC22 and ARC30 designs allowing for a more custom fit based on the customer’s needs. Their business continues to grow with the introduction of new products and now offers 5 different production silencers and plans to release the newest addition, the ARC5.56 in April. Bryan Dobbs is a lifelong Paulding County resident still living in the home he was born in. He and his wife Michelle met in Kindergarten and are now raising their family in what he describes as the best little town in the world. Brian states, “I would like to express my most humble gratitude for the many opportunities that have been presented to me and to the great people which surround me. Without them, none of this would be possible. God and good fortune have taken a shine to me. I don’t believe I am really that good.”
Also being honored on April 14th is the Industry of the Year, Aerospace Fabrications of Georgia. AFOG had a very humble beginning and was incorporated in 1993, as the year fresh-out-of-college owner Adam Grizzle first laid hands on CNC equipment and CAD/CAM software in his own business. The shop's start came when family members loaned Mr. Grizzle the money for his first CNC machine, CADCAM software/computer, and donated an initially rent free manufacturing facility on 3rd Army Road in Acworth, GA. Soon the company added another used CNC machine and two very good customers: McCann Aerospace Machining in Athens, GA and Aerocell Structures in Hot Springs, AR. A breakthrough for AFOG came in 1995 when buyers at Boeing were aware the shop had been subcontracting for McCann.

The aerospace giant decided to give AFOG the chance to become a direct supplier.

One evening, by chance, Adam and family arrived too early for a movie at the $1 Dallas Theater and while riding the roads to “kill time”, spotted an abandoned manufacturing facility on Butler Industrial Drive. Adam says,”God smiled on me that day, and in 1996, AFOG moved its 11 employees to their new home in Dallas, GA which remains our current location.”
Four years later, in October 2000, AFOG became a Bronze Level Certified Supplier to Boeing, placing the company among the top 700 of more than 16,000 Boeing suppliers with the largest part number base of all southeastern Boeing suppliers.
With determination and vigilance in a difficult industry, AFOG continued with steady growth by adding additional customers throughout the industry (including Lockheed-Martin and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporations). This led to an additional expansion of their facility in 2010 and an employee count of 40.
Today AFOG proudly employs 48 individuals with a wide range of experience and education which include areas such as advanced CAD/CAM systems, CNC machining, automation control systems, manufacturing and design concepts, conventional machining, aluminum heat treatment, quality assurance, and areas of sheet metal fabrication applicable to the aircraft industry.
The facility manufactures for 32 different airframe programs and has over 43 active aerospace customers (both domestic and international). The current services supplied include CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and aluminum heat treating.
Adam says, “AFOG’s success is owed to God, a loving family, and a supportive community. With this powerful combination, the near future is sure to result in further expansion and additional employment opportunities.”