Red bear Trading Company is Dave and Monica Skowron. They are the two people who make Red Bear picks. Their shop is located in Ely, Nevada. Ely is a small mining town about halfway up the state near the Utah border. The altitude is 6500 feet at the lowest, and soars to over 13,000 feet in the outlying areas. The mountains are beautiful and majestic, with snow-covered peaks much of the year. Ely is recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the most remote incorporated town in the lower 48 United States. Ely also has the shortest growing season in the country with just 6 to 8 weeks each year. It is also the coldest place in the lower 48 several times per year. Temperatures routinely fall below zero in the winter months and sometimes drop to as much as 20 below.

Red bear Trading's shop is on the property of the home of the Skowrons. It consists of an improved concrete block, one-car garage, and a portion of the basement of the house. Dave and Monica make each pick by hand. Their laser engraves and cuts them out of sheets of material that are prepared by hand. Each pick is then beveled and buffed by hand. There is about 45 minutes of hand work in each pick. Both Dave and Monica personally have hands on every pick made at Red bear Trading. On a good day, there are approximately 450 or so orders in front of yours. There are over 1200 picks on order at any given time. Needless to say, we are very busy!