Almost every successful business gets its start with someone having a vision of a better way to do something. Paul Meeks, API's founder, grew up hunting at a time when a "deerstand" was a place a hunter stood or sat to wait for a deer to come along. During his college years, in the 60's, Meeks saw one of the first offerings that changed the concept of a deerstand from a place to a thing. The "thing" was a Baker-designed, wooden and aluminum climbing platform. It was crude and awkward by today's standards, but it was intriguing enough to ignite a fascination that would jump-start the beginning of the largest treestand manufacturing operation in the world.
After an eight-year stint in the corporate world, Meeks finally had the opportunity to enter the treestand business by handling the marketing and distribution activities for a budding treestand company. At the time, the stands were constructed of steel and although functioning well; they had a major problem in being too heavy to backpack. In late 1986, Meeks started API Outdoors and introduced the first all-aluminum, (much lighter) line of treestands.
The 80's and even the 90's became "pioneering" days for the treestand industry and API. Under Meeks' leadership, API positioned itself as "Americas' Leader in Treestand Technology" and introduced comfort, cosmetic and functional features that would become the standard that all other manufacturers would follow. API added a "soft touch" to treestands by including padded cushions on seats, armrests, footrests, shooting rests, backpacking straps, etc. and, the idea that a treestand had to be small and uncomfortable went by the wayside in favor of API's larger, more comfortable and less-intimidating designs.
From the mechanical and utility aspect, Meeks introduced revolutionary features and designs that paved the way for the fast-moving treestand market. The revolutionary, patented use of industrial roller chains as the holding mechanism for climbing stands totally changed the direction of the industry. The manufacturers who employed cables as the holding mechanism were forced to use API's rigid-frame design and most followed suit with API's open-rung platform design. Today, Paul Meeks is hard at work making sure the legacy of API moves forward into the future. As you use API stands, you can feel secure knowing someone has spent many years of his life perfecting the product you are using.
