Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership Shares the Story Behind Urban Forge

Most people know Urban Forge for hand-forged iron furniture, fire screens, lighting, and the craftsmen who make each piece here in Mountain View, Arkansas.

But there is another side of the Urban Forge story that customers do not often get to see.

Recently, the team at Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership spent time with Urban Forge CEO Andy Baker to tell the story of the company behind the products—the challenges, decisions, lessons, and changes that have shaped Urban Forge into what it is today.

It is a candid story.

When Andy took over the family business, Urban Forge had decades of craftsmanship behind it, but the company itself needed work. There were difficult seasons, leadership lessons learned the hard way, and moments when simply keeping everything moving felt like a victory.

Rather than hide that part of the story, Andy shared it.

Because much of what defines Urban Forge today grew out of those experiences.

Building Something Worth Building

Over the past several years, our focus has expanded beyond simply making great products.

We want to build a company where people can do meaningful work, develop their skills, provide for their families, and take pride in what they create.

We want to preserve American craftsmanship that has increasingly disappeared from communities like ours.

And we want Urban Forge to be a company that makes a lasting difference in Mountain View and the surrounding Ozarks.

That means continuing to improve how we lead, communicate, manufacture, serve customers, and invest in our people.

We certainly have not figured everything out. But we know much more clearly what we are trying to build.

The Story Behind the Forge

The EntreLeadership feature goes behind the curtain in a way we normally do not.

Andy talks about taking ownership of the company, some of the difficult realities he encountered, the leadership changes that followed, and the principles that began reshaping Urban Forge.

For customers who have followed Urban Forge for years, it is an opportunity to see another side of the company—and understand a little more about why we care so much about craftsmanship, meaningful work, strong values, and building things that last.

We are grateful to the EntreLeadership team for taking an interest in our story and telling it so well.

Read the full Urban Forge feature from Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership

Photography courtesy of Ramsey Solutions and EntreLeadership. Used in connection with their feature on Urban Forge CEO Andy Baker.