About Us
What does "High Proof" Mean?
Proof is a term used in the production of whiskey and other spirits that indicates the percentage of alcohol contained in the drink. The process by which this alcohol is made is called distillation, which separates the alcohol from the rest of the liquid via selective boiling and condensation. This technique requires applying heat and pressure to the product in order to remove the impurities, leaving only the alcohol. The higher the proof of the spirit, the more the liquid needs to remain in the process of distillation. In the same way, we believe that a person’s character is built through hardship, obstacles and challenges. Just like the application of time, heat and pressure purifies the whiskey… stress, pressure and difficulty purifies the person. High Proof Designs is built on the philosophy that in order to be our best, we should embrace the adversity that we instinctively want to shy away from because ultimately those are the things that make us better. At High Proof Designs, we welcome the challenge of new ideas in order to keep us at the top of our game. Even if you have an idea that you are not sure is even possible give us a call and let’s talk, we are always on board with pushing the envelope of creativity and innovation.
Aaron Aguilar
Founder, Pyrographer, Fabricator
Like most small businesses, High Proof Designs had humble beginnings born out of necessity. Aaron bought a BBQ smoker that had wooden tables attached to it. He thought it would be a cool idea to burn an image into the wood to give it an old-west saloon feel. He was unable to find anyone offering that service by searching on craigslist and Facebook marketplace so he took to the internet and researched different ways to burn on wood. He burned his first images and posted them on his Facebook. From there he received a few requests for small wood burning jobs and that’s when Aaron’s Custom Pyrography was created. As the jobs became more complex, Aaron taught himself wood working techniques and continued to add other elements such of torch work and carving to his pieces.
Aaron is a big fan of tattoos and takes a similar approach to how a tattoo artist works: a customer comes in with an idea and it is the artist’s job to conceptualize the idea onto the medium and use his expertise and tools to create a piece that exceeds the customer’s expectations. The growth of Aaron’s Custom Pyrography was organic and quick thanks to the support of his family and friends. Recognizing the potential of this market and customer base, Aaron realized that he needed to figure out a way to scale his side garage gig into a full-blown custom shop.
It was at this point that the laser was added to the arsenal of customization tools and High Proof Designs was officially formed. The lasers still allowed for creativity but added an aspect of full-scale production and high-end precision. We were able to increase our medium from just wood products to metals, glass, leather, and acrylics. We took our philosophy of great customer service and combined it with state-of-the-art capability and we continue to provide that level of performance on a daily basis with every job.
Shannon Aguilar
Online Video Marketing
Social media marketing is a busy job with lots of content to shoot, edit and post. We were struggling to keep up with orders, social media, video editing, etc so Shannon came on board and took shot at it. She researched, gathered ideas and taught herself how to create videos that were cool, interesting and really showcase what it is we’re doing here at High Proof. She's always got a cool new idea in the works and really understands the type of content we like to put out. If you've ever seen our content and wonder where it comes from, Shannon is it!
Michael Stidham
Engraving, Printing, Sales
High Proof has always prided itself on providing cool and innovative products locally, but what about everyone else? Heading up the expansion into the online space is our good friend Michael. A man of many talents, his background specializes in the ability to track lots of info at the same time and to be able to articulate ideas to customers which is very important in the custom space. He also has lots of great ideas for products and helps in the design and implementation of them. He is instrumental in helping us get our unique products into the hands of many more customers worldwide.