We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristy McClellan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristy, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We saw a need in the knife industry and thought we were the perfect people to fulfill that need. With all of the hundreds of choices of knives for men, there are very few knives that are designed specifically with a woman in mind.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My mom has been in the knife industry for over 20 years. She was the one that really wanted to start this company. My two sisters and I all have varying college degrees that were beneficial to this business. We all wanted to work from home and spend as much time with our children, and Brighten Blades was the perfect solution. We get to work with our family, and it doesn’t keep us from being home with our children most days.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There is so much to see in Utah, that it would be difficult to show a visitor everything in a week, but I would start with showing them around Salt Lake City. I would show them the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) temple square. I would take them to eat at the Roof, which is an upscale gourmet buffet with a beautiful view of the city. After visiting Salt Lake, I would take them to southern Utah to explore the national parks. Southern Utah is so beautiful and different than most any other place in the world.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
When we created Brighten Blades, we wanted them to be very inspirational. Each knife has a positive word engraved on the blade, and a positive quote that goes along with it. Our entire family has been very supportive of our business. One thing that is extremely important, and personal to us, is my mom’s (Diane Carver founder of Brighten Blades), grandma, mom and sister all passed away from Breast Cancer. This is the reason we did the Hope knife and donate a proceed of the profits to breast cancer organizations.

Website: brightenblades.com

Instagram: Brighten Blades

Facebook: Brighten Blades

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.