Tenhold, formerly Jotto Desk, launches multiple products

A brand of the Rogers-based manufacturer Kiefer Sage recently changed its name from Jotto Desk to Tenhold as the company expands its line of vehicle products for the public safety sector.

Kiefer Sage also recently rebranded from Assembled Products Corp. and consolidated its operations into a more than 118,000-square-foot building at 405 W. Easy St.

Bill Sage founded Assembled Products Corp. in Rogers in 1983. Sage died in March 2024 after battling cancer and lung complications. He was 79. The company is led by his daughter, President Erin Kiefer.

Along with Tenhold, the company’s other brands include the first electric shopping cart, Martcart, and pressure-washing system, Spraymaster.
Kiefer Sage CEO Justin Sparks, a former Tyson Foods executive, was hired in 2024 to lead the company’s growth.

Sparks said the name Jotto Desk referred to a desk on which one “could use to jot things down in their vehicle.” It can help keep things from being lost or becoming projectiles in a vehicle, such as during a pursuit.

“The product line and the offerings grew beyond this mobile desk set up years and years ago,” Sparks said. “What we found in the marketplace was that Jotto Desk was not known like we wanted it to be for all the amazing products we have put out there from the safety, police and security perspective.”

This led to a rebrand to Tenhold, which is now the name of its products and the business.

“It’s a way more encompassing name and set up,” Sparks said. “It allows us from a brand perspective to go a lot of different directions.”

Tenhold recently launched a new generation of vehicle-mounting systems compatible with brands such as Ford, Chevrolet and Dodge. As part of the launch, Tenhold also released a new gun lock. The new mounting systems and gun lock are “designed to be more universal and versatile for the officers in the field,” Sparks said. “The biggest thing we saw too was accessibility, comfort — a lot of these things, regardless of if it’s a mount, gun rack, console, the needs of the officers sometimes are overlooked. Low cost tends to win, and low cost can be great until all the sudden it comes as an inferior product. And we’re in the business of making great products.”

One of the new products is a suppressor lock head for its weapons mounting system. He said the lock head fills a gap in the market, allowing officers with suppressors on their AR-15s to secure their firearms.

The reliability of a previous generation of the lock was tested in August 2022 when someone broke into a Mississippi state trooper’s vehicle and attempted to take the AR-15 inside. The person shot out the back window and tried to steal the weapon by shooting the lock twice at close range with a 9mm. By the time the trooper arrived, the shooter had fled, and the AR-15 remained secure in the lock.

Sparks said listening to officers in the field talk about how they loved the lock but wanted a way to secure their suppressor led Tenhold to create the new lock.

SOLUTIONS PROVIDER
Until about six months ago, Sparks said the company didn’t offer a push-bumper, and they are on about 80% of patrol cars.

“We really do want to be a total solutions provider,” he said. “For police specifically, that means tip to tail of a police car.”

Now, Tenhold offers a best-in-class push-bumper, he said. Its reliability was recently tested at the Arkansas State Police Precision Driving Training Facility at Camp Robinson in Little Rock. The test included performing precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuvers, which officers use to stop vehicles during pursuits.

“At over 20 interdictions with our push-bumper, we basically stopped testing because it just kept holding up and holding up,” he said. “For comparison purposes, the average may be in the low single-digits to mid-single digits. That’s the kind of innovation we want to bring to market – the good quality, strong, reliable, safe innovation,” he added. “And that extends all the way to the back of the vehicle.”

Another product the company recently added was a cargo box for officers to store their gear.

RELIABLE PRODUCTS
He said consumer insights are important to the quality of its products, and the company continues to improve them by seeking consumer feedback. Making a push-bumper to withstand the impact it’s been tested for is an example of the company’s ability to create reliable products that stand out in the market.

“That’s the kind of quality we’re looking for throughout,” he said. “That’s the quality that Jotto Desk has already previously built on, but we just want to amplify that in a big way for Tenhold.”

He noted that this doesn’t necessarily mean the lowest cost. “We don’t want to be known for just good enough,” he said. “As a former Army officer myself, I know how far good enough can take you, and sometimes it’s not enough.”

Sparks said its prices vary by product line, from cup holders to lock heads and push-bumpers. He added that as new products are released, their prices are comparable to the market but may not be the lowest.

“We are very much in the range,” he said. “And that’s some of the feedback we’re hearing from the field is, ‘Hey, you’re in the range. And you know what, for this type of quality, we’ll gladly invest.’”

The agencies that use the products want something that lasts and does not have to be replaced every year or every other year. Tenhold’s top sellers by volume are its consoles. He declined to provide revenue numbers but said the company is poised for growth because of its product variety.

Kiefer Sage has about 139 employees, and Tenhold accounts for 40% to 50% of that number. This includes marketing, sales, engineering, design and assembly staff, all in Rogers.

MADE IN ROGERS
Tenhold’s products are assembled in Rogers and support agencies in more than 25 states, including Arkansas. Clients include police departments and outfitters for police departments. The outfitters include those who exclusively serve the agencies or car dealerships that install the products on the side.

“It requires us to have relationships at all levels,” Sparks said. “We’ve got a really good, seasoned sales team that’s been doing it for a long time. They’ve grown this business … 2X and beyond during their time here. So we’re leaning on some history. We’re leaning on some new innovation, thought process, consumer insights, and we’re pairing all that together into a pretty cool business.”

Sparks said the company has a good relationship with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, which has tested the company’s products and provided feedback, and the Arkansas State Police, which helped the company test the push-bumper. Tenhold looks to continue to build on its relationships. Sage initially launched Jotto Desk after a friend, an area sheriff’s deputy, told Sage that he struggled to keep things in his vehicle in place during a pursuit. Sage wanted to help, and it was the start of Jotto Desk.

“It’s grown out of that single idea, and then grew and grew,” Sparks said. “Over the past 15 to 20 years, it’s really kind of taken off and grown beyond … one product and one need, be it prisoner transport, weapons security … the ability to store and hold, which is kind of where the name Tenhold comes from, in part, that need just became greater and greater. It really developed into what was a product idea into a whole business venture beyond that.”