How local man went from car lover to drum maker

Growing up in Deerfield, Mike Dorfman was one of those kids who enjoyed working on cars, playing the drums and inventing things. It's these characteristics that have driven him to run a successful musical instrument manufacturing company for the past 25 years.

Dorfman founded Trick Drums, a company that makes complete drum sets out of metal instead of how they are traditionally made - out of wood. His Arlington Heights company is the only one that makes them this way, he says.

His knowledge of cars gave him the ideas for the drums. "Our product line is so radically different from the way everyone else thinks about the music industry," Dorfman said. He added that he has seven patents, sells in about 25 countries and manufactures products for other companies.

"We do it all," said Dorfman, 50, who studied law at Arizona State University, but then discovered he could not see himself as a lawyer.

He started Trick Drums in Tempe, Ariz., and then moved the company to the Chicago suburbs to take advantage of the vast industrial and manufacturing base here.

"The Chicago area is the best place to build or make anything," he said. "Everything is here - material vendors, subcontractors and engineering talent," he said.

The company, with about 16 employees, also operates a 20,000-square-foot facility in Round Lake where all the machine work is done, he said.

Dorfman says the name of the business, Trick, is motor sport slang for the latest, coolest high performance thing, as in the expression "tricked out."

In fact, he participated in auto racing and was touring the U.S. with professional racing teams, not only as a crew member but also for a short time the youngest pro driver on the NHRA drag racing circuit.

He adds that it was his racing background and exposure to performance machined parts that was fundamental to the product designs at Trick.

He first created the snare drums with aluminum shells and then full drum kits, which go for about $2,500. He admits he has met some resistance to the drums made from metal, but says when musicians hear them, they are stunned with the good sound.

Dorfman says he doesn't get the chance to play as much as he used to, but played in a popular area band, The Soul Pigs, until a few years ago.

He admits that the music industry has been a tough one over the past five or six years. He said record sales are not what they used to be and bands are struggling.

"The music industry is going through a rough patch," he said, adding that other music accessories that he offers are helping drive business.