Jim Aparo had been a sound engineer and roadie for various Omaha bands for more than 30 years. Earlier this year, he and his sons launched Aparo Custom Cases, putting into action three decades of experience in the care and transportation of musical equipment.

The idea for Aparo Custom Cases was five years in the making. He spent the bulk of that time messing around with various road cases and storage in his garage with sons Jess and Mim — both of whom perform in the Omaha rock band Anthems. Their partnership with Paul Wagner in April 2015 brought Aparo Custom Cases to life.

Since its inception, the team has grown to seven, producing custom work for Omaha bands See Through Dresses, Arson City, Your Last Chance and more. Mim says the business has helped forge valuable, previously unforeseen music industry connections.

We sat down with Mim at the Aparo workshop to get the scoop on his father’s road experience and crafting custom work for acts of all genres.