The Founder Seriesis a column by and about Utah founders and how they got to where they are today.Click here to read past articles in the series.
My family moved from Arizona to Utah when I was seven years old. My parents assumed everybody in Utah knew how to ski, so they signed my little brothers, my sister, and me up for skiing lessons right awaythe beginning of my love affair with Utahs great outdoors.
Ashlee Hinds and I launched our first Womens Epic race in 2021. We each bring different things to the table in a collaborative and creative way that has worked for us since day one. We have 10 years between us, and the age difference has worked out really wellI only notice it when building our playlist for the races. Ill ask her, Do you like this song by Fleetwood Mac or Nate Dogg? and shell say, Ive never heard of them, and then I remember were a decade apart!
Ashlees background is in fitness and marketing. I credit so much of our current path to Ashlee and her ability to think so far outside the box. Several years ago, Ashlees family owned Crazy Bobs Bair Gutsman, one of the hardest races on the Wasatch Front. She wears many hats and also serves as the race director for Womens Epic.
On founding a wool blanket company
I stepped away from the workforce after welcoming my daughter and son to the world. I had always wanted to start my own business. Doing it from home, in between naps and feedings, seemed like the perfect time to do so.
I began deep diving into the research of different trending markets, and thus, Lane & Mae, a luxury merino wool blanket brand, was born. I thrive on building a businessthe creation of a new brandand I love the early stages! My focus was on the quality of the merino wool while building a beautiful online and social presence. I was incredibly particular about the colors I carried, the dyeing process, and all the outsourcing details.
I launched, and numbers grew quickly on Instagram. Within a year, I caught the attention of a major luxury brand retailer. They were interested in carrying the brand, but to do so, I would need to scale in a big way. At that time, I didnt know how I was going to lead a team with two young babes at home, nor was I interested in doing so. However, I wanted to see it go to the next level. Offers started coming in, and I eventually sold my business within a year and a half of launching. Fast forward to 2019, I was busy consulting for small businesses to help ensure they had a social footprint, all the while continuing to research market trends hoping to find something new to spark my interest.
The launch of Womens Epic
In the spring of 2020, Ashlee and I were talking about our summer plans and the races we were hoping to participate in. That conversation was the aha moment. I had finally found another business opportunity that not only excited me, but I saw the long-term potential of it right away. Many brainstorming sessions followed.
Ashlee and I feel very fortunate that with Womens Epic, we have been able to create an environment where women can feel comfortable yet do something incredibly challenging together. I think weve really honed in on creating a memorable experience.
Weve often been asked why we launched during a pandemic, and I believe it comes down to knowing that humans, to their core, crave deep and meaningful connectionsmyself included. We believed sharing that connection on a mountain with so many incredible women was very much needed for so many that year.
There were so many unknowns, but when you believe something will be successful, you pull from that excitement and find a way. We started Womens Epic with the intention of getting more women in the mountains. It wasnt until after our first race that we truly realized how many women living in Utah, with mountains in their own backyard, had never experienced hiking or the feeling that comes with summiting a mountain.
Womens Epic really began to evolve from there. We discovered a gap in the trail running world, and we have become very proactive to start filling that void by giving more women the opportunity to get out on the trails.
Our first race was on July 31, 2021, at Brighton Resort up Big Cottonwood Canyon here in Utah.
Womens Epic sold out months in advance, unheard of for a first-year race. We also scored some big sponsors, including On Running and Pit Viper, from the get-go. I believe we were able to show them our vision in a way that resonated. Partnering with these major brands was a massive accomplishment that first year, and developing our relationship with them has been rewarding.
Read more:
How Jodi Horton co-founded the Women's Epic race - Utah Business - Utah Business
- REI Co-op to open first Buffalo area location next year - WBEN - October 27th, 2024
- REI Co-op is opening a new outdoor gear store in Sacramento area. Heres where and when - Sacramento Bee - October 27th, 2024
- First State Brewing Co. to open 2nd location on Coastal Highway in Rehoboth Beach - The News Journal - October 27th, 2024
- Canada Data Center Colocation Market Supply & Demand Analysis Report 2024-2029: Coverage of 111 Existing and 12 Upcoming Facilities Across 21... - October 18th, 2024
- Upper Michigan Today visits the new Keweenaw Co-op - WLUC - October 18th, 2024
- Ziply Exec Expects Colocation Offering to Be Popular in Rural Areas - Telecompetitor - October 18th, 2024
- Popular Southcoast bagel shop slammed on opening day in Taunton. What makes it special? - Taunton Daily Gazette - October 18th, 2024
- Global Colocation Edge Data Center Market Overview 2033 : Forecasted Market Size And Growth Rate - openPR - October 18th, 2024
- Keweenaw Co-op expands with new location - WLUC - October 18th, 2024
- Craveworthy Brands announces new co-branded location in Newark, NJ - Verdict Foodservice - October 10th, 2024
- Colocation Center Market Business Insights, Key Trend Analysis - News in Assen - October 10th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market Investment Opportunities and Forecast 2024-2031 - openPR - October 10th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market Massive Growth Opportunity Ahead As Revealed In New Report - EIN News - October 10th, 2024
- Natural Grocers Invites Highlands Ranch, CO Community to Grand Reopening at New Location on October 10, 2024 - PR Newswire - October 1st, 2024
- SEBI Closes Co-location Case Against NSE Without Further Action - NDTV Profit - September 15th, 2024
- Sebi clean chit to NSE, ex-MDs Ramkrishna, Narain and 5 others in co-location case - The Times of India - September 15th, 2024
- SEBI closes co-location case against NSE, former officials - The Hindu - September 15th, 2024
- SEBI closes proceedings against NSE, others in co-location case; decision clears path for IPO - Business Today - September 15th, 2024
- Chopt Creative Salad Co. to Open First Ohio Location at Eton Chagrin Blvd. - Cleveland Scene - September 15th, 2024
- Sebi disposes of case against NSE, its former employees in co-location case - Business Standard - September 15th, 2024
- SEBI disposes of co-location case against NSE, 7 others - BusinessLine - September 15th, 2024
- Sebi Reverses Stand On Co-location Scam - BW Businessworld - September 15th, 2024
- Sebi disposes of case against NSE, its former employees in co-location case - ThePrint - September 15th, 2024
- SEBI disposes of co-location case against NSE and others without any further action - ThePrint - September 15th, 2024
- Data Centre Colocation Market In-Depth Analysis with Booming Trends Supporting Growth and Forecast 2024-2034 - Future Market Insights - September 15th, 2024
- Cornish Pasty Co. to Open its First Tucson Location in a Historic Downtown Building - Tucson Foodie - September 3rd, 2024
- Are colocation data centers the right partner for universities to meet their sustainability goals? - DatacenterDynamics - August 23rd, 2024
- Identifying the Top 20 Markets and Locations for Hyperscale and Colocation Data Centers - Data Center Frontier - August 23rd, 2024
- Hudson Valley Seed Co. keeps flourishing in new Accord location - Times Union - August 23rd, 2024
- Minnesota's first Baskin-Robbins and Jimmy Johns co-location opens Saturday - Bring Me The News - August 23rd, 2024
- Ellensburg, Kittitas Co. announce new location for temporary cold weather shelter - AppleValleyNewsNow.com - August 23rd, 2024
- Co-location Scam: NSE Withdrawing Plea Against Sebi Order - BW Businessworld - July 28th, 2024
- Another Foxtail Coffee Co. Location Brewing in Georgia - What Now Atlanta - July 28th, 2024
- Data Center Trends: Industry Report Reveals Shift Towards Hybrid IT, Colocation - Data Center Knowledge - July 20th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation And Managed Hosting Services Market size is set to grow by USD 163.36 billion from 2023-2027, Rising demand for data center... - July 20th, 2024
- SONIC Drive-In to open co-located outlet in New Jersey, US - Verdict Foodservice - July 20th, 2024
- Tracking the Growth of the Edge Colocation Data Center Market - Data Center Knowledge - July 20th, 2024
- Wavepiston to study offshore wind, wave energy co-location with rsted - Renewables Now - July 12th, 2024
- Colocation Data Center Trends, Predictions, and Opportunities for H2 2024 - Data Center Knowledge - July 12th, 2024
- Leveraging AI with colocation and edge computing - Edge Industry Review - June 26th, 2024
- Leading co-working hub Huckletree set to unveil new location in the heart of the City - City A.M. - June 26th, 2024
- No New Co-Locations, a Victory Years in the Making - United Teachers Los Angeles - June 13th, 2024
- Mitra Chem and Sun Chemical Announce Joint Development of United States Iron Phosphate with Lithium Iron ... - PR Newswire - June 13th, 2024
- rsted invests in battery energy storage system co-located with Hornsea 3 Offshore Wind Farm | REVE News of the ... - REVE - June 13th, 2024
- ALX Community To Open Fourth Co-Working Office Location - Patch - June 13th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market Innovations Investigated by Size, Growth Forecast- Industry Outlook to 2028 - WhaTech - June 13th, 2024
- BarrieHaus Beer Co. wins World Beer Cup gold medal, announces plans for location in Pasco - Creative Loafing Tampa - June 13th, 2024
- Co-Locating COVID Vaccines, Infection Testing With Syringe Services Shows Success - Medpage Today - June 5th, 2024
- This Week In Food: Pasta Supply Co. Arrives In the Mission - SFist - June 5th, 2024
- - Launch of ASEAN Stone to provide for the rising demand from the commercial, residential, industria - AD HOC NEWS - May 27th, 2024
- Virginia's Aslin Beer Co. to open 1st location in Hampton Roads - 13newsnow.com WVEC - May 27th, 2024
- Messe Munchen Singapore announces the co-location of two-dedicated tradeshows for Southeast Asia's USD450+ ... - JCN Newswire - May 27th, 2024
- Hamlin Bank and Trust Co. celebrates opening of St. Marys location - St. Marys Daily Press - May 19th, 2024
- Shreve & Co. closing Union Square location after over 170 years - NBC Bay Area - May 19th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market Worth USD 58.4 Billion to 2031 - Exclusive Report by InsightAce Analytic Pvt. Ltd. - PR Newswire - May 19th, 2024
- HighGrain Brewing Co. will open second location in Springfield Township - WLWT Cincinnati - May 8th, 2024
- Why companies are turning to colocation now more than ever - DatacenterDynamics - May 8th, 2024
- Garsnett Beacon Candle Co. to open Saugatuck location Thursday - HollandSentinel.com - May 8th, 2024
- Solar, wind and storage co-location: Electricity cost reduction - Energy Live News - Energy Made Easy - April 24th, 2024
- Window and door company JELD-WEN to close Rusk Co. location, affecting over 300 jobs - WSAW - April 14th, 2024
- NHS Trust 'over-egged' think tank's support for new cancer centre - Nation.Cymru - April 6th, 2024
- Single-cell and spatial analyses revealed the co-location of cancer stem cells and SPP1+ macrophage in hypoxic ... - Nature.com - March 28th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market size is set to grow by USD 66.57 bn from 2024-2028, American Tower Corp., AT and T ... - PR Newswire - March 28th, 2024
- Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. is opening a Fenway location this week - The Boston Globe - March 20th, 2024
- Fastrack Technology's three keys to making the most of colocation - IT Brief Australia - March 20th, 2024
- Co-location agreement between the EU Delegation and Spain - EEAS - March 20th, 2024
- Browns Doughnut And Pastry Co. Opening Second Location In Bucks - Patch - March 12th, 2024
- Where District 5 Board of Education candidates stand on the charter school co-location issue - The Eastsider - March 4th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market to Reach $46.30 Billion by 2028, More than 5,175.6 MW Power Capacity to be Added in ... - Yahoo Finance - March 4th, 2024
- Rittal Announces Colocation Rack Initiative to Meet the Growing Demand for Colocation Market - PR Newswire - March 4th, 2024
- Sheetz to host grand opening of new Montgomery Co. location - WHIO - February 22nd, 2024
- Sheetz to host grand opening of new Montgomery Co. location - Yahoo News - February 22nd, 2024
- Pasta Supply Co. is opening a second SF location in the Mission - San Francisco Chronicle - February 22nd, 2024
- Educators and Families Win Limits on Co-Location - United Teachers Los Angeles - UTLA - February 22nd, 2024
- Co-working members' club The Malin opens wood-filled Nashville location - Dezeen - February 22nd, 2024
- Poplar Avenue retail location of Whimsy Cookie Co. closed; property to be demolished - Memphis Business Journal - The Business Journals - February 11th, 2024
- Data Center Colocation Market projected to hit USD 178.7 billion at a 15.3% CAGR by 2030 according to a new... - WhaTech - February 3rd, 2024
- Singapore Data Center Colocation Market: from US$ 1,543.9 Mn in 2021 to US$ 3,586.2 Mn by 2027 according to... - WhaTech Technology and Markets News - January 25th, 2024
- Simmtech preparing for another colocation investment with Micron: CEO Chun - Business Standard - January 13th, 2024
- Brunswick Co. Utility Billing moves to new location - WECT - January 5th, 2024