Support Rockgeist's Journey to Recovery

Lucy Kruesel is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Greg Hardy.

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Rockgeist Bikepack USA is an amazing team of 7 people who have been directly impacted by Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic flooding in Asheville, North Carolina, resulting in the inundation and destruction of their sewing shop. As of this publication date, the situation in Asheville and the greater region is dire, making it difficult to ask for anything beyond basic needs of food, water, shelter, and a shred of stability. The process of rebuilding still seems far from comprehension at this time. That being said, we are committed to buoy this group of makers, innovators, and bikepackers, who are facing a daunting and uncertain future.

The team is currently unsure of specific needs, and are focusing on essential tasks: caring for their families, their community, and themselves. They are grieving, connecting, helping, and healing. In the coming weeks, they will sort through rubble, assess machines, and begin to understand the full extent of the property destruction. What is clear: the damage is immense, and they need our support.

The road to recovery is going to be long – thank you for giving what you can for this journey. 150k is simply getting the Rockgeist family to a place where they can begin-- and next, assess the machinery, find a new place to rent, etc.

This page will evolve as the team gains a greater understanding of their challenges and the specific resources they will need to move forward. Rockgeist is a community-minded business which prides itself on supporting their neighbors in their business decisions and outreach; Rockgeist is committed to paying living wage with long-term benefits, and all seven workers (including the owner) are paid a similar hourly wage. Please consider donating to support Rockgeist Bikepack USA, an incredible company dedicated to the greater bikepacking community.

We appreciate your generous support -- and there will be many opportunities to contribute, with people power, spreading the word, etc. so if it is not available to you to donate money right now, please stay tuned and become a part of the story of recovery in whatever way you can! Stay tuned for updates by following this page and @rockgeist <3

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Statement from Greg Hardy, owner of Rockgeist:

There is no doubt the impact of this hurricane will be the most crucial point in our company's journey. Amongst all the destruction there is an opportunity, a path forward, that can lead to a rebuilt future that better serves our employees, customers, and bikepacking community.

We will use this as an opportunity to take what we have learned over the last 10 years and move away from some things, lean harder into some areas, and move in new directions.

These donations and encouragement play a significant role in creating our new path forward. We are forever grateful for this support and sincerely thank you for being part of our journey.

With gratitude,

Greg Hardy

Financial information (updated October 5th after cleaning out workshop):

Estimated loss in equipment, materials, and finished goods: $100k

Approximate loss of payroll and benefits: $30k/month

We worked in our 3000 sq/ft workshop for 8 years and used the space to work but also store our raw materials. For the most expensive items we had 6 machines go under in the flood and 3 more machines have motors that were submerged for about 20 minutes before we pulled them out (we are hoping to salvage those).

We lost about 700 yards of various fabrics. We are attempting to salvage (clean and sterilize) about $80k in buckles, webbing, zippers, plastics, etc. Not all of these materials can be saved. Almost all furniture that was not metal was scrapped.

The good news is that we did save enough fabric and essential machines (6 sewing machines). Also most of the welded equipment was in another room that was safe from the flood.

----> View this video of Greg inside the shop as the water subsided... narrating that the water line up to his shoulders, standing in the middle of the shop with a flashlight, water over so many machines.....

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My name is Lucy and I am proudly a former employee of Rockgeist. Rockgeist’s pillars of inclusion, sustainability, kindness, play, and wellness are an inspiration for how business can be run. I believe fiercely in the vision, leadership, and teamwork this crew has to offer the WNC outdoor industry and even more so the greater, global impacts of running a responsible manufacturing business and spreading accessibility for and the goodness of exploration by bike.