Local Company Energizes Health Workers

HI, THIS IS ERIC EICHER, PRESIDENT OF ALPINE BANK IN DURANGO. WE’RE GOING TO BRING YOU BUSINESS MATTERS AND HIGHLIGHT LOCAL ENTREPRENEURS AND CREATIVE BUSINESSES IN ENJOY MEETING YOUR NEIGHBORS.A SPORTS DRINK MADE IN DURANGO FOR ENDURANCE ATHLETES NOW IS PROVIDING ENERGY FOR FRONTLINE MEDICAL WORKERS NATIONWIDE AS THEY BATTLE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE FOR BUSINESS MATTERS. WHEN JEFF VIERLING CROSSED THE FINISH LINE OF HIS FIRST-EVER ENDURANCE EVENT, THE LEADVILLE 100 MOUNTAIN TRAIL BIKE RACE, HE TANKED…BIG TIME. RATHER THAN ENJOY THE ECSTATIC CONGRATULATIONS OF HIS FAMILY, HE BURIED HIS HEAD IN A TRASH CAN, SICK FROM NAUSEA. VIERLING’S GREAT LEADVILLE BONK INSPIRED HIS HUNT FOR A BETTER ENERGY DRINK, THAT 18 YEARS LATER,  HAS BECOME A FAVORITE OF ENDURANCE ATHLETES WORLDWIDE. AND NOW, IT’S FUELING HEALTH-CARE WORKERS ON THE FRONTLINES OF THE PANDEMIC. JEFF VIERLING AND HIS WIFE, JENNY, ARE FORMER TECH-INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS WHO FOUNDED TAILWIND NUTRITION, A DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE ENERGY SUPPLEMENT MADE FROM DEXTROSE, SUCROSE, ELECTROLYTES AND ORGANIC FLAVORINGS. WHEN MIXED WITH WATER AND CONSUMED AS DIRECTED, IT’S QUICKLY ABSORBED BY THE SMALL INTESTINES TO PROVIDE A STEADY SOURCE OF ENERGY WITHOUT WEIGHING HEAVILY ON YOUR STOMACH. JEFF DEVELOPED THE POWDER IN HIS DURANGO KITCHEN, TRYING DIFFERENT INGREDIENTS AND COMBINATIONS AS HE RESEARCHED THE SCIENCE BEHIND ENERGY SUPPLEMENTS. WHEN HE THOUGHT HE HAD THE RIGHT FORMULA, HE SHARED SOME WITH FRIENDS. THEY KEPT COMING BACK FOR MORE.

WHENTHIS STARTED, IMEAN IT WAS JUST MY I WAS TRYING TO SOLVE MY OWNPROBLEM. I WAS TRYING TO START A BUSINESS OUT OF IT, AND YOU KNOW,THIS BEING DURANGO, OF COURSE, LIKE, I SHARED IT WITH OTHER PEOPLEAND, AND THEY KEPT COMING BACK AND SAYING, HEY, CAN I HAVE SOME MORETHAT STUFF? AND I WAS MAKING IT ON JENNY’S GRANDMOTHER’S KITCHENAIDIN OUR KITCHEN, JUST POWDER EVERYWHERE, AND THEN, KIND OF PUT IT INZIP LOCKS AND THEN MEETING PEOPLE IN PARKING LOTS AND HAVING ENOUGHBAGGIES OF WHITE POWDER. AT THIS POINT POINT, I WOULD NEVER IMAGINETHAT WE’RE KIND OF SITTING HERE AND HAVING THIS CONVERSATION. ITHOUGHT I MIGHT BE ARRESTED.

THE MAYBE-WE-HAVE-SOMETHING-HERE MOMENT OCCURRED WHEN THE VIERLINGS RECEIVED A NOTE FROM AN ENDURANCE ATHLETE WHO HAD TRIED AND FAILED FOR MORE THAN A DECADE TO COMPLETE A 100-MILE BIKE RACE.

SHE’BEEN TRYING TO GET TO THIS GOAL FOR A DECADE OF TRAINING, YOU KNOW,SHE’S BEEN TRAINED FOR A DECADE AND HAD NEVER BEEN ABLE TO DO IT, ANDSO, JUST LET HER DO IT AND SHE FELT GREAT, AND, AND, SO THAT’S WHENWE KIND OF LOOKED AT EACH OTHER, LIKE, WOW, HUH? YOU KNOW, MAYBETHERE’S SOMETHING HERE THAT ALLOWS PEOPLE ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS.

THE VIERLINGS BEGAN MIXING AND PACKAGING TAILWIND NUTRITION POWDER IN THEIR KITCHEN, SENDING ORDERS TO ATHLETES WHO LEARNED ABOUT THE ENERGY DRINK FROM OTHER ATHLETES ON SOCIAL MEDIA. WHEN THEIR PRODUCT WAS FEATURED ON A PODCAST PRODUCED BY TRAIL-RUNNER NATION, THE GENTLE BREEZE OF ORDERS TURNED INTO A GALE-FORCE WIND.
WE WERE GRASSROOTS-DRIVEN FROM A MARKETING STANDPOINT. AND THE BEST WAY TO SELL TAILWIND WAS FOR PEOPLE JUST TO TALK ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THE PRODUCT AND ON SOCIAL MEDIA. PEOPLE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT, AND YOU DIDN’T SEE LIKE, LIKES AND SHARES, AND IT KIND OF JUST CREATED ITS, ITS OWN MOMENTUM. IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE WERE REALLY FORTUNATE TO APPEAR ON A PODCAST TRAIL RUNNER NATION. AND WE CAN REALLY POINT TO THAT PODCAST AS A MILESTONE FOR US, BECAUSE IT EXPOSED US TO THOUSANDS OF TRAIL RUNNERS WHO WERE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THEIR STOMACH, AND THEY GAVE TAILWIND A TRY. AND THAT’S REALLY HOW TAILWIND DISTINGUISHED ITSELF, THAT THEY REALLY ADDRESSED THE STOMACH ISSUES THAT A LOT OF FOLKS WERE HAVING. AND THEN, YOU COMBINE THAT WITH THE SIMPLICITY OF THE PRODUCT, AND IT WAS REALLY A GAME CHANGER.TODAY, TAILWIND IS MANUFACTURED IN A PLANT IN BAYFIELD. HEADQUARTERS IS AN OFFICE AT THE SMILEY BUILDING. BUT THEIR CUSTOMERS LITERALLY SPAN THE GLOBE. TAILWIND PRODUCTS ARE SOLD THROUGH THEIR WEB SITE AT TAILWIND NUTRITION DOT COM, ON AMAZON DOT COM, THROUGH MORE THAN A THOUSAND RETAIL STORES NATIONWIDE, AND IN NEARLY 30 COUNTRIES. TAILWIND ISN’T JUST FOR ATHLETES, EITHER. FANS OF THE NUTRITIONAL DRINK ARE ADAPTING IT TO FUEL THEIR ENERGY FOR ALL KINDS OF ACTIVITIES THAT STRETCH OVER LONG HOURS WITHOUT A BREAK.
WE’VE HAD PEOPLE TELL US THEY USE THIS FOR COLONOSCOPIES BECAUSE IT’S A CLEAR LIQUID. SO COLONOSCOPY PREP. WE’VE HAD PEOPLE USE US ON THEIR BIG WEDDING DAY WHERE THEY CAN’T, THEY CAN’T EAT ANYTHING AND BECAUSE THEY’RE SO NERVOUS, BUT THEY CAN GET DOWN TAILWIND, AND THEY’VE BEEN USING IT FOR CHEMOTHERAPY. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF INTERESTING USES OUTSIDE OF THE ENDURANCE SPORTS SEGMENT, WHICH WE ORIGINALLY TARGETED, THAT ARE USING TAILWIND. SO REALLY ANYTHING TO KEEP YOU ENERGY ENERGIZED AND HYDRATED, AND TAILWIND IS A GOOD APPLICATION THAT WORKS FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. A LOT PEOPLE USE IT FOR HIKING BECAUSE IT’S JUST, JUST GIVING YOU A KIND OF STEADY ENERGY ELECTROLYTES. YOU JUST YOU DRINK IT IN PLACE OF WATER, AND IT JUST ALLOWS YOU TO KEEP KIND OF GOING WITHOUT, WITHOUT GETTING THEM DEPLETED OR HUNGRY.
NOW, TAILWIND IS FUELING HEALTH-CARE WORKERS NATIONWIDE. WHEN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HIT THE COUNTRY, TAILWIND CUSTOMERS WROTE THE VIERLINGS ABOUT THE NEED FOR EASY-TO-CONSUME NUTRITION FOR HEALTH-CARE WORKERS WHO WERE PUTTING IN LONG HOURS TREATING PATIENTS, OFTEN WITHOUT MEALS. TAILWIND ANSWERED THE CALL AND DONATED MORE THAN 11 THOUSAND INDIVIDUAL DRINK PACKS TO 55 HOSPITALS IN NEW YORK, CALIFORNIA, WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA, NEW ENGLAND, OHIO, AND COLORADO, INCLUDING MERCY MEDICAL CENTER IN DURANGO. THE COMPANY RECENTLY LAUNCHED AN ONLINE DONATION DRIVE TO HELP FURTHER FUEL THE MEDICAL COMMUNITY. FOR EVERY PACKET OF TAILWIND NUTRITION THAT YOU PURCHASE FOR MEDICAL WORKERS, TAILWIND WILL MATCH YOUR DONATION. IF YOU’D LIKE TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE CAUSE, VISIT TAILWIND NUTRITION DOT COM. I’M WENDY GRAHAM SETTLE. THANKS FOR WATCHING BUSINESS MATTERS, BROUGHT TO YOU BY ALPINE BANK, MEMBER F D I C, AND THE LOCAL NEWS NETWORK.