Hello and Welcome!
Thanks for checking out Mainspring Product Solutions! I’m Gina, founder, chief strategist, analyst, process guide, fabric freak and general product enthusiast (as well as janitor, receptionist and all those other glamorous hats small business owners wear).
I love creating product. It involves analytics AND creativity. For me, that is an absolute dream. However, for many people and companies balancing big data and creativity can be difficult. How do you turn today’s data into tomorrow’s amazing product?
Strategy.
Synthesizing feedback and insights to inform the product creation process is a critical step that can also be the most difficult. It requires boiling down copious amounts of data and opinions into a clear vision, strategy, and plan. Strong personalities and voices can often turn this step into a political exercise. Sometimes an unbiased, agenda-free point of view is just what’s needed to move things forward.
Passion.
One of the reasons I started this company was because I noticed the experiential aspect of product creation was on the decline. Thoughtful, enduring product requires an understanding of the activities, environments and conditions it serves. I truly believe that to make great outdoor product, you need to get outdoors! Field testing is a real thing. It inspires and informs. At Mainspring, we are analytical end-users driven to create products that encourage and facilitate outdoor adventures.
Collaboration.
I also saw a growing chasm between business teams and product teams. Today, companies have access to astounding amounts of data, but determining its value and role in the product creation process can be difficult. It requires collaboration. Sales and marketing live in the moment. They focus on empirical data, and anecdotal information to provide valuable insight regarding retail and customer needs and behaviors of today. Product is living in the future. They are trying to anticipate needs and wants relying on observation and intuition. They are creative problem solvers. Great product is inclusive of all forms of analysis and requires strong dialog between teams. A clear vision for the future is built on an understanding of the past and present. Mainspring can be the communication catalyst needed to help teams chart a course for future success.
So, whether you are looking for evolutionary expansion or revolutionary change, we can help your company grow through better process and better products.
Let’s make something amazing together!
The Team
Strategy | Planning | MERCHANDISING | PROCESS
Gina Werner
Writing about yourself is hard. Writing about yourself for your business site is really hard. I wrote a few versions of this in third person, so it would maybe sound like I hired a fancy web design company complete with a copywriter. Then I wrote several versions in first person, but they all felt forced and flat.
So I decided to keep it simple and hope that we have the opportunity to meet in person and get to know one another.
I love being outdoors and almost any activity that takes me there. I have been working in the outdoor industry for almost 15 years and I am grateful that I get to do this for a living.
DESIGN
Rachel Luthy
Rachel Luthy is an Idaho born, mountain-loving designer. Obsessed with all things outdoors, she has somehow found herself transplanted into the hustle and bustle of city life in San Francisco. A multifaceted designer with over 10 years of experience, Rachel has designed for brands in the Outdoor, Active, Motorsports and Hunt/Fish industries. Most recently she designed for The North Face. She is passionate about thoughtfully creating functional pieces that meet the specific needs of the customer. With her formal education in Textile Design, she brings a wealth of materials knowledge to the table, and has a keen eye for color and print. She gets geeky about the little things, and loves infusing discovery details into her construction and trim design.
When she isn’t busy in the studio, she loves traveling to far-away places (preferably those with really delicious food) and hiking tall mountains (preferably those without many people).
Rachel is available for freelance work and and is collaborating with Mainspring when the need and opportunity arises.
You can contact her directly at luthy.rachel@gmail.com or get in touch with us at Mainspring for full service project needs including design.
Color merchandising
Dawn Rae Knoth
Dawn Rae makes stuff look good. For more than twenty years she has provided brands with trend analysis, stunning color palettes and powerful merchandising stories. She helps companies build impact and increase sales by delivering the critical link between creative direction and business goals.
Dawn Rae has successfully run her own company focused on these skills since 2002. She is an all-star collaborator!
You can contact Dawn Rae directly for color merchandising services at knoth@dawnrae.com or get in touch with us at Mainspring for full service project needs including color merchandising.
Check out more of her work at: www.dawnrae.com
Branded | Graphic Apparel
Laura Grzyb
Laura’s background in graphic design and her experience in retail and color merchandising make her a powerful asset when putting together logo programs and graphic-driven apparel. Her passion for the outdoors, hunting and fishing help her understand brands in this space and create meaningful messaging through design.
You can contact Laura directly for branded apparel needs at laura@cutbankcreative.com or get in touch with us at Mainspring for full service project needs including branded apparel.
Also check out the Grzyb’s amazing fly-fishing lodge at www.bozemanfishinglodge.com