Founded in 2016 as American Responder Designs, we are now American Responder®, a brand owned and operated by Emergency Responders and Veterans. Our objective is to offer outstanding products and designs for First Responders, while supporting evolution and education.
I founded American Responder in 2016 after making designs that fellow responders loved. My journey began as a volunteer firefighter in Pennsylvania in 2005 and grew into a career that included 12 years as an Army firefighter and 10 years with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department in Maryland. Along the way, I trained in Urban Search & Rescue, hazardous materials, and other emergency response disciplines.
In 2023, life forced me onto a different path. After years of pushing myself physically and mentally, I stepped away from emergency services. In the years that followed, I was diagnosed with PTSD, Chiari I malformation, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Autism, and ADHD—answers that brought a new understanding to both my past and my struggles.
What initially felt like an ending became a period of transformation. I began learning that sometimes growth isn't about pushing harder—it's about letting the old version of yourself, or mindset, fall away so something new can take its place. Something that better serves the whole.
Today, that transformation continues through American Responder. I'm returning to my roots, creating with greater intention, and finding a new way to serve the community that shaped so much of who I am today.
The path changed. My purpose didn't.
