ABOUT US
How We found ourselves on the rugged road
Born from Innovation, Inspired by Your Adventures
Rugged Road embodies toughness and determination, qualities reflected in both our brand and our community. Founded by Spencer in 2016, the journey began with an innovative idea sparked in a high school chemistry class. Inspired by a military-grade blast-proof spray, Spencer saw the potential for creating a durable, ultralight cooler. After rigorous home testing and overcoming some financial hurdles through a successful Kickstarter campaign, Rugged Road was born, dedicated to creating high-performance coolers that adventurers could rely on.
From Classroom to the Campsite: The Rugged Road Journey
From humble beginnings, Spencer turned his vision into reality by personally testing the first cooler prototypes and funding the project through various odd jobs. The Kickstarter campaign was a hit, surpassing its goal within 24 hours, and Rugged Road's initial product, the Onitis 45, quickly sold out. Today, we offer a collection of coolers and accessories that are even more durable, practical, and customer-focused than ever before.
2016
Where It All Began
Witnessing a demonstration in one of his high school classes of a military-grade spray with remarkable resilience, Spencer saw potential in bringing this resilience to consumer products. This led to the inception of Rugged Road, with a vision to create ultralight coolers that could withstand extreme conditions.
2019
Kickstarting a Revolution
Spencer launched his first Kickstarter campaign, introducing the world to the Onitis 45 cooler. The success of the Onitis 45 laid the foundation for expansion, prompting Spencer to seek new investors and manufacturing partners to scale operations.
2021
Evolution of Innovation
Building upon the success of the Onitis 45, Spencer and his team launched the Rugged Road 65. This new version includes enhanced features such as a drain plug, stainless steel latch, and improved handles while still maintaining its hallmark ultralight construction.
2022
Redefining the industry standard
Spencer and his team launched the Rugged Road V2 collection. This collection elevated the coolers to new heights with enhancements such as baskets and dividers and a more robust coating for increased durability, solidifying Rugged Road's reputation for reliability and innovation in the outdoor gear market.
EVERY COOLER HELPS PROVIDE CLEAN DRINKING WATER
10% of Rugged Road’s annual profits go directly to the Rugged Road Foundation to build wells around the globe, ensuring clean, reliable drinking water for underdeveloped communities.
Meet the Team behind rugged road
We're more than just a cooler company. We're a team of outdoor enthusiasts, adventurers, and problem-solvers who are united by a shared passion for exploration and a love of the great outdoors. We believe in pushing boundaries, challenging the status quo, and creating gear that empowers you to do the same.
KASEY
Director of Brand ExperienceKasey was born and raised in Georgia, but graduated from the University of Roll Tide in 2021. She was Rugged Road's first full-time hire and wears many hats with the company - you've probably worked with her in some way shape or form, whether you're a dealer, customer, vendor, or anything in between. In her free time, she's probably pursuing her next fitness milestone!
WILL
Director of SalesWill is a Louisiana native, but now finds himself in a town of 900 in Southwest Montana. He is the youngest of seven kids and graduated from LSU (Geaux Tigers!).
This isn't his first rodeo when it comes to building a cooler start-up from the ground up. He has quite the resume, and is the epitome of kickin' ass and taking names!
ROBERT
Director of OperationsRobert has been on the Rugged Road with us since the earliest days of the Onitis 45. He was working at a warehouse in Atlanta that we used to fulfill some of our very first orders (looking at you, Kickstarter customers!) and has been a pivotal part of our success. We are stoked to have him as a full-time employee in house.
WYLIE
Manager of SalesWylie is an Atlanta native and still lives in the Atlanta area. He spent many years in Tech Sales before deciding he wanted to take a leap into the cooler industry. Now he's selling good times instead of software!
On the weekends you can find him at the lake, on the golf course, or watching the New Orleans Saints play.
SIMON
Chief Financial OfficerSimon has spent half his life in the UK and half in the US. He has worked in finance and operations in multiple industries in businesses of all shapes and sizes and has a depth of consumer products experience. He loves his kids, soccer, sunsets and wicked smart coolers. You’ll find him on a tennis court or sitting on top of a mountain staring at the stars when he’s not doing his thing for Rugged Road!
PHILIP
Chief Marketing OfficerPhilip was born and raised in the Atlanta area but recently moved to St Petersburg, FL to enjoy more time outdoors and on the water. He has extensive experience growing consumer product brands with a focus on the outdoor, pet, and health and wellness industries.
On the weekends Philip is more than likely playing with his kids, on the water, or diving into his next outdoor adventure. In the fall, every Saturday is spent watching the Tide roll.
SPENCER
Founder and CEOSpencer was born and raised in Georgia and has a passion for the outdoors. He has been an entrepreneur for as long as he can remember. It all began with lemonade stands as a boy, and then he started a 6 figure t-shirt business with his brothers as a 14 year old. As a student at UGA (Go Dawgs!), when he wasn't hanging off the side of buildings washing windows, he was working on the foundation of Rugged Road. He has poured his heart into this business and spends nearly all of his time working on it. In his few minutes of free time, Spencer can usually be found scaling a mountain somewhere in the Southeast or kayaking down some white water rapids (with a cooler in tow, of course).