This will be my final letter regarding Maroon Bell Outdoor. Mid to late next week, the company will be dissolved.

As business goes, this is heartbreaking for me.

I founded Maroon Bell Outdoor ten years ago, on a cold January morning, in a one-bedroom apartment, before the sun came up. Today, in our family home, on a warm February afternoon, I am letting go.

There were clearly macroeconomic factors that played a role in our ending, but I cannot emphasize enough that our eventuality was not determined by any one factor. The story of this company is as complex as a life. You can suffocate yourself by hypothesizing the past and re-engineering events, but when something reaches its end, you must let go.

My north star for Maroon Bell from the very beginning was to bring regard back to consumers. I believe we did this through better products and better customer service.

I feel nothing but gratitude for the fact that, in this country, I was able to build a company from nothing without interference. The end was never promised. I always knew that and was fine with it. What we deserved was the inalienable right to walk into the arena. For over 3,700 consecutive days, I stayed in that arena and lived my dream of founding a company. No regrets.

I know it sounds cliché, but none of this was possible without all of you. I will never forget it. This company was our relationships, conversations, and journeys together. So again, thank you.

Going forward, I will walk into another arena. I can promise you that I will never stop, and I hope that whatever your dream is, you make that same commitment to yourself. What we do in life is not judged by the outcome alone, but by the way we fight for our dreams.

My final comments: light overcomes darkness. Do not be a victim. Do not let politicians or anyone else turn you into one. That mindset is corrosive and will slowly erode your experience of life. We can have any future we dream of, but it must be together. There is no other way.

Thanks for everything,

Jeremy Dougherty

If you need to reach me in the future, I can be contacted at Jeremy@Dynamic5280.com.