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About

Meet Our Founders

Hubert Rowland

Co-Founder

Hubert Rowland "'Everyone's Favorite RedNek" is a leading force in the world of UTV racing and recreation. He is a trusted advisor to athlete influencers and corporations in the powersport industry and has built a powerful brand by demonstrating the ease of use, functionality, and fun of side-by-side UTVs to a diverse group of outdoor recreational enthusiasts. As the right hand man of Travis Pastrana and a core member of Nitro Circus, Hubert has been instrumental in carrying out the early vision of that iconic adrenaline sport organization. He is a “good ol’ boy” from Tennessee who has a keen mechanical intelligence and a deep understanding of what it takes to produce the world’s leading action sport stunts.

He is a renowned track builder for some of the world’s leading sport promoters including Supercross. Monster Jam, Nitro Rally Cross, and several others. His relationship network is vast and he always shows up with his infectious humor and a heart to help. He single handedly funded the RideSafe organization for the past 4 years, and is deeply committed to shifting the public culture to one of riding safe.

Kristen Almer

Co-Founder, Executive Director

Kristen co-founded the RideSafe Foundation after the loss of her 11-year-old nephew, Logan Almer in an ATV accident. Kristen has had a powerful and lasting influence on the Powersports industry. Over the past 30 years, she has worked with some of the world's most prestigious and influential athletes, race teams, sanctioning organizations, and the corporations which support them —both on the road and off. A big picture thinker, she is adept at identifying growth opportunities, forging critical alliances, and sourcing funds for new projects. Kristen has tirelessly researched ATV and UTV data since 2013, and has a library of information related to powersport injuries and fatalities, particularly as it relates to children. She has also built a powerful network of organizations and dedicated individuals who strive to solve the problem of powersport safety.

Andre Smith

Fine Artist

Far far away, behind the word mountains, far from the countries Vokalia and Consonantia, there live the blind texts. Separated they live in Bookmarksgrove right at the coast of the Semantics, a large language ocean. A small river named Duden flows by their place and supplies it with the necessary regelialia. It is a paradisematic country, in which roasted parts of sentences fly into your mouth.

Meet Our Board

Hubert Rowland

Co-Founder

Hubert Rowland "'Everyone's Favorite RedNek" is a leading force in the world of UTV racing and recreation and has built a powerful brand in the powersport industry by demonstrating the ease of use, functionality, and fun of side-by-side UTVs to a diverse group of outdoor recreational enthusiasts.
● Head mechanic and right-hand man for world-renowned adrenaline sport athlete and 17-time X Games Medalist, Travis Pastrana
● Contributor to leading brands; Can-Am, SuperATV, IBEXX, MAGNA1, BIG FRIG,
● Engineering mastermind and stuntman for Nitro Circus, working on such projects as Nitro Circus The Movie, Action Figures, Action Figures 2, and Evel Knievel Tribute Show on History Channel.
● Expert track builder for Nitro Circus, Supercross, Monster Jam, X Games, and several others

Garret Pair

Board Member

Garret Pair is President at Refratechnik North America, Inc., a refractory specialist for the cement, lime, pulp & paper, steel, and aluminum industry. Garret is a passionate powersport enthusiast dedicated to achieving goals and helping others. He has a consistent track record of exceeding goals through strategic planning, developing marketing tools, creating new customer relationships, and increasing profitability. He enjoys learning, sharing ideas, and inventing new, more profitable ways to connect creatively to customers.

Greg Love

Board Member

Owner of nationally recognized Brimstone® Recreation, LLC, which manages and promotes the recreational use of over 19,196 acres nestled in the remote wilds of Northeast Tennessee and located in the Heart of Appalachia. With over 300 miles of OHV trails and roads with numerous overlooks and culture exploration points of interest. Brimstone is an outdoor recreation company offering the adventure seeker the ultimate outdoor experience. Greg is a passionate powersport enthusiast who is diligent about safety and committed to the mission of RideSafe.

The data is clear

Powersport equipment sales are dramatically on the rise— and increasingly accessible to a misinformed and untrained public, particularly for children who are quick to ride yet have no comprehension of the risks associated with powersport recreation. Moreover, many adults are unaware of the risks associated with powersport equipment. They frequently model unsafe behavior, like the failure to wear a helmet, which perpetuates dangerous behaviors in children.

As an industry we are good at talking about fun and adventure and driving sales. We have also greatly advanced product performance, ease of use, financing, and OHV accessibility.  All wonderful, yet we have a great deal of work to do in shifting the culture to safe and responsible riding— and setting a standard of safety first as many people mistakenly assume they are qualified to participate in powersports with no uniform and without training.

We know the solution, and we must start talking about it, normalizing powersport safety conversations, and express that it is good to care for and look after one another.