In the News
Billings Gazette: Inaugural “Montana’s Best” to honor philanthropic, nonprofit impact
September 26, 2019: Sarah Calhoun, founder of the Red Ant Pants Music Festival, will give the keynote address at Montana’s Best. She’ll discuss the intersection of nonprofit leadership and philanthropy as it relates to Montana’s vitality and aspirations. Calhoun was named the 2012 National Women in Business Champion for the Small Business Administration, the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year for the State of Montana, and in 2018 Calhoun was inducted into the Montana Business Hall of Fame.
Learn moreWild Rockies Field Institute: Red Ants Pants: Here Begins a Revolution! By Anna Heinen
October 21, 2019: Before we can browse for too long, the shop dog, Nellie, bursts out of the door at the back of the shop and enthusiastically greets us all. Sarah follows, tall, strong, and smiling in a way that seems to welcome you to be yourself. After introductions, she begins to tell us her story. In an ideal world, clothing and equipment would be made for bodies, not genders. Sarah’s line of clothing exemplifies this revolution in the outdoor clothing industry. Although still marketed as “women’s pants,” the way Sarah’s pants are sized is inclusive to all genders. When my classmate, Nick, asked if men ever bought Red Ants Pants, Sarah explained how she’d been wearing her dad’s old pants before Red Ants Pants and had managed to make them work, so she didn’t see why men couldn’t wear them too. Nick proceeded to purchase a pair.
Learn moreBillings Gazette: Guest opinion: Collaboration crucial for small businesses
November 16, 2019: In the world of business, too often the focus is on who is up and who is down. This competition seems to reach a fever pitch around the holidays as stores try to one-up each other with door buster deals. True enough, all businesses need to compete in order to better serve their customers. However, there’s a story of small business collaboration that is also needed to keep our economy diverse and strong.
Learn moreKXLH: The Base Camp & Red Ants Pants partner to encourage shopping “small” this holiday season
“As we’re heading into the holiday season for retail we decided to collaborate with some other small business owner friends,” said Sarah Calhoun, owner of Red Ants Pants. “It adds a whole ‘nother avenue of foot traffic that obviously we don’t have in really rural Montana.”Calhoun said she has been approached by large digital retailers to carry Red Ants Pants, but chose to support other small businesses this holiday season instead. “We’d rather keep things in the small business realm where we can support communities,” said Calhoun.
Learn moreKXLH: Red Ants Pants Pop-Up at the Base Camp in Helena Ad
Holiday collaboration of two small business owners! Local dollars spent stay local.
Learn moreBozeman Daily Chronicle: Red Ants Pants Nominated for Wright Award
Sarah Calhoun of Red Ants Pants, based in White Sulphur Springs, was just nominated for a national business award celebrating entrepreneurs in the outdoor industry. The Made-in-America women’s workwear company is the only Montana business selected for an official contender for the 2020 Wright Award. The Wright Awards showcase independent entrepreneurs who contribute to their communities and inspire outdoor stewardship.
Learn moreBillings Gazette: With appointments down, Billings hospital staff assemble masks and gowns in production line
Isolation gowns are also in short supply for many hospitals, which are used for COVID-19 patients when they enter treatment. Bozeman-based Simms Fishing and Red Ants Pants out of White Sulphur Springs began making washable and reusable gowns for hospital use. Billings Clinic Foundation dollars are also paying for the expense in producing the gowns, Duncan said. Isolation gowns can also be mass produced at Billings Clinic using special equipment. About 1,000 gowns have been made on-site, and 250 are produced daily. Billings Clinic also has 1,700 of the reusable gowns made by Simms Fishing and Red Ants Pants in production.
Learn moreKTVH: Red Ants Pants pivots to producing PPE for frontline workers
Red Ants Pants in White Sulphur Springs is known for the women’s workwear. But right now the company’s “Made in the USA” approach is especially important, as they pivot to providing personal protective equipment, or PPE.
Learn moreGreat Falls Tribune: ‘Like getting a blanket from grandma:’ Red Ants Pants supplies masks, gowns statewide
In just two months, Red Ants Pants manufactured and sold about 1,500 gowns and 3,000 reusable cloth masks to hospitals, dental offices, highway patrol units and other businesses statewide. Calhoun said manufacturing PPE in Montana is efficient and she is able to personally deliver some orders. “It’s classic Montana – taking care of your neighbors and communities,” she said. Red Ants Pants sold 50 gowns and a few hundred cloth masks to Mountainview Medical Center in White Sulphur Springs. Rob Brandt, CEO of the medical clinic, said the local PPE products are a source of pride for patients and staff.
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