Thanksgiving Trip
Once the three finalists were selected, Skinz reached out and invited them and their families to the new Skinz facilities in Arizona for Thanksgiving. “We wanted this to be a Thanksgiving that we would all remember,” Hawksworth said. “Not just our finalists, but us, too.”
“There were so many great stories and we are so grateful for all of the nominations that we received,” Tammy Hawksworth, co-owner of Skinz, said. “But at the end of the day, Buddy, Josh and Andrew stood out. These guys’ stories were incredible. We were moved by what they had overcome in their lives, and we really couldn’t wait to meet them.”
The finalists were Buddy D’Agostino of New Hampshire, Joshua Krueger of Wisconsin and Andrew Koenig from Wyoming. The guys quickly pointed out that it was no coincidence that they all happened to be Marines. The date was set and travel plans were made for a Thanksgiving in Arizona.
“That’s when things got even more interesting,” Miller said. “Jeff sent me an e-mail and told me that the plan had changed a little bit, and that he and his family decided that each of the finalists was going to win their own snowmobile. I was floored.”
Everyone convened in Phoenix and spent the Thanksgiving weekend getting to know each other. And then the time came to announce the “winner.” Hawksworth told his story about Skinz and how the company was built out of hardship and he shared how important it is to operate his company with heart, integrity and goodwill. The finalists went on listening to their new friend and the winners were loosely announced. Hawksworth tied up his talk by saying, “Here’s the deal. You are all winners.”
D’Agostino jumped up first and started high-fiving and hugging Krueger and Koenig. But then they paused and looked at Hawksworth with bewilderment. “Wait. What?” They all thought that Hawksworth meant that they were “all winners at life,” but who wins the sled?
That’s when Hawksworth announced they would each receive a Skinz Helium custom snowmobile tailored to the region and riding conditions back in their home states. D’Agostino and Koenig got Arctic Cat M chassis snowmobiles and Krueger got a Arctic Cat Crossfire. The winners and their families got up and tearfully hugged each other and everyone in the room shared in the excitement. It was truly a Thanksgiving to remember.
Now that winter is in full swing across most of the country, keep a lookout for these unique sleds. Stop and talk to these guys and get to know them. This is the kind of thing that our community does best.
“Skinz is all about reaching people’s hearts through snowmobiling, and we are excited to promote these guys and watch them pay it forward for our industry and our community,” Hawksworth said.
We couldn’t agree more.