Meet Your Maker - IGWM's Zach Richards
I’ve known Zach almost literally forever. He is my younger brother by five years, and growing up he was always following close behind in my footsteps. Although we didn’t spend a lot of time together, I always knew` that he looked up to me. The sports I played, he played - the music I listened to, he listened to. I’ve always been proud to be his brother and hoped I had something to do with the person he turned out to be.
A few years back, near the holidays, IGWM was receiving orders faster than we could fill them. Zach was home from school, so I asked him if he would be interested in helping out for a few weeks. It seemed like a good way to kill two birds with one stone - get the orders out on time and spend a little extra time with my baby brother. Win, win.
It turns out Zach excels at this type of work. Now, a full-time team member, Zach works alongside Samar as our production manager. Almost all of what comes to you from In God We Must has passed through Zach’s hands - he’s a huge part of what we do and I’m thrilled to have Zach be part of the IGWM family, as well as my actual family family.
If you ask him, Zach will tell you that the Pioneer Spirit is about breaking new ground, about going where others haven’t and making a difference. Last year Zach teamed up with an organization called Kosovo Hope in a town called Suharekë to run an English camp for locals. About 200 students reliably turned up to learn from the team, and were able to connect personally and share their stories on a level that they hadn’t been able to previously.
Zach’s experience with IGWM has ignited a passion for making things and led him to change the course of his studies at Kennesaw State from physics to mechanical engineering. One day you’ll most likely find him wrenching on a Formula 1 racing team, or tooling around on a ship headed to the farthest reaches of the solar system - but for now we’re happy to have him in our humble camp.
Having family around is great. Having family like Zach around is incredible. I’ve had the unique opportunity to watch my little brother grow from someone who imitated me at every turn to being his own man with his own dreams and aspirations. Getting to work with him is a privilege. We wouldn’t be who we are without him.
Until next time,
- John, Founder of IGWM
P.S. We're still looking for members of the IGWM family to feature in these inbox profiles. If you have a story that embodies the Pioneer Spirit, we want to hear it. Get in touch with us and let's talk.