I'm going to say...Smirnoff. Yep, it's definitely Smirnoff.

Believe it or not, even though he sports a name worthy of an Italian designer, Luc hails from…get this, Ohio. He didn’t know it then, but his high school activities were the precursor to his current job situation. You see, in the 9th grade, Luc was arrested along with nine of his friends for filming a home grown version of Jackass. It seems that the Westerville, Ohio Police Department was not too keen on a bunch of adolescents running around town doing self-depreciating stunts for a camera and deemed it as “Disturbing the Peace.” Disturbing indeed. And to top it off, they actually had to go to a Scared Straight class on the importance of not being a jackass.

After high school, Luc continued his education and has a degree in architecture. He was looking for a summer job while visiting his soon to be wife and saw an online job posting for a designer. According to Luc, it read something like this: Wanted, cool art dude who can wear flip flops, drink massive amounts of alcohol while sitting behind a computer and creating kick ass t-shirt designs for the Greatest Military and MMA Apparel Company in the world.

Jackpot!

Luc was the perfect fit and his first day on the job, coincidently, was also the first and last Whisky Thursday for RU. After his summer gig was up, Luc went back to Savannah to finish out school but just knew that RU was where he belonged and after getting his masters in Architecture he moved to area to begin the constant pestering of Nick for a full time position. In the end Nick finally gave Luc the go ahead to become the in house designer and the rest is history.

Luc explains that Ranger Up has a unique way of finalizing its designs. It all starts with an idea that is usually pitched during a creative meeting. Luc loves the fact that everyone in the shop has an equal voice when it comes to shirt ideas. He has the ability to take that random idea and transform it into a bad-ass design. After Nick approves the designs, it gets posted on Facebook where you, our fans, get your say in it. If you haven’t realized already…we read to what you post, and take your criticisms seriously. It may be tweaked several times until it is just right and then BAM, your wallet becomes lighter…it’s like magic!

T-shirt design isn’t the only thing that Luc is responsible for. The tags on the t-shirts, banners and general artwork for the companies of Ranger Up are also created under his watchful eye. The broad spectrum of work that he is faced with on a daily basis is one of the things that he loves about working with Ranger Up. You never know when Luc is going to slip a little humor into his designs (here is a hint, make sure you read the tags for your shirts…depending on which design it is, you may find a little surprise).

While Luc may have the eye for awesomeness printed on a shirt he still doesn’t have a freaking clue as to what a good Vodka tastes like. Don’t believe me? Check out this little ditty from Nick and Tommy Batboy challenging him to a taste off. Luc has also been known (in case you haven’t seen the pictures) of stripping down, jumping fences and dodging security, just to take a dip in the Atlantic, at Virginia Beach, in November! Let’s all say it together…Under the Influence!

No matter how you present it, Luc’s designs are pretty bad-ass but the humble view of Luc sums it all up. “I’m just a designer, man; with an opportunity to create shirts for some pretty fucking awesome fans”.

Continuing our Meet the Staff series, meet Alexis Bucholtz also known as Lex, Accounting Analyst for Ranger Up, American Sin Bin, and Unapologetically American. Originally from New Jersey, Lex had to accept the job at Ranger Up two years ago because her audition for the Jersey Shore didn’t go so well because:

1. She is German and not Italian
2. She refused the spray-on tan and
3. She actually kicked some major ass as a Marine and can handle her alcohol.

Yes, I know it is hard to believe that this little cutie was a Marine, but that’s just the beginning. She’s also a rugger, playing flanker for the Raleigh Venom and will zero in on your ass from 300 yards and blind side you with a fury of Bryan Urlacher proportion.

Everyone at Ranger Up Headquarters still can’t figure out how Lex was placed in the accounting position in the first place as it was either the fact that she was a Marine and can do anything or that she was a Marine and too stupid to realize that she can’t do everything and had no idea what she was getting into. Either way, Lex is kept busy by Nick and Tommy who, according to her, are spending way too much money on bourbon and Swedish Fish. Most days you can find Alexis in front of her computer, trying to manipulate the numbers to make Tommy bigger than he actually is (she still hasn’t found the right formula and don’t think she will any time soon).

Since leaving her beloved Corps a few years ago and trying several other work environments, Lex has finally found a home in RU. There’s nothing like being “balls deep” and having immediate understanding of what she is trying to convey as opposed to blank stares of disgust. Lex is known around the shop as the Mother Hen, making sure that everyone is sane and policing up those who fall behind during Whiskey Thursdays.

Lex is uber-excited about the new American Sin Bin brand and can’t wait to get from behind the computer to start planning its evil take over of the world…mu hahaha! She is particularly looking forward to the future design and release of rugby jerseys and shorts as ASB expands the products from just t-shirts to an all-encompassing rugby line. She is really looking forward to taking ASB to the 7’s tournament in Las Vegas early next year, getting the word out that there is a new kid in town and they are looking to kick some ass.

Expect to see more of Lex in the future, about the only thing that could stop her from her success are cliffs, dehydration, and hemmorhoids.

Ayla (the tall one) sporting her Freedom Isn

Outback Steakhouse has good taste. When country superstar Tim McGraw pulled out of their Afghanistan tour, Armed Forces Entertainment gave Outback three replacement acts to choose from. They Chose Ayla Brown. Even if you’re a fanatic of American Idol (like Nick and Tommy), you’re probably saying, “Ayla who?”

Ayla Brown is an awesome singer who was shafted on American Idol Season 5. But instead of go away whimpering, she vowed to shove a hot poker up Simon Cowell’s ass and prove him wrong by reinventing herself as a successful recording artist. Four years later, she’s released 3 albums and left Randy Jackson in a lake of regretful tears for not signing her.

Being the daughter of a US Senator, Ayla bleeds patriot red, white, and blue. After becoming successful, she never forgot what’s important and volunteered for Armed Forces Entertainment so she could head into the sandbox and entertain our troops. Last November, Ayla visited Camps Leatherneck, Dwyer, and Dellarom in Afghanistan to perform concerts for the Marines there (No Army camps? WTF?). Ranger Up respects that, so when we got wind of it, we sent a bunch of shirts along for her to give away.

Troops can see right through an entertainer who comes to a combat zone just to get a photo op. They’re not like the Toby Keith’s and Gary Sinise’s who volunteer to go downrange more times than most soldiers do. The photo op types are the ones who are too scared to leave the safety of the wire and are forced to be there by their parent company so they can say they support the troops. They’re fake.

But not Ayla. She thrived in the sands of lower Asia and the smell of spent gunpowder. “It was one of those experiences that changed me,” she says. “The guys there appreciate everything. The little things mean so much to them because they live with the bare essentials. It makes me appreciate what I have and when I came home I got rid of things that I felt were unnecessary.” Like her Paula Abdul action figurine. It’s just unnecessary.

Ayla’s our kind of gal. Here are a few other reasons why.

She was one of the best female basketball players in Massachusetts high school history. There’s no point to that statement. We just think basketball chicks are hot. Ever see Rebecca Lobo? Google her.

Her father is the first Republican Senator from Massachusetts since like 1800. He won Ted Kennedy’s old seat. Allegedly the first time he sat in it, he sank three feet into its well-worn ass and Congressional staffers brought him beer.

The Marines in Afghanistan let Ayla fire a few weapons and then set off an explosive charge that had a picture of Simon Cowell on it. She detonated it with extreme prejudice, screaming “DIE GAS PUMPER” the whole time. Hot.

She wrote a song called Unapologetically American on the plane ride home from Afghanistan, which was inspired by our apparel. That’s kick ass.

She likes purple, which is the color of Joint operations. So did Catherine the Great…and she tamed the Russians.

When we asked her if she would go back to Afghanistan, she said “Hells yeah! Send me!”

Check out Ayla’s website here

Devil Dog Brew

ManuMission Skin Care

No Quarter

Thredz Unlimited

The Yellow Bowl Bakery

Brinestone Computers

Available in three sizes, grab the one that works for you.

Make sure to check out the Oath of Enlistment Shirt at RangerUp.com>>

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