Meet the Spirit of 1876 Team
Get to know the people behind Spirit of 1876—a passionate team of outdoor enthusiasts dedicated to helping you gear up for your next adventure.
From building rigs and testing gear to helping customers find the right setup, we’re committed to delivering quality, reliability, and expert guidance every step of the way. We believe the best products come from real adventure, which is why everything we offer is chosen with performance, durability, and practicality in mind.
At Spirit of 1876, we’re more than just a shop—we’re a community built around adventure. Meet the team that’s here to help make the most of every journey.
Meet the Team
Mike Gentile
I’ve always loved the outdoors and camping and as I had kids I wanted to keep the adventure alive. This led to series of trucks, vans, tents and trailers as I dialed in the perfect set up. Tons of research and hands on experience learning the pros and cons to it all. There’s a lot of choices in this industry and it seems as though the pandemic brought us even more. We’ve consolidated the top brands and have done all the research so you don’t have to. Our main goal is to help individuals and families of all skill sets to get outside and enjoy the outdoors. It's good for the soul, check the data! However we didn't want to just be a rad gear shop, we wanted to give back to this beautiful state we call home. That’s why we plant trees with OneTreePlanted & that’s why we follow the “Leave it Better” motto, because after all, we want this paradise to be around for our kiddos. That’s the Spirit of 1876.
The Rest of the team
Des Gentile
The behind-the-scenes force keeping everything running — operations, logistics, and the back-end work that keeps Spirit of 1876 moving.
Corey Hendricks
Shop manager and our in-house barista — Corey keeps the shop running day-to-day and pulls the espresso shots during our Rigs & Coffee events.
Jake Padilla
Our community events, marketing, and social media guy — Jake's behind the videos you see from Spirit of 1876 and helps run our events.
Leo
Our shop dog and the kindest greeter you'll meet — say hi next time you stop by the showroom.
Des Gentile
The behind-the-scenes force keeping everything running — operations, logistics, and the back-end work that keeps Spirit of 1876 moving.
Corey Hendricks
Shop manager and our in-house barista — Corey keeps the shop running day-to-day and pulls the espresso shots during our Rigs & Coffee events.
Jake Padilla
Our community events, marketing, and social media guy — Jake's behind the videos you see from Spirit of 1876 and helps run our events.
Leo
Our shop dog and the kindest greeter you'll meet — say hi next time you stop by the showroom.