Keeping the Small Business Dream Alive

Dear Friends of RES,

We have some news below that may come as a surprise or discouragement to some of you.

RES has always been dedicated to the very best Triathlon products and services. Period. Our primary goal has always been to invest in and build our local and Triathlon community. Rich, as you all know is the absolute best resource for Triathlon in the Sacramento Area, though we suspect he's incomparable a lot further afield than that :). We have absolutely loved serving you as the premier source for all things Triathlon.

But like Galadriel says in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings...."The Quest stands up the edge of a knife. (Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of it all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true.)" We are always honest with our customers. That honesty comes at a price. Sometimes that price is small and we discourage you from a purchase that isn't right for you. Today, the price is that we must be honest with you about our financial position. RES is struggling.

Call it bad timing, call it supply chain, call it a record-wet winter and spring - It's all of those! But the fact is that RES is looking for some help and advice from you, our very best customers. Our financial outlook is presently bleak and we frankly don't see how we will make it through this season. We, the partners, are carrying significant debt because of our dedication to and investment in your RES. We are now looking for some help and advice because you are the ones who make RES everything we have become - because you are amazing!

We are truly and humbly looking for help from you in a number of ways. First, if you haven't been in for a while, swing by and bring a friend. We always want to increase sales!

Second, make that purchase you've been holding off on!

Third, consider a much more intimate response, and donate to our go-fund-me page.

In raw transparency, even with fundraising, it's not clear to us that RES is viable beyond the end of our lease - approx. 1 year away. We will use any funds raised to reduce our debt and honor our obligations to the brands we all trust.

The rest depends on you. We are open to additional partners who may help us see our RES dreams come true. We are open to advice if you agree with us that small local businesses are worth fighting for. In the end, much depends on the industry not abandoning Triathlon to online sales, as it seems to be doing right now.

Thanks so much for being the best part of RES and let's continue to be great into the future!

Rich Burns

Lena & Aaron Alex

Scott & Becky Swinton