CALHOUN & THE CREW

Surround yourself with good people.

MEET THE TEAM

Founder and Owner Sarah Calhoun

Sarah Calhoun

Founder & Owner

Sarah came to start this company with a degree in Environmental Science and five years experience of teaching outdoor education and working manual labor jobs. She designs the products, manages production, financing, marketing and sales.

Store Manager Kami Freeze

Kami Freeze

Store Manager

Kami and her entire family moved to White Sulphur in 2018. Born and raised in southern Idaho, Kami loves to work on the ranch with her husband and three boys. In her spare time, she loves to do crafts…though spare time seems to be spare these days with all the going-ons at the Red Ants Pants Shop! We are thrilled to have Kami as part of the team!

Executive Strategist Brianne Rogers

Brianne Rogers

Executive Strategist

Bree has been a loyal customer since her sister’s premier in the (in)famous ‘Truck Commercial.’ As our de facto COO, she keeps our systems running and helps Calhoun to identify and achieve goals. In the fall, she can be found upland bird and waterfowl hunting with her dad. She lives in Bozeman with her black lab, Foxx.

Communications Director Kathy Weber Bates

Kathy Weber Bates

Communications Director

Kathy brings more than a decade of experience as an award-winning journalist to the team and is devoted to telling the Red Ants Pants story on every platform, including campfire sing-a-longs. Kathy and her husband, Joe, consider themselves blessed to be raising their two young children in Griz Country. They can be spotted playing in the dirt, camping, floating & fishing the Blackfoot & Bitterroot Rivers.

Production Manager Alayna Rasile

Alayna Rasile

Production Manager

Alayna is native Montanan, a textile artist, apparel designer, costumer, and educator. After a long stretch of living in and around NYC and working in the fashion and textile industry- she moved back to Montana to consult for a variety of small domestically manufactured apparel lines. Alayna has her own line called Absorka which periodically releases capsule collections of hand painted, naturally dyed, one-of-a-kind pieces.

Christie Dobson

Sales Collaborations

Born and raised out of east Tennessee and the western North Carolina areas, Christie Dobson found her home in Bend, Oregon because of kayaking. She has 25 years of sales and marketing experience in the outdoor industry, working for brands like Patagonia, Oregon Timber Trail, and Bronwen Jewelry. She spends as much time possible exploring the mountains, rivers and trails while also working to find ways to help protect them.

Amber Painter

Sales Associate

Originally from Athens, Georgia, Amber graduated with a degree in Forestry from UGA. Her career has spanned seasonal work for the US Forest Service and Montana Fish, Wildlife, & Parks to full time administrative work with National Park Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and Farm Service Agency. You’ll find her traveling as much as possible, attending concerts, hiking, camping, horseback riding, and gardening. Amber lives in White Sulphur with her wife, Kelcey. They have three dogs, Sophie, Henry, and Bette and a horse, Owen.

Sales Associate Terri Hanson

Terri Hanson

Sales Associate

Born and raised in Butte, Terri grew up a city girl, but always wanted to be a country girl – and she got her wish! She lives between White Sulphur and Belgrade, Montana with her husband and considers herself a full-time or part-time rancher…depending on the week or day you ask. She has two married sons and two grandkids. With over 50 years of retail experience, Terri is a vital asset to the Red Ants Pants team. One of our many favorite things about her – “Once you’re my friend, you’re my friend for life – no questions asked.”

Judy Berg

Sales Associate

Born and raised in Billings, MSU Bobcat alum Judy has called White Sulphur home since 1983. She’s raised four (great) kids here, loves staying active in local organizations, retired from the US Postal Service after a 35-year career, and somehow also has time to romp with her dog and two horses. Judy spends her free time enjoying all that Montana has to offer: camping, boating, skiing, and spending time with family and friends. After visiting her in the shop, be sure to stop by Berg Garage for great customer service and to say howdy to her husband, Jay!

Pat Bennett

Sales Associate

Pat was born in Wild Wonderful West Virginia and now lives in Belgrade, Montana. She has been a physical therapist for 37 years and has a passion for helping others. As she and her husband gradually embark upon retirement in Montana, she is enjoying hiking, cross-country and downhill skiing, traveling, always learning, meeting and getting to know new people, and spending time with family. Pat is the matriarch of an incredible family, each member a dear friend of the colony; we feel so lucky to have so many of The Bennetts in Montana!

Lisa Ceremsak

Sales Associate

Lisa lives in Bozeman, but loves her getaways up to White Sulphur. She loves anything to do with water, especially hot spring soaks and sculling on any still water she can find in Montana. To her husband’s chagrin, she drives her 25’ long rowing shell on top of their car all summer long — just in case…

Graphic Designer Annie Bailey

Annie Bailey

Photography & Graphic Design

Annie Bailey is a photographer, artist, and graphic designer, as well as a native Montanan. She grew up on her family’s ranch just outside of White Sulphur Springs and knew from an early age that a life in the creative field was what she was going to pursue. Annie attended the Art Institute of Colorado, living in Denver for several years before moving back to Montana, where she is most at home. Her childhood spent admiring the landscapes and seasons of Montana’s countryside has influenced her art and design greatly and she enjoys mixing her traditional roots with modern design.

OUR BOARD OF ADVISORS

Red Ants Pants Board of Advisors

LEFT TO RIGHT: Sarah Hamlin, Alan Deibert, Richard Siberell, Sarah Calhoun, Mark Terwilliger

Here at Red Ants Pants we believe in mentors. We have learned that it is a really good idea to ask for help from the wise folks who have paved the way before us. We have annual board meetings and regular gatherings, often floating the beautiful Yellowstone River. This board has so much incredible skill and experience in business planning, product design, sourcing, and production, and we are constantly humbled by their generosity.

MEET CALHOUN

Calhoun’s Bio

Sarah Calhoun has two decades of leadership experience in both the non-profit and small business sectors, working in the outdoor education industry before founding Red Ants Pants in 2006.

Raised on a farm in rural Connecticut, Calhoun was inspired to move to Montana by Ivan Doig’s This House of Sky. From her home in the small town of White Sulphur Springs, she has become an inspiration to entrepreneurs nationwide and is known for her dedication to supporting rural communities.

Tired of wearing men’s work pants that didn’t fit, Calhoun designed pants that would fit, function and flatter working women. Red Ants Pants are made in the USA and that will not change. Red Ants Pants is based out of White Sulphur Springs, Montana where the storefront, distribution center, and international headquarters all reside in an historic saddle shop. Known for their grass roots marketing efforts, including ‘Tour de Pants,’ the direct sales business model is proving effective.

Calhoun’s grit has brought her enterprises national recognition over the years – in 2018 she was named to the Montana Business Hall of Fame and the Festival received the prestigious Event of the Year award from the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development. In 2016, featured in The New York Times and The Huffington Post. In 2015, selected as one of only 100 businesses nationwide to participate in the Small Business Majority’s Small Business Leadership Summit in Washington, DC. In 2012, named the National Women in Business Champion for the Small Business Administration. In 2011, invited by President Obama to attend a White House forum on jobs and economic development after serving as a US Delegate to the APEC Women in Business Summit in San Francisco. Closer to home, she was honored when Governor Schweitzer named her the 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year for the State of Montana. Calhoun and her company have been featured in many national publications including Entrepreneur, National Geographic, Delta Sky, Country Woman, and Sunset.

Calhoun has been called a “revolutionary figure in rural business today” and a “powerhouse of inspiration for women in business.”  Her dynamic style and inspiring experiences as an entrepreneur make her a highly sought after keynote speaker.  She has given two TEDx talks, dozens of keynote addresses, and has been featured on national television programs such as CNBC, CNN, and Bloomberg.

As Calhoun has risen to the top echelons of success as a rural entrepreneur, she is paying it forward by actively encouraging and mentoring other women starting their own businesses.

Calhoun spends her free time enjoying Montana’s great outdoors, cutting firewood, hunting, and camping. She lives in White Sulphur with her dog Nellie.

Awards & Recognition

  • YWCA Billing’s Salute 2020’s Woman of Achievement
  • Montana Business Hall of Fame inductee. August, 2018.
  • Outside Online features on the rise of women’s workwear. June & October, 2018.
  • The Red Ants Pants Music Festival is named the 2018 Event of the Year award from the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development. April, 2018.
  • Helena College commencement speaker. May, 2017
  • Intel #SheOwnsIt featured business woman. April, 2017.
  • MSNBC ‘Made in the USA’ segment feature and TV interview. February, 2017.
  • Featured in The New York Times and The Seattle Times. October, 2016.
  • Featured in The Furrow, John Deere’s agricultural journal. March, 2016.
  • 2015 Small Business Majority’s Small Business Leadership Summit delegate, Washington, DC. Only small business representing Montana and one of only 100 businesses selected nationwide to participate. May, 2015.
  • 2015 Young Alumni Achievement Award for Career Development and Service, Gettysburg College.

Calhoun with U.S. Senator Steve Daines

Calhoun with U.S. Senator Jon Tester and former U.S. Senator and U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus.

Calhoun with former Montana Governor Steve Bullock.

  • Featured in Airstream Life Magazine. Spring, 2015.
  • CNN interview featured on “Growing America,” an HLN and Holiday Inn original series. January, 2015.
  • National Geographic “Best of Montana in Fall: Shopping” feature. Fall, 2014.
  • Television interview on “Bloomberg Surveillance” discussing Red Ants Pants’ success and MBA’s Across America. September, 2014.
  • CNBC “On The Money” interview highlighting Red Ants Pants’ work with MBA’s Across America – a non-profit that facilitates MBA’s to help small business. August, 2014.
  • Delta Sky Magazine, featured interview in the Montana profile. August, 2014.
  • TEDx Talk Presenter, Whitefish. January, 2014
  • Featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Doing Good Section. September, 2013.
  • Bozeman 20 Under 40 honoree. December, 2012.
  • 2012 National Women in Business Champion, U.S. Small Business Administration.
  • 2012 Women in Business Champion for Montana and the Region, U.S. Small Business Administration.
  • 2011 Entrepreneur of the Year for the State of Montana, awarded by Governor Schweitzer.
  • Invited to the White House and featured on the White House website for a Forum on Jobs and Economic Development. November, 2011.
  • Served as a US Delegate to the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) Women in Business Summit in San Francisco. Hosted by U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. September, 2011.
  • TEDx Talk Presenter, Gettysburg College. April, 2012.
  • Cover of Country Woman Magazine. Feb/March, 2011.
  • Featured in Sunset Magazine. April, 2007.