GH Unders keep you dry on Grays Harbor

When you ask Mario and Ben Winkelman about comfort, they have a lot to say.

The father and son duo co-own Grays Harbor Unders, an undergarment apparel line with a downtown Hoquiam storefront where the Hoquiam Aquatic Center used to be.

The building has traces of its past, with the “no diving” warning still painted on the floor of the store’s warehouse, along with signs reading “men” and “women” above what were once showers for pool goers and now serve as fitting rooms.

Today, however, the space is GH Unders headquarters, where the Winkelmans focus on selling undergarments with dual layer, moisture-transfer fabric that keeps customers dry and warm in order to endure the cold and wet climate of the Pacific Northwest. The company’s location, 717 K St. in Hoquiam, serves as a retail store as well as GH Unders’ warehouse and distribution center.

Mario Winkelman first looked into creating comfortable garments in 1972 while doing manual labor in the forests of the Olympic Mountains. He realized that different fabric combinations would help him stay cool while doing his work and started to conceptualize ideas for a product.

Years later, Winkelman, a motorcycle rider, created an undergarment for riders that would allow them to ride for long periods of time without discomfort or damage to the skin.

“I wanted to give that liberation to anyone who has their heart set on motorcycle riding,” he said.

The motorcycle pants went to market in 1999 through LD Comfort, a product line owned by Tri Monte group. Although the pants were a step in the right direction, Winkelman knew there was an opportunity to do more.

He wanted to focus on making garments for people other than just motorcycle riders.

“For years we have been known for our motorcycle garments. The rest of the population, I think, was getting robbed because they were still buying single-layer polyester wicking garments that do not keep your skin dry,” he said.

In 2005, Mario and Ben began selling undergarments through LD Comfort. The GH Unders storefront and online store opened in 2013 and now sells garments for athletes, outdoor workers, and your everyday Harborite, including under shirts and pants, headbands, arm sleeves, and even skivvies for handguns, small waterproof pouches that keep your weapon dry.

Although GH Unders products might resemble those of Under Armour or Nike, both of the Winkelmans want customers to know that their products are not only different from those of major manufacturers, but better.

For one, other garment companies do not use dual layer fabric, making the inside of their products wet, whereas GH Unders promises customers that their Hoquiam-based clothing line will remain dry against the skin, no matter what the conditions. GH Unders pants also don’t have any seams in their seating areas, ensuring that customers will never sit on a wrinkle or fold. It is also possible to preload the garments with water as a cooling technique.

“We don’t get the name that’s synonymous with popularity, but you need to try it (the product) and then you’ll understand. We think that there’s a good strong market for those people who will understand that these are superior and they will last for a long time and then say, by performance, we will beat anybody who walks in the door. With any kind of testing you do, we will win. And in the long course of things, that’s what we’re counting on,” said Mario.

Ben Winkelman added that supporting GH Unders is a great way to support the Grays Harbor community.

“When you buy a garment from us, you’re supporting local industry. Your neighbors, friends, the people that work here,” he said.

For a locally owned business with only nine employees, GH Unders has made a name for itself across the United States and beyond, shipping products to Australia, Africa, England and Canada among other areas. The company, however, has yet to establish foreign distributorships, due to the cost. Currently, GH Unders does all of its shipping through the U.S. Postal Service.

The company also wants to tap into new markets in the medical field as it tries to expand its consumer reach. However, Mario said they need time to make a plan to do that.

“We know that the markets are there. They’re huge, but, being the very small company that we are, we need to manage our resources very carefully so our growth is at a point where we are building a foundation that is solid and can stand some growth when we get there, we will do that,” he said.

“Sometimes, for example if you’re going to market something to people that do use this in a wheel chair, they might like a different name or a different brand. It’s nice to be able to do R and D here so we can figure out problems on the spot. If someone comes in with a challenge, we like that,” Ben added.

In terms of what the future holds for GH Unders, Mario said there is unlimited potential for both the company and Grays Harbor County as a whole.

“The whole idea of this being a depressed area, this isn’t a depressed area. We just need to be a little innovative when it comes to making jobs for ourselves. And there isn’t any reason Grays Harbor can’t be the performance base layer capital of the world,” he said.

“The people here deserve to have the best. I love the people here, this is where I’ve lived almost all my life. I picked this place out of many, many others because of the great people that are here and the land. My heart’s here and with the people. It bothers me to see them putting on inferior garments.”