The natural gas boom from the Marcellus Shale has made it possible for a variety of local start-up companies to get involved, some of them having quite the entrepreneurial spirit. One such company out of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, Briggy Bandz, is using their product to raise money for charities across the country and help our military overseas.

I am now the proud owner of Briggy Bandz, a service company for the natural gas industry offering a cooling device for workers. It all started when my husband, a Frac Operator for one of the largest companies, came home soaked in sweat. You see, no matter the temperature, these individuals wear layers of proper protective equipment (PPE), including heavy Fire Resistant clothing to keep them safe. Companies offer a variety of rules, training and procedures to help keep the workers cool on site, like mandatory breaks every twenty minutes once the heat index hits over 100 degrees, but he still told me stories of the guys dumping ice water down their FR coveralls, just to stay cool.

That night I stayed up making his entire crew bandz, two for each of them. After his crew loved them and said they worked, my husband told me to contact Oilfield Camo. I was doubtful they would even contact me. Within two months licensing contracts were signed and fabric was in my office. We began advertising, as Justin worked as a graphic artist prior to falling in love with the roughneck life. We started with a popular website for oilfield wives called: www.rigwives.org.

The orders started and we now work with non-profit organizations. We offer $1-40% of the proceeds of predetermined bandz. Most recently we have started a fundraiser for Amber Gardner, who lost her roughneck, Brent “Midget” Gardner, in a fatal car accident returning home from his rig location. $1 from every bandz sold is being donated through the “Chip In” website created for the family. We work with organizations like the Caleb Regenski Memorial Fund, Ryan “Superman” Roberts, Autism, Down Syndrome, Law Enforcement (Concerns of Police Survivors, C.O.P.S.) and more!  Superman Bandz are offered in memory of Ryan Roberts who recently died from Congenital Heart Defect and lived his short life with Down Syndrome. He inspired an international Banana Split Craze. His story was featured on Headline News, Yahoo News and many other stations. His mother created a bucket list and asked everyone to eat a banana split in honor of her son and to just cherish the moments with your family.

Also, for the month of October, we’ll be donating 35% of available funds to breast cancer awareness. We also have the option to donate a bandz to the military for a discounted price. Full definitions and links to the above organizations can be found on their individual pages in our store.

Briggy Bandz are activated by soaking your bandz in water in the refrigerator. You can also place your bandz in a cooler if you’re on the go–or on site! The bandz contain a bead that helps them stay cold for hours. We have hundreds of patterns available including Oilfield Camo and MTL Holdings, and we create a custom fabric (including your logo) for an additional cost. Additionally, we can create a custom color combination to match FR uniforms and offer discounts for “crew orders” of eight or more. We also have hard hat pockets which are placed inside a hard hat to hold the bandz in place.

I am thankful for the oilfield and the hard working men and women who work in it, as they allow me to help other organizations, the military and law enforcement-both close to my heart. I am a proud rig wife–proud enough to include “FR coveralls in my vows”.

To view all of our designs and organizations we support, please visit our website at www.BriggyBandz.com. To contact us please email us at briggybandz@mail.com.