Cultivating a culture
Idea Ranch, named to Outside's "Best Places to Work," sets up camp in Durango

Next time you see a Carhartt ad, look a little closer. It could be your neighbor, co-worker or local barista. And it’s not by accident.

The ad campaign, and the use of good, old Durango yocal locals as models, was all the work of local advertising agency Idea Ranch. And to recruit willing models in a town where Carhartt is the unofficial uniform, they did not have to go far.

“I went onto the Durango Online Garage Sale Facebook page and put a call out and recruited a bunch of people from town as talent,” Colt Fetters, Idea Ranch brand manager, said. “We had 300 responses.”

And Carhartt isn’t the only one drawing from the local sporty modeling pool. Under Armour Outdoors, a newish line for the company, also recently used Durango locals and locales in a campaign orchestrated by Idea Ranch.

“Finding talent here is so easy,” said Fetters. And by “talent,” he means all you fit, active, outdoorsy types with healthy glows, goggle/sock/Chaco tans, and those world famous Durango calves.

Speaking of world famous, if you haven’t heard of Idea Ranch, it may be because they’re a relative newcomer to the Durango scene, opening up shop here only a few years ago. However, the company was founded more than 50 years ago by Paul Brothers in Tulsa, Okla. Brothers later branched out to Wichita, Kans., and eventually, Durango. 

If Durango seems like a big leap from Wichita, bear with us while we give the backstory. Brothers and his family had a vacation house in Crested Butte, where they often spent time. However, eventually Brother’s son moved to Durango, and, as is often the case, more of the family followed.

“They felt like Crested Butte no longer suited their needs, and Durango felt like this low-key mountain town,” Fetters said.

But Durango also filled another need for Brothers and Idea Ranch, which for years catered mostly to hunting and fishing brands.

“We were looking to get into more adventure sports,” said Fetters. “That was the big push for the office here, to give a Tulsa and Wichita company more DNA in the outdoors. Here, we’re run-bike-ski type of folks.”

And Fetters is no exception. A native of Washington State, he moved to Durango eight years ago and worked at Fort Lewis College’s Outdoor Pursuits program as a guide before coming to Idea Ranch. He does all the things: biking, skiing and casual lunchtime runs up Hogsback for fun.

In fact, workers at Idea Ranch – there are 75 overall, with five full-time employees in Durango – are encouraged to lace up their sneakers, bike shoes, crampons, what have you, and get out there.

To help with that endeavor, there are workplace Strava challenges, whereby workers can earn a day off after a certain amount of miles outside; “adventure birthdays,” where workers get their birthdays off to, well, adventure; lots of four-day weekends; flexible hours; and even a company overlanding truck for usage. Oh, and of course, dogs are always welcome in the well-appointed Main Avenue office. (There is even a fancy whiskey bar for apres, we would assume, and maybe channeling Don Draper).

“Workers from the other offices can come to Durango and work remotely,” Fetters added, noting that a couple from the Tulsa office were currently setting up shop in the Durango conference room and #vanlifing.

If all this sounds dreamy to you, you’re not alone. In 2024, Idea Ranch was given an honorable mention on Outside’s “Best Places to Work” list. It has made the list three years running.

“Our team was excited to be recognized by Outside,” Fetters said. “There’s been a huge effort by our team, trying to cultivate a culture to make this a really welcoming, amazing place for outdoor-oriented people to work,” he said.

But it’s not all about fun, games and Strava miles. Fetters said Idea Ranch is always looking for ways to give back to the community. For example, every year they do a video for the Crested Butte Adaptive Sports Association free of charge. And Fetters said Idea Ranch would love to get more involved in helping nonprofits in Durango as well.

“We’d like to do something like that for a good organization in Durango and find ways we can help them,” he said. “We’re looking to be more involved in the community.”

But above all, it’s about bringing good jobs to what can be a challenging place – not to have fun, but to make a respectable living while having fun. “Idea Ranch is a great place for outdoor-oriented people to work,” Fetters said. “Good work is hard to find in Durango. Knowing you can live here long-term is really special.”