It’s a tall order to package the ethereal beauty of Virginia’s mountains, shores, rivers, and valleys in a product that can be shipped around the world, but Manassas Park’s Wind River has been doing it since 1986. Its products are sold internationally and in every state, so you may have admired the company’s fine-tuned wind chimes without realizing they are made locally. In fact, Wind River turns out more than 1,000 chimes daily.
We spoke with Wind River Vice President of Sales Luke Croushorn and Vice President Patty Baisden, who owns the company with her husband and CEO, Jamie Baisden, about what separates their handcrafted wind chimes from the competition.
What makes your wind chimes special?
Baisden: We’ve perfected what we call the “science of sound,” designing each component to deliver superior resonance and tone. All of our raw production materials, including hardwoods, strings, and metals, are sourced in the United States.
Croushorn: Our chimes are meant to live outdoors, so we incorporate the natural colors of Virginia’s woods, waterways, and mountaintops in our production materials. When our chimes ring, they blend with the wind and never sound harsh.
Where do you sell your chimes?
Croushorn: Locally, you can find our displays at places like Meadows Farms Nurseries, Merrifield Garden Center, Pitkin’s Ace Hardware, or Wild Birds Unlimited.
How does Wind River help the community?
Croushorn: This is a company with a heart. We support our employees through education and development programs and family-first policies, and we partner with nonprofits and national organizations that aid our neighbors and meet vital needs.
Baisden: Locally owned businesses keep profits and salaries local, which keeps the economy spinning. Our leadership team supports critical local services, both monetarily and with our time. Besides donating 20 percent of the purchase price for chimes bought on our website through our Charity of the Month program, we donate a significant percentage of our gross profit on all sales … to many charitable organizations that make our community better. Our efforts are like our chimes: One small act of kindness has the power to inspire another, until it reverberates through the entire community.
Feature image courtesy Wind River Chimes
This story originally ran in Northern Virginia Magazine’s March issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
