We both grew up in Rochester, NY, and met when Denise was 13, and Matty was 16. Being friends for 9 years, we finally managed to get it right, and were married in August of 1997. After moving to Florida in the beginning of 1999, it took us 8 years to finally realize that both of our crazy ideas seemed to work well together…and Switchback Designs began…

      Our first off-road adventure as a couple began while 4-wheeling in Aruba on our honeymoon. Matty’s love of snowboarding, and Denise’s love for skiing brought us to different slopes across the country. Moving to Florida enabled us to start mountain-biking together, and Denise’s crazy idea of getting a Jeep beach-cruiser, started our passion for 4-wheeling together.

      We first purchased a 1994 red YJ at Extreme Jeep Sales in Tampa, and then the jeep building madness began. When we finally got to the point where we couldn’t build it anymore without dumping too much money into it, we decided to start over. We traded our YJ for a 2004 silver Rubicon, and of course, it is now much bigger and more capable.

      Our motivations for Switchback Designs were sparked by our involvement in our local 4x4 club, the Suncoast Flatlanders, and the beauty we experienced at various National Parks, and Moab, Utah. Through a great bunch of people, our knowledge and aspirations grew bigger and bigger. We started to realize the there was a large need for education among new off-road drivers, and skill refreshments for the veterans.

      In July of 2005, we held our first Essentials in Off-Roading class with great success. We are now planning on expanding this idea, holding more classes locally throughout the state, and hopefully soon, nationally. We also sponsor 2 Extreme East UROC professional rock crawling teams, Team Green, and EKCO racing, which we have been a big part of, throughout the 2005 season.

      Throughout our travels, on the roads less traveled, we also noticed a lack in quality of off-road sport apparel. And again, ideas started to come, and Switchback Designs was born! We want people to proudly display our designs and say…”Been there, Done that…This is what I like to do!”