Astral was founded in 2002 on the banks of the Rocky Broad River near Asheville, NC. We are a focused group of paddlers , designers, engineers, and regular good people. We spend most of our time creating cool stuff and trying our best to please our customers. Astral is a small open business where our success is judged by our customers and our own personal satisfaction, doing the best possible work for the most good. Here’s a look at some of our key people.
Prez: Philip Curry is the founder and architect of Astral. He is responsible for most of the innovations used in modern day PFD technology; from pioneering the use of CORDURA ® in 1993 to most recently introducing Airescape breathable technology. Curry is a forward thinker and a compassionate businessman who contemplates the global impacts of Astral and seeks to rid the world of toxic raw materials.
GM: Yonton Mehler is our General Manager, coordinating the operational aspects of the business and more or less keeping the rest of us in line. YT is originally from Tel Aviv, Israel where he founded his nation’s freestyle kayak team in 2001. He’s since set roots here in Asheville and has become a crucial part of the Southeast kayak scene.
In-House Sales: Bryan Owen coordinates our in-house sales efforts and works to keep our team of reps and customers up to speed on the latest news from the Astral mothership. BO also manages our team and marketing efforts which keeps him immersed in the industry that he has served since the late 90’s.
Office Administrator: Sarah Hege is the glue that holds our home office together. Her warm presence and ability to take on any job, no matter how tough, make her crucial to the Astral machine. Sarah is a seasoned raft guide and enjoys spending her weekend on the water with family and friends.
Customer Lover: Margie Matthai is the newest addition to our crew, and works closely with our customers to make sure they stay afloat. With Margie’s background in outdoor leadership and working with children, she will make sure that our customers are all taken care of, even if they can’t walk yet.
Product Design: Reglan Brewer has an eye for style. Originally from the NC high country of Boone, Reglan realized early on that hillbillys needed to wear better shoes. He has since spent time in Europe and North America designing some of the best sports footwear on the market. Now Reglan is an important part of the Astral design and development team, making sure that you look good on the water too.
Graphic Design: Kris Northern is our principal graphic artist and web designer who has propelled us to see the natural world in a new way. His graphic illustrations can be found throughout our designs and media, making our lives more colorful and interesting on a daily basis. He is also a professional DJ with an amazing range of talents. Check out phidelity.com to see more of his works.
Traffic Control: Ocey Newsome-Rogers runs the warehouse and manages the shipping and receiving of everything that passes in and out of the doors here at the Astral Mothership. He started working on the production floor here at Astral way back in 2005 during the off season when he wasn't guiding rafts. And before that, he spent about a decade traveling the world as a Paratrooper in the Army. Ocey is now our resident inflatables guru, and can be found manning the Astral booth at many of the festivals around the southeast. He is also an avid AFOL (adult fan of legos) and is rockin' a brick collection that has recently topped 500 pounds!
Accounting: Tracey Haswell is our token numerical intellect. She spearheads our bookkeeping department and more or less, keeps everything in line here at Astral. From analyzing complex spec sheets and working with our vendors to processing inventory sheets and sending out invoices. When you walk by Tracey’s desk you are likely to hear Tool, NIN, Frank Sinatra, the Cure, or J.S Bach. Contrary to popular belief, Tracey was not the lead singer and guitar player for central PA’s Glam-Rock band “Mascara”.
USA Manufacturing: Linda McKee should change her last name to McCoy, because she is that real. America has very few people as talented at running a sewing shop as Mrs. McKee. Before working at Astral she operated her own sewing factory where she sewed the first Lotus PFD for us many years ago. She is the current Henderson County karaoke champion for her rendition of Rod Stewarts “Cigarettes and Alcohol.”
R&D assistant: Daniel Windham is the freshest addition to our R&D team where he works to assist our director of design. Hailing from Athens, GA he has a formal education in landscape design, although his talents have propelled him to the outdoor industry where he fits right in as a Class V athlete and budding designer here at Astral. Adept at art, CAD, kayak, and electronic music; Daniel is a true renaissance man.
Asia R&D: Headquartered in Saigon, Minh Q Minh is director of our Asian based product development office that opened in 2009. His office is responsible for the whole product creation process; taking Astral ideas from concept to reality through extensive prototyping, sourcing, testing, perfecting and finally implementation at our manufacturer. Minh speaks 5 languages and would easily win at Jeopardy.
