In an era of cheap imports and click-to-ship convenience, there’s something deeply reassuring about a company like Wind River. For more than four decades, the Manassas, Virginia-based maker of wind chimes and garden decor has been crafting harmonies in aluminum and wood — and proving that American manufacturing can not only survive, but thrive, in the face of global headwinds.
“Knockoffs are absolutely out there, and they’re not new,” Luke Croushorn, Wind River’s Vice President for Sales, acknowledged on a recent episode of The Manufacturing Report podcast. “Although new ones show up every year, that is a fact of life if you’re manufacturing a high quality item like we are.”
It makes our efforts to communicate what you’re getting all the more important now than they were 10 years ago.
That communication — of the quality, craftsmanship, and care that goes into every Wind River product — has been key to the company’s enduring success. What started as a one-man operation hawking handmade chimes at outdoor fairs has grown into a 90-person manufacturing powerhouse, complete with a bustling factory floor and a loyal following of customers and retailers.
But as Croushorn is quick to point out, that growth hasn’t come easy. In an industry where copycat products can pop up overnight on Alibaba or Amazon, Wind River has had to work harder than ever to differentiate itself and its offerings.
“If there’s knockoffs that are leveraging our name or, you know, trying to use one of our trademarks to say something that, to sell something that’s not authentic, then we definitely have a team that pursue those and try to take down fraudulent sites,” Croushorn explained. “So that, you know, if you’re buying a Wind River product online, you know that you’re actually getting a Wind River product online.”
But for all the challenges of competing in a global marketplace, Croushorn sees plenty of reasons for optimism. The domestic market for wind chimes is expected to reach half a billion dollars by the end of the decade, driven by a growing appetite for products that offer a moment of respite and reflection in an increasingly chaotic world.
That’s where Wind River’s mission — summed up in the tagline “Inspiring Harmony” — comes into play.
Our mission to inspire harmony is aspirational, and is something that we feel describes not only our chimes, which have harmonies within their notes, but where we see ourselves fitting into our community with our charitable partners, our employees, and where we see our chimes helping people on a personal level as they buy them, gift them, listen to them.
It’s a mission that has guided Wind River since its earliest days, when founder Mike Throne first started crafting chimes in his garage. And it’s one that Croushorn and his colleagues are determined to carry forward, even as the winds of change continue to blow.
“We live in such a contentious period of time that I think there need to be a few more voices calling for some harmony instead of conflict,” Croushorn mused. “And that’s where we feel like we fit.”
For the customers who have made Wind River a part of their lives and their homes, that fit is as clear as the sound of a chime on a breezy day. There’s just something about the weight of the wood, the resonance of the metal, and the care and attention to detail that goes into every piece that sets Wind River apart — and keeps people coming back, year after year.
“They have a way of interrupting us in a good way, to help us slow down, to help us pause and just enjoy the moment,” Croushorn said of the company’s chimes. “And sometimes that can be fleeting, and sometimes that can be an invitation to just sit with the harmony for a while. But they’re always there in the background ringing with that invitation.”
In a world that often feels like it’s spinning out of control, it’s an invitation that more and more people are happy to accept — and one that Wind River is proud to keep offering, one handcrafted chime at a time.
“I think as we go forward, we take that core principle of Inspiring Harmony and providing a durable quality chime that will literally provide harmony to the people that receive it,” Croushorn said. “And just take it one step at a time from there.”
For the legions of Wind River fans out there, that sounds like music to the ears.
To learn more about Wind River and its American-made chimes and garden decor, visit windriverchimes.com. You can also hear Luke Croushorn’s full conversation with The Manufacturing Report host Scott Paul wherever you get your podcasts, or at americanmanufacturing.org.
