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runt Style is more than just a t-shirt company; it’s a way of life.

That’s what Glenn Silbert, CEO of Grunt Style, wants you to know. “Grunt Style is a t-shirt company, but we’re more than just a t-shirt company,” he said.

At first blush, Grunt Style is an apparel-lifestyle brand built around the mission of pride in self, in military and in country.

“The brand was founded about 11 years ago by an Army Ranger drill sergeant, and it was really

built around this idea that what you wear is an expression,” Silbert said. He explained that it began with a very pure vision: How do you show pride in yourself? How do you show pride in military and first responders? How do you show pride in country?

While the company began in Chicago, it’s based out of San Antonio as far as its key leadership, home base and marketing is concerned. A substantial Grunt Style facility handling production, distribution and operations is still located in the Chicago area.

“Our founder was leaving the military and he needed to find a way to earn a living,” Silbert said of the origin of the company. “He had seen in the (military) community an opportunity to bring a very specific point of view, and … like a lot of entrepreneurs, you ‘pull yourself up by the bootstraps’ and he started really tapping into the needs of this base of consumers.”

From there, Silbert said, it was “a lot of grassroots, a lot of elbow grease, a lot of learnings and failures along the way” to build the brand that exists today.

“The brand is really built around the concept of patriotism,” he said. “It’s not about politics, it’s not about ideologies. It’s really about a pure understanding of why our freedoms are so valuable as Americans and what it took our country to

secure those freedoms.”

The company also employs as many veterans as possible at both a leadership level and at all levels throughout the company to support the veteran community.

While the brand has always given back to the communities it serves, including with hurricane and disaster relief, recently it’s done so in a more intentional way by establishing its own self-funded 501(c)(3) foundation, the Grunt Style Foundation.

“We’ve always had this concept that as we grow, we give back to our community,” said Silbert. “How do you put real dollars and resources to supporting veterans, military and first responders on a regular basis? That’s part of our giving mentality.”

Grunt Style established the foundation to formalize these efforts, with the Grunt Style Foundation focusing closely on issues like suicide prevention, food insecurity, homelessness, and mental health and wellness among military, veterans and first responders.

And while Grunt Style and the Grunt Style Foundation are separate organizations with separate Boards of Directors and separate governing principles, they are mutually interdependent.

“Grunt Style Foundation wouldn’t exist without

Grunt Style and Grunt Style couldn’t deliver on its promise to the community if we didn’t have the foundation,” Silbert said. “We’re a lot of things, but when you boil it down, we are a brand about patriotism and giving back.”

As a lifestyle brand, Grunt Style doesn’t sell technical or tactical products. Instead, it sells items like graphic tees and sweatshirts, fitness wear, headwear, drinkware, accessories and other products that are expressive and creative.

“If you look at the graphics that we produce, some of them are very much expressing pride and patriotism, while others are built around funny pop culture elements relevant to the communities we serve,” Silbert said. He noted that Grunt Style also has a licensing agreement with the Department of Defense, so the company sells authentic Army, Marine, Navy and Air Force products.

By no means are military, veterans and first responders its only consumers. Grunt Style hopes to attract anyone who wants to help support those communities – since a portion of retail proceeds go toward the Grunt Style Foundation.

“You don’t have to be a veteran to wear our brand,” Silbert said. “You just have to love America, drink whiskey and eat bacon.”

He noted that a significant portion of their consumer base are just “good, patriotic Americans” who identify with some of the values they embody.

Grunt Style merchandise can be purchased online as well as in various specialty stores around the country like Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s.

“We just opened our fifth retail store, so we have our own brick-and-mortar retail stores,” said Silbert. “We have a club business and we support the Amazon marketplace. I hate to use the term omnichannel, but we are a full omnichannel lifestyle brand today.”

Silbert’s own role is focused on first his team: giving them a clear vision, clear strategies, and the tools to be successful. Second, he focuses on the customer.

“We have people that focus on product and merchandising, we have people who focus on brand marketing, our social media, our production and distribution, which gives me the ability to spend time focused on our consumers,” he said, noting that he tries to be out and about helping the community and listening to their needs as much as possible.

As for the Grunt Style Foundation, it partners with various organizations to offer services to military, veterans and first responders struggling with mental health, job transitions, food instability and homelessness.

“At the highest level, our foundation’s vision is to create a successful future for every service member, veteran and their families by connecting them with resources that improve mental health and wellness – and assist in transition and sustainment while alleviating food instability and homelessness,” Silbert said.

For instance, the Grunt Style Foundation partners with the Bexar County Military and Veterans Services Center; with Burn Pits 360, a three-month alternative medicine practice to help veterans exposed to toxins overseas; Irreverent Warrior, a camaraderie-focused group which sponsors hikes for veterans all over the world; and Soldiers Angels, which offers a variety of support programs

for veterans to combat issues like food insecurity.

“When we think about our efforts, we know that we’re just a very small part of a very big opportunity, so we gauge success by how people respond and how people pay it forward,” Silbert said. For instance, when the company helmed Operation Hero last year to help first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said it was heartening to see how many other businesses and individuals in the community rallied together and

partnered with Grunt Style to help.

“It was really seeing the community come around and say, ‘Wow, you guys are doing great things, how can we help?’” said Silbert. “To me, starting to see that type of attraction is really the measurement of success. Obviously ending homelessness and food insecurity would be the ultimate goal, but that only gets solved by people wanting to join in over time.”

To learn more about Grunt Style or purchase apparel, a portion of which goes to military, veteran and first responder communities, visit www.gruntstyle.com. To learn more about the Grunt Style Foundation or for general inquiries about how you can volunteer or get involved, visit https://www. gruntstyle.com/pages/grunt-style-foundation.

Photos courtesy of Grunt Style