This "article" if you will, is composed of the stories from a couple that were partners with Joan for a brief time and that of a former volunteer of the 2014 SHSS (Steel Horse Sisterhood Summit).
I agreed to give them this space to share their experiences and tell their stories.
(Joan has refused to comment on any of the people and their statements of their experiences with her.
She has refused to allow me to interview her over the controversy.)
Only you the reader can decide how you feel about what you read.
BDB
I attended most of the organizational meetings prior to the Summit and my main job for the Summit was to greet attendees as part of the "ASK ME" Committee, give hugs, and I was the main transportation to and from the airport for the guest speakers.
We were encouraged to spend our own funds to get the things we needed, and were told we would be reimbursed after the Summit was over. I purchased 12 or so pink safety vests for the "Ask Me" committee to wear, never being reimbursed, but thought I was donating to a good cause.
Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.
I agreed to give them this space to share their experiences and tell their stories.
(Joan has refused to comment on any of the people and their statements of their experiences with her.
She has refused to allow me to interview her over the controversy.)
Only you the reader can decide how you feel about what you read.
BDB
My "Joan Krenning" Story
by Darlene M.J.
I was a volunteer for the 2014 SHS Summit in Denver CO.
I attended most of the organizational meetings prior to the Summit and my main job for the Summit was to greet attendees as part of the "ASK ME" Committee, give hugs, and I was the main transportation to and from the airport for the guest speakers.
We were encouraged to spend our own funds to get the things we needed, and were told we would be reimbursed after the Summit was over. I purchased 12 or so pink safety vests for the "Ask Me" committee to wear, never being reimbursed, but thought I was donating to a good cause.
We were caught up in this idea of Sisterhood and togetherness.
Sara Symons was her sidekick and one of her business partners, then abruptly quit.
Sara Symons was her sidekick and one of her business partners, then abruptly quit.
Sara told me that she was unable to speak to the situation till after the Summit.
George Ofiesh and Kyle Dowling took over Sara Symons in the organizational role for the Summit.
Most of the volunteers quit prior to the Summit, due to various issues that kept arising and many of those that did stay to work did not stay to the end of the Summit.
I was in attendance when Joan wanted to take out sponsor monies to fund her trip and she was told to table that till after the meeting.
Joan made herself seem important as "Lady Road Dog" visiting all the dealerships in the US.
I had never heard of her prior to the advertisement of the Summit on Facebook. She was a name dropper and found things she had in common with you in order to gain your loyalty and help. For instance, I am also a Christian and I also lost my husband (mine was killed on a motorcycle run), I also had to raise my kids on my own, first hubby had been military too, and I was from Wisconsin. She kept saying that after the Summit we would sit and talk, but that never happened.
I was booted out of the SHS website in early 2015 when I questioned where all the monies had gone after the summit, and had asked why they were setting up a website that would require the sisterhood members to pay for access.
I do know that George Ofiesh made out the last check to the last charity and had Joan sign it, which she did not wish to do. George told me that Joan intended to "borrow" the money to start a new business, he resigned after that.
I have no love for Joan, she uses people until she has what she needs and then discards you like dirty underwear, at least that has been my experience.
I have no love for Joan, she uses people until she has what she needs and then discards you like dirty underwear, at least that has been my experience.
Darlene
Sara
and Bill Symons Story
We (Sara and Bill Symons) met Joan Krenning through a mutual friend in June
2013. Our friend and another couple that had met Joan in Denver during the
Women’s Ride Day, May 2013 were having a meeting and we were invited.
Joan spoke with such conviction, it was difficult to resist her strong
belief that she was on a mission. She envisioned a major meeting of women from
all over the country, coming to bond, and hear the biggest (female) names in
the motorcycling world share their stories. We were made aware that Joan was a
majority shareholder in DesignWrap Brands (DWB) and felt that her business
experience and knowledge of the motorcycle industry, coupled with her
passionate vision made good sense.
We approached her about “buying into” the Lady Road Dog business, which
included the Steel Horse Sisterhood and the Summit. We offered Joan $5,000 cash
(plus our sweat equity) for 50% interest in the business. Joan countered with $10,000
cash for 15% interest.
We countered with a $10,000 loan to the company, to be
paid back to us after the first year, for 25% interest; everyone agreed to these terms.
Looking back, we now realize that the only thing she was bringing to the
table was the Lady Road Dog name, a persona she presented to the public. There was no company; no products, no business
license, just a name. Joan provided a
list of things for Sara to do, which included filing for the business license,
and obtaining trademarks for LRD and the SHS. There was no “business” to buy
into; Sara created it.
Joan said she could get a vendor spot on Main Street for the Sturgis Rally,
but didn’t know how she could run it by herself. We “volunteered” to help, as
we go to Sturgis for a week every year. Bill did the majority of the work, as
JK was always on her computer “working” or
walking around to find what she called “sponsors” (i.e. free gear or parts to
put on her bike.)
We worked long days (8am to 10pm)
and sold DesignWrap Brands headbands and t-shirts as “Lady Road Dog” gear. The
huge banner outside with “Lady Road Dog” and “Made in America” announced our
presence. Over the 10 days of Sturgis, we made enough to cover the store rent
and the Sturgis taxes, but not much more. Joan, who stayed in our motorhome the
entire time neither paid, nor offered to pay anything, towards her own upkeep.
For those of you who have been to the Sturgis Rally, you know what a motorhome
spot in downtown Sturgis costs, and it’s not cheap.
By September 2013, things were in full swing with planning the SHS Summit.
Sara had found a hotel big enough to accommodate the 1,000 women Joan was
expecting. As LRD/SHSS had no income or credit, Sara put the hotel deposit on
my personal credit card.
In December 2013, Joan brought on a man named George Ofiesh, to be the event
facilitator for the Summit. Sara readily gave up that role, and informed George
that she and Bill were business partners, and would be his main contacts in
Denver. Also in December, Bill had agreed to become the warehouse manager for
DesignWrap Brands and moved the warehouse to Denver. Part of the deal was that
once the move was completed, we would have the option to become an equal
partner in DesignWrap Brands.
In early January 2014, Joan flew into Denver for another volunteer meeting.
There was already a draft Summit schedule, but things kept being added and
removed. We were frustrated, as we felt the summit needed to start small and
build itself up. This seemed to upset Joan, who said that we didn’t understand
her vision, that we “needed to do what she wanted because other people agreed
with her.” This happened many
time while in business with her. If we didn’t agree she would ask people
outside the business to side with her in order to sway our decision.
In mid-January 2014, Joan started demanding money for travel expenses, yet
we had understood that DesignWraps Brands was paying those expenses. Joan
insisted the Summit registration money should be used to pay her expenses,
which Sara refused to do, as it did not seem appropriate. At the end of January
2014, we sent Joan a cease and desist letter via our attorney; the intent was
to stop her from talking to others, namely George Ofeish and Kyle Doying, about
our business. Joan promptly changed the Summit’s PayPal email so that
the funds went to her personal account and Sara could no longer access any data
or funds. Also at this time,
the emails from everyone involved with the summit that were making major
decisions were withheld from us.
In mid-February, it was discovered that George and Kyle had tried to
convince the hotel contact that Sara was no longer the contact person, in spite
of it being her personal credit card that held the hotel for the Summit. After
a nasty conversation with George, Sara resigned from the Summit on February 25th;
Bill resigned from the Summit shortly thereafter.
On April 18, 2014, the contract for the hotel was finally, after some
doing, transferred out of Sara’s name.
We subsequently learned that Joan,
George and Kyle had filed for a Colorado Business License for the Steel Horse
Sisterhood Charities, (which
is the same license that after the summit George and Kyle were removed from and
Charles Guthrie was assigned to) in contravention
to our contract that had made us business partners in the Summit and Lady Road Dog.
We
chose to take the high road and stay quiet and not tell our side of what
transpired, while Joan did a whole lot of talking and blaming.
We walked away from our investment and all of the time we spent working for
Lady Road Dog and the SHSS, we lost “friendships”, and are embarrassed and
angry that we got conned the way we did.
We are speaking out now, after having
heard/read the stories of others who have experienced similar treatment at
Joan’s hands.
Sara & Bill
Disclaimer:
All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. The Belt Drive Betty Blog makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, currentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site & will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis.
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