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Darlington Alumni builds dream with clothing line
AMB Katie & Edgar
Katie Pingel and Edgar Mendez
Tammy Kilby
Publication for Republican Journal
Published: Jan 21, 2024, 4:00 PM

DARLINGTON- Edgar Mendez, a 2015 Darlington graduate has been growing his designer athletic clothing brand, ‘AMB Ambition’, since it’s start in 2020. “The idea of designing my own line of athletic clothing came to me while offduty in a Madison hotel room.” Mendez says. He was deployed in the National Guard to assist with COVID-19. While in isolation, Mendez spent all of his free time dedicated toward working on his brand with various manufacturers all over the world. He strived for the best product while going over clothing samples, marketing ideas, and scheduling photoshoots. Mendez recalls many trial and errors, sleepless nights, and stressed-out days, but casually says, “It was all part of the process.”

Mendez, along with Katie Pingel, his business partner, and partner in life; have recently teamed up with Tria-GameFace, which is a top competitor in the field of sports performance for varsity, college, and professional athletes. Teaming with Tria-GameFace fits in line with ‘AMB Ambition’, and it’s mission statement, as AMB stands for Achieve, Motivate, Believe. “We work hard to produce clothing that not only allows you to pursue your best in and out of the gym, but we are working hard to give back to the community,” Mendez and Pingel add proudly. Mendez is the son of Hector Mendez and Minerva Aguilar of South Wayne. He graduated from Southwest Tech with a degree in graphic web design. Mendez served for 8 years in the National Guard, reaching the rank of Sergeant, before resigning, to continue to market his brand ‘AMB Ambition’.

He and Pingel live in Galena, Ill.; as it is close to both their hometowns; Darlington and Scales Mound.

The manufacturing quality of the products speaks for itself, as the ‘AMB Ambition’ clothing line is comparable in quality and price with top marketing brands. Manufactured with a blend of nylon, polyester, and spandex, ‘AMB Ambition’ has a live-in quality that is expected to last for several years. As we spoke, I was privileged to become familiar with the merchandise. The halfzip pullover has a soft fuzzy warmth that seems top quality. The texture of the windbreaker caught my eye as I admired the quality of fabric. Both garments had a layered quality about them, as is similar with other work-out gear. There is the overall familiar feel of functionality for any level of work-out, from walking and running to weights and excessive training regiments. To really capture the quality of the products, shoppers will soon have the ability to purchase the ‘AMB Ambition’ line in stores, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, which was one of the goals Mendez has set for his brand. Goals, such as career opportunities, while partnering with an investor is something that Mendez hopes to achieve as well. He considers the building of jobs to be a way of building a better community. Another goal he holds in his heart is to bring his brand of athletic clothing to Darlington. “It would be an honor and a privilege to put the Darlington Redbird logo on my brand. I want to eventually give back to the community where I grew up.”

While growing strong, ‘AMB Ambition’ seeks ambassadors who believe in the brand. “All of the models are from the Madison area, and are volunteers who believe in the clothing line” says Pingel, who sees more growth coming by the new years end. The models she is referring to are featured on their website, and other social media outlets. Among the elite stands an NFL corner back, who’s name may sound familiar to those who enjoy football. Caesar Dancy-Williams, who plays for the LA Rams, has been a faithful supporter of ‘AMB Ambition’ since the start of the brand. Dancy-Williams (#35) is a rookie player from Wisconsin, who Mendez met while in Madison. There are all ages and walks of life wearing the brand. The ambassadors, who support Mendez, look forward to the new product “drops” that they have the privilege of trying before the general public gets a chance to see the new product. This special opportunity gives the ambassadors the chance to give feedback on the new products, some limited edition, before they reach consumers; that way if modifications are necessary, then all considerations are made before the garments go out for sale. As Mendez continues to seek the elite quality he strives for, you can find both he and Pingel inspecting each item themselves. Both are detail oriented. Only the best items are marketed with the ‘AMB’ logo. To learn more about the ‘AMB Ambition’ brand, Mendez and Pingel, and the many items that are available, log onto AMBambition. com. From now until mid-January, you can save up to 70% off online, while supplies last. ‘AMB Ambition’ is an empowering company, who supports those who strive for excellence. To connect with Mendez, call him direct at 608-293-4013 or email: info @ ambambition.com.
It was quite an election
On April 1
Election Results_April 1, 2025 Crawford County
GILLIAN POMPLUN
Crawford County Independent & Kickapoo Scout
Published: Apr 2, 2025, 5:05 PM

Politics-weary Wisconsin citizens mustered the verve to once again go to the polls in Wisconsin’s April 1 spring election. With record spending, a barrage of campaign literature in mailboxes, chaos on the federal level, and an endless stream of divisive TV advertising, voters on both sides turned out in record numbers to support the candidates of their choice.

Happy or sad, it’s likely the vast majority is just glad it’s over. While most spring elections draw much lower turnout than a presidential election, voter turnout in this year’s race was on par with last November’s contentious election in which Donald Trump defeated Kamala Harris for the office of President of the United States.

Of course, the Wisconsin Supreme Court election took top billing, garnering record amounts of spending. Conservative versus liberal control of the court was on the line with the retirement of liberal justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Contending for the 10-year term were Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel and Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.

The race was called for Crawford around 10 p.m. after Schimel called her to concede. The unofficial results show Crawford winning with 55% of the statewide vote to Schimel’s 45%.

Crawford County voters bucked recent electoral trends, carrying for the liberal candidate. In the county, Crawford took 51% of the vote, defeating Schimel with 49%. Crawford’s candidacy also prevailed in Vernon County with 54% of the vote, Richland County with 52% of the vote, La Crosse County with 63% of the vote, Sauk County with 57% of the vote, Iowa County with 62% of the vote, and Green County with 58% of the vote. Crawford’s victory was propelled by massive turnout and majorities in Dane, Milwaukee, Rock, Eau Claire and Bayfield counties. Voters in Dane County cast 82% of their votes for Crawford, in Milwaukee County 75%, in Rock County 61%, in Eau Claire 63%, and in Bayfield 61%.

Schimel’s campaign prevailed locally in Grant, Lafayette and Monroe counties, earning 52%, 51%, and 55% of votes cast respectively.

Incumbents prevail

It was also a night for incumbent candidates to prevail in races pertaining to public education in the state. Incumbent Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jill Underly won her race against charter school advocate Brittany Kinser, taking 53% of the statewide vote to Kinser’s 47%.

Locally, Underly outperformed Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford, winning her contest in counties that carried for Waukesha County judge Brad Schimel. Those counties include Grant and Lafayette counties, where Underly took 52% of votes cast. Kinser held on to votes cast for Schimel in Monroe County, taking 56% of votes cast.

Underly’s candidacy prevailed in Crawford, Vernon, Richland, Iowa, Sauk, and La Crosse counties. In those counties, Underly took 53%, 54%, 56%, 61%, 57%, and 61% respectively.

Mirroring the results in the statewide Superintendent of Public Instruction race, incumbent candidates Jerry Coleman and Charissa Richter prevailed against challengers Jesse Swenson and Melany Jelinek winning two three-year terms on the North Crawford School Board.

Coleman was the top vote-getter, with 660 votes, followed by Richter with 532 votes. Richter and challenger Melany Jelinek ran neck-in-neck for much of the night until results came in for the villages of Gays Mills and Bell Center, which pushed Richter over the finish line ahead. Jelinek finished with 502 votes, and Swenson with 412 votes.

Coleman took the most votes in the towns of Clayton, Haney, Scott, Utica, and in the villages of Bell Center, Gays Mills, and Soldiers Grove. Richter took the second most votes in the towns of Clayton, Haney, Scott, and Utica, and in the villages of Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove. Jelinek took more votes than Richter in the town of Freeman, and in the villages of Bell Center and Mt. Sterling.

Voter ID

Voters across the state voted to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to require photo identification to vote. The measure failed only in Dane and Milwaukee counties. Wisconsin had already required voters to show identification, but passage of the Republican-backed ballot question will make it harder for that requirement to be removed by the courts or the state legislature.

Statewide, the measure passed with 63% of the vote, with 37% of the voters voting against it.