Keri Porter

About Keri:

Q: What is your favorite color?
A: "Blues – yes, all of them."

Q: What is your favorite food?
A: "Today it’s Greek Salad but that could change tomorrow. Just depends on what I’m craving."

Q: Do you have any kids? Tell us a little about them:
A: "Elizabeth 19, she no longer lives at home. Loved art and music. PJ 17, he’s a senior and homeschooling. Looking forward to graduation! Victoria 15, very responsible sophomore and just a joy to be with."

Q: Do you have any pets?
A: "Daisy,  she is a Beagle and American Bull Dog mix. Some people call them beabulls. She’s the most scared dog I’ve ever seen. She is literally afraid of her shadow or reflection."

Q: Do you take your pets off-roading?
A: "Sometimes. She’s a very anxious dog and a runner, so it’s a lot of extra work to take her."

Keri's Off-Road Facts:

Q: How old were you when you first started wheeling?
A: "27/28"

Q: Is your whole family into off-roading?
A: "Yes. Although now that the kids are older, they aren’t into it as much."

Q: Are you usually the driver or the co-driver?
A: "Both. My husband and I both have our own builds. I get nervous leading, especially in large groups. But I can pull hammer all day long! ;)"

Q: Do you have any off-road traditions or rituals?
A: "Not that I can think of."

Q: How often do you get to go off-roading?
A:  "We plan weekend events at least once a month for our club but get out to wheel about two weekends out of the month."

Q: How did you get started in the off-road world?
A: "I had made a new friend (who is now my best friend) and she invited me on a weekend trip to the Badlands in Attica, Indiana. I walked in the door from that trip and told my hubby that we needed to buy a Jeep. "

Q: Where is your favorite place to wheel?
A: "My current favorite place to wheel is in Wellsville, Ohio. But there are so many places that I haven’t been so I’m sure that could change.  I wish we had more places closer to us."

Q: What is on your off-roading bucket-list?
A: "All of it! 😉  I would love to hit all the Jeep Badge Trails, Windrock, Redbird, Drummond, Moab, Colorado.  I would wheel all 50 states if I could. Maybe when the kids are grown.  Would love to participate with my hubby in King of The Hammers and Baja 1000.  I am hoping to participate in the Rebelle Rally this year, but still working on sponsorship for that."

Q: How are you active in the off-road world?
A: "Locally, my husband and I are the President and First Lady of Glass City Crawlers. Our club consists of approx 200 families from Northwestern, Ohio and Southeast Michigan area. Our club hosts many on-road and off-road events and volunteer with the Toledo Jeep Fest. I am also a contributing writer for Throttle Gals Magazine, concentrating my focus on articles relating to women in the off-road world. Whether that be about other women, how-to’s, informative articles, or places to wheel. I love to encourage other women to get into off-roading and knowing their vehicle."

Keri's Off-Road Stories:

Q: What is your most memorable off-road moment?
A: "When I competed in a race the keys fell out of the ignition during the middle of the race and we couldn’t find them. My husband had broken the ignition switch because he hated the sound of the keys jiggling when off-roading. Our jeep at the time was a stick shift and I had stalled out on a log crawl. There’s YouTube video of it somewhere. You can hear me yelling at him “I can’t find the keys? What did you do with the keys?” I still chuckle thinking about it."

Q: What was your first wheeling trip?
A: "A weekend trip to Badlands in Attica, Indiana."

Q: What was your longest wheeling trip?
A: "Probably a four day weekend at Silver Lake Sand Dunes."

Q: What was your favorite wheeling trip?
A: "I love our “girls” wheeling trips. I try to host one every year. It’s great to see the ladies flourish without all the “guys” around. They really tend to branch out and try new things when it’s just us girls. And honestly, I love watching the excitement and joys of new accomplishments and sharing in those with them."

All About the Ladies:

Q: Who do you look up to in the industry? Why?
A: "I look up to a lot of woman in the industry; Charlene because of the community that she is building among the woman in the industry and for her knowledge. Jessi Combs because she’s willing to put herself in the spotlight and inspire other women to dream. Bogi Lateiner, because she’s getting women in the shop and showing them that it’s great to work on cars and it’s ok to not know everything. Doni, Trish, and Tara at Throttle Gals, because they are willing to bringing the auto world to everyone’s front door.  They are doing it in a time where it’s hard to make it in the world where everything is already available with the click of a button. I look up to every girl/woman who’s willing to step out of their comfort zone, get behind the wheel and say to themselves, “I’ve got this!”

Q: How do you feel as a woman in the offroad industry?
A: "I love being a girl! People tend to be supportive and very encouraging.  Sometimes I come across a man who “knows better” and that’s ok, I just let it roll off my back. Although, I may chuckle a little on the inside if they’re wrong. ;)"

Q: What changes have you seen in the off-road industry since becoming involved?
A: "When I first got into the industry the focus of building a rig was LIFT! The taller, the better. Over ten years later, and the focus has become more about lower center of gravity."

Q: Give us a story, about educating, guiding, empowering ladies in the off-road world:
A: "When I got into the off-road industry gearing and axles were a mystery to me. What did 3.73 and 4.10 mean and why did it matter? What was a pinion, ring gear and why are lockers so great?  I wrote on gearing to maybe help anyone who struggles with all of that like I did. (Link Coming Soon!)"

Q: What advice do you have for ladies who want to get started off-roading?
A:  "You don’t need to sink a lot of money into your vehicle right away. A stock Jeep is a very capable vehicle. Take time to get to know your vehicle and how it drives. Make your modifications after you determine what kind of off-roading you’ll be doing regularly."

Keri's Vehicle:

About Keri's vehicle: "2011 Jeep JK Wrangler with a 3.5” lift. I call it the Frankenlift because it’s essentially different parts that we had around the shop. No worries, it drives great! We’ve been building jeeps almost as long as we’ve owned them. Sooooo many extra parts at the house. We put the Dana Super 44s with E-lockers under it. The front is trussed."

Vehicle Name:  "Maverick – Yes, after the movie Top Gun. I knew Mav would be my “forever” Jeep so I wanted his name to be personal. Top Gun was the first PG-13 movie I was allowed to watch. Watching PG-13 movies at our house was a big deal, almost a coming of age thing. We certainly didn’t get the opportunity before we were 13."

Q: Is your vehicle a Daily Driver?
A: "It does. My next mod will be to upgrade the steering."

Q: What is the best modification you have done to your vehicle?
A: "This is hard… I can’t pick between my lockers or my heated seats. Those seats were lifesavers this past winter!"

Q: Do you work on your own vehicle?
A: "Yep… and plenty of others."

Author:  Keri Porter