Pro Lacrosse Player Helps Keep Athletes from Smelling

A cleaning business founded by a UMBC alumnus who is also a pro lacrosse player is about to pass $1 million in sales, thanks to a great deal of sweat.

HEX—based in the Baltimore area—produces cleaning agents that remove bacteria and sweat from athletic gear.

Company founder Drew Westervelt, a forward for the Colorado Mammothand Chesapeake Bayhawks, came up with the idea because he saw a hole in the market.

“HEX was developed when a pro lacrosse athlete couldn’t take the smell and the disgusting buildup of grime on his equipment anymore,” according to a statement from the company.

First designed for laundering pads and gear but also usable on towels, yoga mats, horse blankets and regular clothing, HEX offers products including detergent, gear shield, a laundry additive and “spray and go” option, according to Inside Lacrosse.

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“I couldn’t find anything in the cleaning aisle that spoke to me as an athlete,” Westervelt told Bloomberg of what happened before he approached a chemist to come up with a solution.

Westervelt has years of experience trying to launder gear. His lacrosse career included playing for John Carroll in Bel Air, where he is in the school’s Hall of Fame, and UMBC, where he is among the university’s top scorers.

Now Westervelt has another success to add to his name, on top of his wins on the field; Bloomberg reported this week that HEX is nearing $1 million in sales.

HEX items are sold in more than 1,500 stores nationwide, a number that is expected to increase during a campaign in fall 2015, according to Inside Lacrosse.

The HEX Performance products are available online and in-store at select Harris Teeter, Wegmans, Target and Whole Foods mid-Atlantic locations. Check here for retailers.

Screenshot of Drew Westervelt from Chesapeake Bayhawks/YouTube.