The Weekly - July 7, 2020 - 11

F R O M TO P : CO U R T E SY M A R K B O L E S , L AU R E N DA N I L E K , J O H N WA I R E

Mark Boles

community, and to support brands
that represent our values. As a
business model, we have half our
store dedicated to what we call
a feature brand. That space acts
like a pop up shop. We don't own
that inventory. A brand will come
in and do a 700-square-foot takeover. All of the brands that come
into our space have to prove that
they belong there.
What Black people bring to the
party is a flavor that isn't there
otherwise. We bring the seasoning. It's intrinsic to all of us to
explore, discover, embrace, and
share. What's intriguing to me
among the outdoor community is
the degree to which people want
to participate in parts of our
culture-like our music-but look
at Black people solely as a business
opportunity in relation to their
bottom line. We are so much more
than that.

Mike Carey
Seirus Innovations
I grew up in Southern California.
There was not much exposure
to snow. There was snow in the
mountains around here like
once a year. But I went to college in the Bay area, and there I
was introduced to a lot of people
who were very different from me
and where I came from. I played

Mike Carey

football there and made friends
with folks who would ski when
their competitive careers were
over. I hated skiing the first time,
but I went back, and I liked it the
second time. My girlfriend, now
my wife, bought me a pair of boots
so I could ski more. I
It was the 70s and 80s and there
were so many books talking about
lower limb ski injuries. 'm walking
through the parking lot with my
ski boots in Squaw Valley and I got
this kind of light-bulb moment.
I understood what these writers
were talking about and the need
for a better protective sole. So I invented a product called Cat Tracks
and it took off.
I believe there's always a path
to innovation. Inventors don't
find the invention; the invention
finds them. There's always a path
to what's going to be new in the

development of a product, a new
product line, or a concept. You
don't go from a horse and buggy to
a Tesla; there's a process.
Our name is Seirus Innovations
and we pride ourselves on coming
up with solutions that make it
easier for people to participate.
Being the first documented
Black gear maker ... it's a scepter
that I am proud to carry. I was the
first African American football
official to referee the Super Bowl.
My parents instilled principles of
life in us. They believed in scholarship, and community service
was the core of our life. We were
taught that the most important
thing was to be worthwhile to
society and to your family. They
instilled in us the idea that there
was a piece of dignity in us that
no one could take from us. When
I walk into a room, I truly care
about the person across from me.
They want the same thing I do,
to be the best self they can, and I
try to project the idea that I care
about them and I respect them.
I think it perpetuates a negative
image to describe the Black community with words like "under-

served"-words that indicate being
less than. I think there is a positive
way to put a spin on that term:
those who deserve more access.
Disenfranchised? No. They are
those who have not been afforded
the access. We're not underlings.
We're not less than.

Susan Clayton
WhitePaws RunMitts
I started my company in 2016. I
used to be a running coach with the
nonprofit called Back On My Feet.
The organization focuses on helping
homeless people gain independence
and living skills, and it connects
them with essential community
resources. It also places a large
emphasis on physical exercise.
We would do these early morning
runs and I couldn't find mittens that
worked for me while I was running.
I saw one of the guys I ran with
wearing socks on his hands, and I
thought there had to be something
better than that. So I set out to solve
a problem lots of us were having.
I'm not designer and I wasn't going
to come up with all of these cool
patterns, but I did come up with
a prototype and we tried it out. I

Susan Clayton

OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020 / THE WEEKLY 11

https://runmitts.com/ https://www.seirus.com/

The Weekly - July 7, 2020

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