Built on Passion

Matt sits down with Yuki Threads co-founder Luke Mitchell. Yuki  Threads makes Technical Snowboarding apparel with a HUGE emphasis on sustainable manufacturing and the snowboarding community at large.

Luke Mitchell, (or as his friends call him, Mitch), and his co-founder Lani started Yuki Threads as a simple way to keep doing what they loved most, snowboarding. After a successful run of hoodies, Mitch started to ask the right question to solidify Yuki Threads as a future household name. He took a step back and asked, “How can we do this better?” rolled up his sleeves, and started his journey coming up with an answer.

Building Yuki Threads wasn’t just a journey to create apparel but, to make technical outerwear that was made responsibly. He dove down the manufacturing rabbit hole to make sure that virtually every step of the way was as sustainable as possible. Mitch brought his adventurous spirit with him throughout the process, literally visiting every stage of production, traveling through India, building real, meaningful, relationships. All in the name of preserving the integrity of Yuki Threads. Sustainable manufacturing is far from anything they’d compromise and a keystone for what the brand has been built on. For the snow industry, and the Fashion industry especially, this level of detail is something that’s unheard of. 

At the end of the day, it isn’t just building a cool brand, it’s about making products that mean something and doing things the responsible way, that’s built around a community and can actively give back to the sport of snowboarding and snow sports as a whole. 

In this episode of Built On Passion, Luke Mitchell shares his approach for tracking down the right manufacturing partners, how he dove headfirst into a brand new industry and came up swimming, and the how and why behind Yuki Threads

Matt sits down with Sego Ski Co co-founders Peter & Tim Wells. Sego Ski Co is a ski manufacturer making high-quality handmade skis

Over the years Sego Ski Co. has been growing hand over fist as a rapidly rising star in the ski industry. One of the remarkable things about Sego Ski Co. isn’t JUST the fact that they make a remarkable pair of skis, it’s that despite experiencing some serious growth (expanding their facility, growing their team, etc.) they manage to stay committed to the foundational soul on which they’ve built Sego Ski Co. In addition to completely owning their entire manufacturing process, they’ve seriously grown their partnerships, working to help expand the accessibility of snowsports and get more people out there to enjoy it whether it’s their local hill or somewhere along the powder highway in BC.

In this episode of Built On Passion Tim & Peter Wells peel back the curtain on some major milestones they’ve reached, their vision for where Sego Ski Co. exists in the snow industry, and the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind starting Sego Ski Co.

Matt sits down with Hestra US Marketing Manager Drew Eakins. Hestra is a family-owned glove manufacturer that has helped define what makes a high-quality performance glove.

It’s no secret that Hestra is considered one of the bigger players in the world of outdoor sports. With being in business for over a century, it’s safe to say they’ve left a serious mark, especially with snow sports (which has been their bread and butter since almost the beginning). However, despite being a recognizable brand you might not realize just where they fit in the tapestry of the outdoor sports industry (and at this point fashion too...really anything glove related). For instance, did you know that Hestra is run by 2 of the 100 true master certified glove cutters in the world (which is a skill that’s dying out… chances are you might not have even realized that there was a glove cutting profession). Not only is Hestra a company built on rich tradition but, they’ve managed to still push forward and both develop and integrate new technology, paving the way for the technical gloves.

In this episode of Built On Passion Drew Eakins shares a glimpse into Hestra’s rich history, a peek behind the curtain of what goes into Hestra’s R & D, and the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind Hestra

​​Matt sits down with Dynamite Starfish founder Leslie Kim. Dynamite Starfish makes climbing apparel with climbing culture-inspired designs to fill in some of the blanks in the culture of the climbing community.

Leslie has been a longtime designer, in her career and just as a personal passion. Between her visual art and her many (MANY) hobbies, she’s had a chance to see what kind of culture exists within all the circles she became a part of. As she got into climbing, she felt a SERIOUS sense of community and culture but didn't feel there was a lot of apparel that shines the spotlight on what climbing is REALLY about. I mean, how does one represent the entire zeitgeist of an activity that is built around close-knit communities that are propping up a sport? Well, Leslie found a way. 

There are so many tropes, cliches, and inside jokes embedded in the culture of climbing that every climber is familiar with whether they realize it or not. Leslie aims to take those commonalities and use them to help strengthen a community and make more space for fun. Climbing culture extends beyond the act of climbing and that’s a lot of what Leslie want’s to highlight. Being a climber can mean a lot of things for a lot of different reasons to a lot of different people but, it’s all built on the hinge of the love of the sport and that’s exactly what Leslie wants Dynamite Starfish to amplify.

In this episode of Built On Passion Leslie Kim shares what kinds of roadblocks she faced in starting Dynamite Starfish (but, physical and mental), the uncomfortable nuances of crossing over into the entrepreneurial world, and how she managed to come out on top, and her ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind building Dynamite Starfish

Matt sits down with FireCreek Snacks co-founder Dustin Riechmann. FireCreek Snacks makes super tasty all-natural snack sticks with better-for-you-ingredients.

Dustin has been a long-time entrepreneur. He’s had a lot of success and really hopped into a lot of different positions along his journey. FireCreek Snacks came together in a wave of serendipity when Dustin met his co-founder Ryan Hansen. When the two of them had met Dustin had an opportunity to explore a lot of different areas of starting a business and was getting increasingly interested in marketing. Ryan on the other hand had a dynamite beef jerky and vast culinary prowess. The combination of them coming together help make FireCreek Snacks one of the best options of snack sticks for anyone who doesn’t want to compromise quality for taste (or vice versa). Not only did they manage to balance each other's skillsets out perfectly, but they also came together to make a better snack that has people keep coming back.

In this episode of Built on Passion Dustin Riechmann shares how he and his partner joined forced to build FireCreek Snacks, what it took to craft their product and truly stand out in an industry with a lot of noise, and the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind starting FireCreek Snacks

Matt sits down with Routine co-founder Jake Rhodes. Routine makes daily supplements to help you get into your routine, develop healthy habits, and start the day off right.

Jake might be what you would call a serial entrepreneur but, of his colorful career of building businesses, Routine is something that particularly hit home for him and his co-founder and wife, Erin Rhodes. They didn’t have to dig too deep. It started by simply looking at their daily routine and just asking the simple question of ‘how can we make this better?’ 

The answer was taking something that they did every day, that was simple, that primed them to start the day off right and simplify it. For Erin and Jake and many many people hydration is exactly that; more specifically, hydrating with the concoction of lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and Himalayan sea salt. This might seem like a simple recipe on its own but,, when you introduce the chaos and unexpected turns of life getting in the way, it can be harder to keep up with the routine. That’s exactly what Jake and Erin sought to remedy in creating Routine. Taking these simple yet extremely impactful rituals like hydration and fueling up and making them simplified, streamlined, and bulletproof when life gets a little hectic. Moreover, creating a product that is healthy, natural, and a better take across the board on a tried and true ritual that can have such a positive impact on how your day unfolds.

In this episode of Built On Passion Jake Rhodes shares his experience in creating his flagship product the mourning routine, how, and the ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind starting Routine.

Matt sits down with Gozney founder Tom Gozney. Gonzey makes extremely high-quality innovative ovens designed to not just make fantastic pizza but give you the opportunity to maximize your culinary efforts right in your backyard.

Tom’s path to starting Gozney was not at all linear and far from easy but, there’s a consistent theme that followed him through the ups and downs; determination. It all started when his passion for cooking led him to build a pizza oven. What started out as a fun project to keep his hands busy, quickly began to snowball and grow, leading him to build oven after oven. Home oven builds lead to restaurant builds and eventually to push beyond the limits and dream up a way to give everyone the opportunity to have access to a pizza oven and enjoy its versatility to make some truly incredible meals. 

They’ve had some seriously notable partnerships with some well-known chefs and frequently put out recipes to help get you inspired. Tom’s vision for building Gozney isn’t solely to dream up and make innovative products; he aims to break down the barrier of cooking and baking and help people enjoy it as much as he does. Despite the rampant growing success, building Gozney wasn’t exactly all sunshine and bubble gum. A lot of its success relied on Tom’s tenacity to keep getting up and moving forward, and his passion to see his vision through.

In this episode of Built On Passion Tom Gozney shares what led him to start Gozney and the lead up to its now global footprint, a better look at how he developed Gozney’s latest product, and his ‘how’ and ‘why’ behind starting Gozney

Matt sits down with PNW Bushcraft co-founder Heather Saulsbury. PNW Bushcraft makes outdoor gear specifically for bushcraft but, even bigger than that, they give their customers the tools to have the most fun in the outdoors.

Heather built PNW Bushcraft with her co-founder and husband out of a hobby and passion that grew like wildfire after she began to make gear and sell it on Etsy (it sounds like a simple progression but, when I say they attacked this thing and won, that’s a huge understatement). As the dynamic duo dug deeper into the industry they slowly expanded their product line, doing countless R & D testing, and even began to host meetups, demonstrations, and workshops. One of the bigger things Heather’s been trying to tackle is to open up the outdoors to women and encourage them to learn new skills, and just become comfortable when roughing it. The Outdoor Industry has been marketed as a boys club but, the barriers that exist aren’t solid and Heather wants to break them down once and for all for women and really anyone who wants to get outside and have some fun but, might not know where to start. You don’t need to be perfect or do things flawlessly, you just need to be safe and have fun, and that’s exactly the message Heather wants to promote!

In this episode of Built On Passion Heather Saulsbury walks us through how PNW Bushcraft got started and the steps to grow to where they are now, how she’s been building and nurturing a wave of wild women getting into the outdoors, and her how & why behind starting PNW Bushcraft.

Matt sits down with Local Laundry co-founders Dustin Paisley & Connor Curran. Local Laundry is an apparel brand based in Calgary Canada that goes far beyond fashion and fabrics.

Local Laundry was created around the question “what if clothing can bring people together?” (Ironically enough this was a thought Connor had while studying abroad in Sweden RIGHT before seriously having it out a washer machine). In any event, Despite Local Laundry primarily being an apparel brand, community and expression are two major keystones that fully drive the soul of what it was built to become; a community and platform of self-expression. From where they source their fabrics, to their manufacturing, and even the brands they collaborate with, everything about Local Laundry is rooted in community and connectivity. While Local Laundry makes incredible clothing, it gets way more interesting beyond the hoodies and hats.

It might be their goal of raising $1,000,000 for local communities by 2030, or the countless partnerships and connection to the community where they’ve dug their roots but, there’s a magic beyond the company that starts to really become captivating when you look beyond the surface. More importantly, Dustin and Connor, show just how important it is to truly breathe life and soul into a company. The ideals behind their brand are an extension of something they believe in and that has made all the difference in not just their brand identity but, their impact on their customers and the relationships they’ve made over the years.

In this episode of Built On Passion Dustin Paisley & Connor Curran share how they cultivated such a strong community, the power of relationships and where that can lead you, and their how & why behind starting Local Laundry

Matt sits down with Giddy Yo founder Bridgitte Longshore. Giddy Yo makes organic nutritious dark chocolate & body care products that are designed with purpose and made with love.

Bridgette has always had a serious love for healthy living and clean nutritious foods. So, it’s no surprise that Giddy Yo really got its start right in her kitchen while trying to feed her family the best food she could get her hands on. Before long she was making chocolate for farmers markets and that very quickly snowballed into a bigger, and bigger operation until she found herself going through hell-and-high water to source ingredients for enough batches of chocolate to meet her demand. With a sense of uncompromising quality and a commitment to run an ethical business, Bridgitte is fairly strict about what goes into her products and keeps her deep-rooted love for healthy foods sowed within each bar. Beyond making such fantastic chocolate, Bridgitte has instilled a deep sense of gratitude and moral responsibility within Giddy-Yo and is always quick to help support anyone in need. At a point, one can make the argument that Giddy-Yo is less about the chocolate and more about celebrating the little things in life that make it special.

In this episode of Built On Passion Bridgitte Longshore shares how she scaled her business so quickly, the challenges of sourcing ingredients while maintaining the highest quality, and her how and why behind building Giddy Yo.