Views from the Bus with Bob Rief - Powered by SDSI

This is a start of a new series of Views From The Bus, where Bob is shifting away from the historic founders to a much more current and scrappy set of founders. Many who have founded or birthed their businesses in these amazingly fast moving times, their insights are not historic, they're immediate, they're relevant, and they're actionable today

In today's episode, we'll meet Isaac Howe, who co-founded Orucase with his brother and are a recent SDSI Accelerator graduate. They graduated from the program in 2019 right before Covid-19 changed the world, and stopped all travel. And if you don't know Orucase they make the best bike cases to take your bike on any airline at a reasonable baggage price. Listen in to hear how Isaac and his team worked to keep their heads above water. 

In this special episode, Bob joins two of the best young CEOs in the sport and active lifestyle industry, Mandy Fry from Z Supply, and Jay Barton from ASRV, to discuss their approach to the new business reality. 

In this episode of the Views From The Bus podcast, Bob Rief is joined by Tradian Maier, Founder of EarPro. Many surfers and water sports participants have a common issue of Surfer’s ear, a condition that causes blockage of the ear canal. Tradian caught Bob’s attention when he applied to the SDSI Accelerator Group with a solution for Surfer's ear. Listen to Tradian and Bob discuss the importance of ear health and how SDSI teamed up with EarPro to launch their product successfully in the United States.

In this episode of the Views From The Bus podcast, Bob Rief is joined by his friend Justin Gardner, CEO and Founder of BLDG Active Skin Repair. BLDG Active Skin Repair is 99% effective against all bacteria, including the complex bacteria that you find in the ocean. And here's the big news...it does not sting. BLDG Active uses the same molecule that your white blood cells produce and is able to replicate the same immune response that your body's creating to help fight off bacteria and help heal. Justin is a very progressive thinker, very fast to pivot, and uses a very contemporary digital marketing plan that has allowed him to navigate the pandemic and come out with a stronger brand.

In this episode of Views From The Bus, Bob Rief is joined by his good friend and legendary tech leader Guy Kawasaki. The two talk about Guy’s love for surfing and how he picked the sport up at 60 years old. Guy now has a podcast called Remarkable People that has featured guests like Jane Goodall, Margaret Atwood, Arianna Huffington, Kristi Yamaguchi, and more!

Joe Kudla, Founder of Vuori, a performance apparel brand with a nontraditional approach to activewear, joins the Views From the Bus Podcast. Vuori is inspired by the Encinitas and Southern California Lifestyle. Their mission is to create products that help people live extraordinary lives. In this episode, Joe shares how Vuori entered the market, and how they survived a few obstacles on the way.

When it comes to legendary brands that reflect the San Diego lifestyle, there's not many better one than Sanuk. Jeff Kelley, Founder of Sanuk, joins Bob Rief in the Views From The Bus Podcast. In the 90s, Jeff started making sandals out of indoor-carpet and the spirit of innovation became the backbone of the brand. Jeff has a rare combination of creativity and a sense of humor.

In this episode of the Views From The Bus podcast, Bob Rief is joined by Beaver and Pam Theodosakis, Founders of Prana. There aren't too many husband-wife successful entrepreneurs with successful marriages in this business, but Beaver and Pam are really the best examples of coming together and creating something that wasn't there before.

In this episode of the Views From The Bus podcast, Bob Rief is joined by Tony Finn, the Founder of Liquid Force. Tony is one of the most disruptive and unique marketers and is virtually known by everybody in the global world of action sports. 20 years ago, Bob met the stranger Tony and he is certainly the best example of openness, friendliness, and positive energy of anybody he has ever known.

In this episode of Views From The Bus, Bob Mcknight, former CEO of Quiksilver joins Bob Rief. There has been no brand more legendary than Quiksilver and no founder more legendary than Bob, even though he’s probably going to deny that.