I have spent my career building brand and customer experience strategies for some of today’s best companies. As Vapur Co-Founder and Chief Design Officer, I am able to fuse my love of the outdoors with my passion for design, innovation and trend-spotting to develop and nurture the Vapur product line and brand.

I started my professional life as a banker. Actually, I was a “marketer” who worked in banking. After eight years in financial services and three buy-outs, I founded Tonic, a boutique brand experience and design consultancy, in 2003. We had the privilege of working with some great companies like Anthem Blue Cross, The Four Seasons, Countrywide Bank, USAA and Sprint.

After helping these and many other clients launch amazing new products and create engaging brand experiences, I began a quest to put our talents to use in creating our own products. Eventually, one of those concepts led to Vapur, which I founded with two partners in 2009.

The backlash against bottled water had reached a crescendo and toting a reusable bottle became an Eco-fashion statement. And, as a result of the economic recession, many not-so-green consumers were also looking to save money by drinking the free water they got from the tap. We had this crazy idea that we could convince people to buy a reusable water bottle that could be folded flat when empty. It turns out, we launched at just the right time.

This is my personal blog. It is focused on providing simple, straightforward ideas for how today’s entrepreneurs can OUTSHINE the competition through the power of design.