Summary:
On this week’s episode of the Bentonville Beacon podcast, James Bell sits down with Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, Founder and CEO of LIVSN Designs. Andrew founded LIVSN nearly four and a half years ago with the desire to simplify the things he owned. The pair discusses the origins of LIVSN, why Andrew chose to headquarter in Bentonville, and much more.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes:
(0:16) Introducing Andrew Gibbs-Dabney and LIVSN Designs
(6:56) Utilizing Kickstarter
(16:16) The Advantage of Being in NWA
(23:47) Why Outdoor Rec Businesses Should Consider Bentonville
(28:25) Advice for Aspiring Outdoor “Rec-preneurs”
(30:52) What’s Next for LIVSN?
(32:49) The Deep Talent Pool in NWA
(36:40) Choosing Your Super Power and Closing Thoughts
Links:
JAMES BELL
ANDREW GIBBS-DABNEY
LIVSN DESIGNS
Quotes:
“What Arkansas has I think is something special—maybe less flashy, but it’s not anything less inspiring [than the other outdoor hubs in the country].” (17:01) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
“If there’s mountain biking or cycling in the company’s interest, there’s definitely a reason to be here.” (25:15) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
“From my house, I can access almost 300 or 400 miles of trails and not get in my car. From my office, I can do the same thing. Anywhere in Bentonville, you don’t actually have to drive anywhere. You don’t have to even have a bike rack if you don’t want to.” (25:40) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
“The outdoor industry is thriving in the southeast, and a lot of these brands do most of their sales here.” (27:21) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
“We’ve had 80–150 applicants for every job we’ve posted. We’ve ended up hiring someone locally each time because the best person for that job happened to be here.” (33:22) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
Blog:
Throughout the first season of the Bentonville Beacon podcast, host James Bell will be sitting down with entrepreneurs, executives, and business owners from the outdoor recreation industry that have chosen Bentonville, Arkansas as their home. Tune in to hear about what’s going on in Bentonville, how the city has become a hub for the outdoor recreation industry, and how your business could benefit from a presence in the area!
“What Arkansas has I think is something special—maybe less flashy, but it’s not anything less inspiring [than the other outdoor hubs in the country].” (17:01) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
On this week’s episode of the Bentonville Beacon podcast, James Bell sits down with Andrew Gibbs-Dabney, Founder and CEO of LIVSN Designs. Andrew founded LIVSN nearly four and a half years ago with the desire to simplify the things he owned. He grew up as an avid outdoorsman, which ultimately led to an extensive outdoor apparel and gear collection, which became taxing for him.
As he sorted through his gear and cleaned out his closet, he began to realize the importance of owning a handful of comfortable, durable, and sustainably-produced clothing items that he loved. And so became LIVSN, a company dedicated to creating versatile, well-made clothing for people who value experiences more than stuff.
Why Bentonville?
When Andrew founded LIVSN, he considered every major outdoor recreation hub in the country: Northern California, Denver, the Carolinas, and the Pacific Northwest. Ultimately, he believed the hype he had heard around the growing outdoor recreation industry in Northwest Arkansas and decided to headquarter in Bentonville.
With his interest in mountain biking, his decision quickly paid off. His team regularly goes mountain biking at lunch, taking advantage of the several hundred miles of trails accessible from nearly anywhere in Bentonville.
“From my house, I can access almost 300 or 400 miles of trails and not get in my car. From my office, I can do the same thing. Anywhere in Bentonville, you don’t actually have to drive anywhere. You don’t have to even have a bike rack if you don’t want to.” (25:40) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
Andrew also sites the thriving outdoor recreation retail industry as a benefit of the region. With REI expanding rapidly on both coasts and in the Mountain West, the Southeast has been left relatively untouched, creating a prime environment for mom-and-pop outdoor gear retailers to thrive.
“The outdoor industry is thriving in the southeast, and a lot of these brands do most of their sales here.” (27:21) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
Lastly, Andrew touched on the ever-increasing talent pool that calls Northwest Arkansas home. In the last year, Andrew has increased the size of his team by 500%. Even though he opened his talent search nationwide, he continually found the best applicants in his own backyard.
“We’ve had 80–150 applicants for every job we’ve posted. We’ve ended up hiring someone locally each time because the best person for that job happened to be here.” (33:22) – Andrew Gibbs-Dabney
Get Connected!
Thanks for tuning into this first episode of the Bentonville Beacon podcast! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs who are making a positive impact on Bentonville’s culture, community, and lifestyle!
Are you interested in learning more about Bentonville and the growth of its outdoor recreation community? Check out the BENTONVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEBSITE.
Summary
This Bentonville Beacon episode is part two of a bonus series that highlights the third cohort of the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP). James Bell is joined by Brent Robinson, Founder of Greenway Bike Co., Alex Huesing from Cloud Pad, Marley Blonsky, Co-founder of All Bodies on Bikes and Eliot Jackson with Reggy. GORP is a Bentonville-based business incubator focused on the development of innovative solutions within the outdoor recreation industry. Its third cohort features a mountain climbing startup and five cycling companies that have access to team mentoring, workshop training and dedicated product/service development to help them launch, build and scale globally. Throughout the episode, James, Brent, Alex, Marley and Eliot discuss the intent behind each of their companies, how they’ve benefited from participating in GORP’s third cohort and how the Bentonville community is helping them build and expand their businesses.
Thanks for tuning in!
Show Notes
(0:59) Introduction to Brent
(3:42) Building Greenway Bike Co.
(6:18) The Benefits of GORP
(7:03) What’s Next for Greenway Bike Co.
(8:40) Brent’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(10:40) Introduction to Alex
(13:38) About Cloud Pad
(17:02) Alex’s Experience with GORP
(19:31) Challenges Building Cloud Pad
(21:00) Advice for Finding Clarity
(22:12) Alex’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(24:32) Introduction to Marley Blonsky
(27:24) Transitioning from Seattle to Bentonville
(29:04) About All Bodies on Bikes
(34:02) How GORP Helps Founders
(38:30) Marley’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(42:13) Introduction to Eliot
(45:57) About Reggy
(47:11) Partaking in the GORP Cohort
(49:31) How Bentonville Helps Build Businesses
(51:37) Eliot’s #BecauseBentonville Story
(56:47) Closing Thoughts
Links
JAMES BELL
BENTONVILLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
BRENT ROBINSON
GREENHOUSE OUTDOOR RECREATION PROGRAM
GREENWAY BIKE CO.
Quotes
“These are kits that have been around for twenty years, but it’s sometimes hard for you to get in there and do it…So we’ve found a way that we can start to offer those services and present those kits to people in ways they can utilize them.” – Brent Robinson, (4:07)
“We want to build a smarter boulder pad because we know there’s a better way to do it. Our hope is that by making a product that’s both safer and more affordable, we can prevent injuries and get more people to be excited about going outside.” – Alex Huesing, (15:05)
“GORP is a phenomenal program that gives you a good structure for approaching and learning some of the challenges that are inevitable along the way of starting a company, but the most important thing it provides is this social support network of peers.” – Alex Huesing, (17:12)
“GORP has given me the framework, the language, the tools, but most importantly, the resources… it really just got me off on a good foot to go down this path and figure out if it’s a viable market opportunity.” – Marley Blonsky, (34:42)
“To me, the intersection between entrepreneurship and cycling, and really the outdoors, is Bentonville. I’ve been to so many places and there’s nowhere that those two intersect as much as they do here.” – Eliot Jackson, (47:31)
Accelerating Outdoor Industry Startups with the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program – Part 2
This Bentonville Beacon episode is part two of a bonus series that highlights the third cohort of the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program (GORP). James Bell is joined by Brent Robinson, Founder of Greenway Bike Co., Alex Huesing from Cloud Pad, Marley Blonsky, Co-founder of All Bodies on Bikes and Eliot Jackson with Reggy. GORP is a Bentonville-based business incubator focused on the development of innovative solutions within the outdoor recreation industry. Its third cohort features five cycling companies and one mountain climbing startup that have access to workshop training, team mentoring and dedicated product/service development to help them scale globally. Throughout the episode, James, Brent, Alex, Marley and Eliot discuss the intent behind each of their companies, how they’ve benefited from partaking in GORP’s third cohort and how the Bentonville community has helped them expand their businesses.
Encouraging Outdoor Recreation
Greenway Bike Co.’s goal is to help people rediscover the joys of riding by offering e-bike conversion kits and batteries to those wanting to make their bikes electrically assisted. Upscaling to an e-bike is cost-effective, allows individuals to ride longer and offers a commuting option other than driving. Conversions can happen one of three ways: already-owned bikes can be converted, bikes can be sourced and then upgraded or riders can join one of its workshops and Greenway Bike Co. will complete the conversion with them.
“These are kits that have been around for twenty years, but it’s sometimes hard for you to get in there and do it…So we’ve found a way that we can start to offer those services and present those kits to people in ways they can utilize them.” – Brent Robinson, (4:07)
Furthermore, another startup in GORP’s third cohort is Cloud Pad, a company that designed a new and improved version of the current bouldering crash pads on the market today. Both Greenway Bike Co. and Cloud Pad are offering solutions that encourage outdoor enthusiasm in addition to making outdoor recreation safer and more accessible. Their efforts are being furthered and supported by GORP’s mentors and the experienced network they have at their fingertips.
“GORP is a phenomenal program that gives you a good structure for approaching and learning some of the challenges that are inevitable along the way of starting a company, but the most important thing it provides is this social support network of peers.” – Alex Huesing, (17:12)
Bentonville’s Energetic Startup Community
The remaining two startups in GORP’s third cohort are All Bodies on Bikes and Reggy. All Bodies on Bikes is a movement to create and foster a size inclusive bike community. Among its many efforts, it seeks to make cycling clothing available in a wide range of sizes and hosts social events where riders are encouraged to move their bodies at a pace that is comfortable and safe for them. GORP has helped All Bodies on Bikes conduct its customer discovery and introduced it to Bentonville’s extensive and collaborative biking community.
“GORP has given me the framework, the language, the tools, but most importantly, the resources… it really just got me off on a good foot to go down this path and figure out if it’s a viable market opportunity.” – Marley Blonsky, (34:42)
Lastly, Reggy is expanding what it means to create cycling experiences by providing resources to cycling entrepreneurs and making discovery easier for riders. Reggy is modernizing the world of cycling by giving race organizers a way to connect with riders and by giving athletes tools to analyze their performances. The Bentonville community and GORP have been greatly advantageous to Reggy in that they have expanded its net of opportunities and seamlessly integrated it into the region’s startup ecosystem.
“To me, the intersection between entrepreneurship and cycling, and really the outdoors, is Bentonville. I’ve been to so many places and there’s nowhere that those two intersect as much as they do here.” – Eliot Jackson, (47:31)
Get Connected!
Thank you for tuning in to this episode of The Bentonville Beacon! Join us weekly for more stories from entrepreneurs and business leaders who are sparking the rise of Bentonville. If you are interested in discussing whether your business should have a presence in Bentonville or would like to discuss this podcast, please contact James Bell. You may reach James at JBELL@GREATERBENTONVILLE.COM or (479) 273-2841.
