First Seed Sown is a for-profit BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)-owned company created to help other BIPOC-owned companies with sales and marketing services, any company who is serious about doing DEI work within Sales and Marketing strategies, and municipalities to create outdoor equity programs. The company was founded in May 2023 on the belief that systemic change in business and outdoor recreation must start with supporting those who have been historically marginalized.
About me: I’ve worked for just about every department you’ll find in a consumer goods company or retailer over the last 20+ years – from working as a footwear department manager for retailers like CitySports to being the VP of Marketing at NEMO Equipment. From customer service, logistics, demand planning at Vibram, key account management, in-house sales rep, ERP implementation / admin, ecommerce manager at Topo Athletic, event marketing, digital / print / OOH advertising, PR management at Polartec, and most recently as a Marketing executive. I’ve been very fortunate to have worked for several brands during times of rapid growth and uncertain economic times and the lessons from both extremes are equally valuable. This will be the 3rd company I’ve launched, but the first that I own and that’s 100% focused on supporting the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) community and municipalities for outdoor equity.
As a Black and Puerto Rican cisgendered man from the greater Boston area, part of my privilege was being brought into this world by two parents who encouraged me to put myself out there even if I didn’t see anyone else who looked like I did. This was the courage I needed for sports like rock climbing, snowboarding, surfing, or working in offices and presenting to executive teams where I was the only person of color. The challenge was the same: prove that I deserved to be there, that my talents made me worthy of the space I was taking up, and that my lived experience could lead to positive change.
My goal with starting First Seed Sown Sales and Marketing was to take my years of consumer goods experience and dedicate myself to sharing this knowledge with other BIPOC business people and municipalities to increase access to the outdoors for all. The Adventure Gap is very real when it comes to outdoor participation; however, it’s even more extreme when you look at who is working at outdoor industry companies. This is why, after many years, I decided to start my own.
First Seed Sown is focused on eliminating the adventure gap both in outdoor participation and within the Outdoor Economy – this is the only way I believe we can make the outdoors equitable for all.