Journal
ESTERO lifeguard hats • Available exclusively at The Paddleboard Company on the Morro Bay Embarcadero • Kwai Grass, heat bonded embroidered O.G. patch, drawstring tether •
Effective immediately, 50% of all “Outsider” line sales proceeds will be donated to the San Luis Obispo County Firefighters Benevolent Association • This 50% donation period will be in effect for the month of October 2017 • The CAL FIRE/San Luis Obispo County Fire Department has several close ties to victims of the recent tragedy in Las Vegas • For clarity, a 50% donation to the Benevolent Association means if an Outsider item sells for $20.00, $10.00 will be donated forward. Since all ESTERO apparel is keystone priced, there is absolutely zero profit in these items. This is the only way I feel comfortable associating and donating to help the good folks affected by this tragedy.
Love and strength,
TeddyB
Direct donations to the Benevolent Association may be sent to the following address:
CDF/San Luis Obispo County Firefighters Benevolent Association
P.O. Box 810
San Luis Obispo, CA 93406
SLOCOFBA is a California 501(c)3 nonprofit organization
FDID# 77-0305877
(from lt) Ken, Teddy, Trevor, Jeff, Nikki, Stanley
Monster & Sea "24" Team Morro Bay has reached their initial goal of $6000 and met their stretch goal to fill a 7th envelope!! That's $7000 raised by 117 amazing people in 2 short months! Envelopes stuffed with $1000 cash going out to seven families. More updates soon!
For the second year in a row, ESTERO's TeddyB is heading up the Morro Bay paddle team for the upcoming Monster & Sea 24hr paddle fundraiser. The event, dubbed "The 24",
Last year our Morro Bay Paddle Team met our $4000 goal with the help of several generous donors! We were able to help four local Central Coast families struggling with cancer and delivered four envelopes with $1000 to each family! All donations stay local.
This year the Morro Bay paddle team has set a goal to help six families on the Central Coast.
A little history...
About two years ago, a team of six stand up paddlers from the Pacific Northwest set out on a benevolent mission…their goal, to raise money for families dealing with cancer. Medical expenses are not the only burden a family has to bear when cancer rears it’s terrible head. Expenses from travel back and forth to appointments and treatments, food and lodging near specialty centers, childcare, loss of work and income…the list alone is overwhelming.
With the support of their community, the six paddlers delivered seven envelopes to seven families dealing with cancer. Each envelope contained two things: $1000 and a short note in a card. You may ask how does one deliver an envelope filled with $1000 to someone they may have never even met? As Troy Nebeker, founder of Monster & Sea and the M&S 24hr paddle describes,“Very simple. A knock on the door, slide it under and walk away. The card inside tells the story…it reads,“There is a community of people who are fighting for you. Our hope is this will give you a moment of peace in this crazy time.” - Lots of love from the Monster and Sea community.
Troy Nebeker, a man with many talents and a heart filled with goodness has gathered the paddling community together to go because we can, and give because we can. Troy started Monster & Sea, an ocean and paddleboard centered apparel company that donates money through sales to families dealing with cancer. Troy and his family have been in the trenches and on the frontline of the cancer battlefield but were able to find strength and healing through the sea. The Monster & Sea battle cry is #GoBecauseYouCan. Google it, check it on Instagram, see it on Facebook…it’s real, live and happening every day.
Last year, 0800 on March 26th and ending at 0800 on March 27th, 7 paddle teams of 6 paddlers, simultaneously embarked on a 24hr paddle in various parts of North America. Seattle and six satellite locations including Vancouver, Newport, Ontario, Idaho, North Carolina, and here in Morro Bay each hosted the 24hr paddle and raised $48,000! That's 48 envelopes going to 48 families!!!
This year there will be 14 - six person - paddle teams across the United States and Canada.
Each location will have three rotating two-person paddle crews throughout the day, night, and into next the morning. They will paddle in solidarity to help some warriors realize they are not alone in their battle.
Cancer, we are here and we won’t back down…ever.
Please assist in helping others.
So we say we donate 10% right...but what does that really mean? Take one of our shirts...they sell for $22.00. 10% of that is $2.20, right? The $2.20 is set aside and when donations total up to a good round number of $50, $75, or $100, I cut a check. Nothing huge, nothing fancy...no oversized cardboard showpiece, just a simple bank note that passes the goodness forward.
So where does the remaining $19.80 go? $10 goes to cover the cost of shirt and the $9.80 goes towards towards a ton of other things like these:
-R&D on new products and future apparel items
-decal production (decals have 100% revenue donated)
-set-up costs on new apparel screens and decals
-website/domain charges
-shipping charges/order shipping overages
-fuel costs for product pick-up and free local order delivery
-miscellaneous stationary items including rubber stamps, signs, envelopes, folders, etc...
-ESTERO Adventure Ambassador Program
I've worked very hard and I'm very fortunate to have earned a career as a fireman. I'm very thankful it enables me to provide for my family and provide a source of stability. I have the utmost respect for the small business owner as I've seen that you really have to hustle to get things moving...and even then there's no guarantee you're going to make it?
ESTERO started out as a project but now it's in full swing as a goodness machine!
"Having fun and giving back along the way..." -TeddyB
Just in case you had any question on overhead costs, here's a pic of the ESTERO "wearhouse"
"The official ESTERO "wearhouse"...yeah, it's in my garage." -TeddyB
noun es·tu·ary \ˈes-chə-ˌwer-ē, ˈesh-\
: an area where a river flows into the sea "
A couple new things with ESTERO this month. We are introducing a line of men's and women's hoodies. They're going to be zip up hoodies with drawstring hoods and heavy duty zippers. We're using Independent Trading Co. hoodies as we've made a few for family and they turned out really nice. The Shirt Peddler screening a full color ESTERO logo on the left chest and back center. This will be a medium duty hoodie that can be worn Fall through Spring.... and likely year-round in Estero Bay!
Second, I'd like to announce the ESTERO Adventure Ambassador Program. We are seeking adventurous, health minded individuals that promote positivity and good will in several outdoor activity disciplines. To be considered as an Ambassador, please email interests letters to ambassador@esteropaddle.com Make sure to include your social media handles and a few pics of you doing what you like to do outdoors.
-TeddyB
ESTERO is stoked to have local photographer Marc Amesse's art on our first run trucker hat. This hat is the first in a photo signature series. Marc's images are precision sublimated onto durable patches by Cayucos Collective and applied to comfortable trucker hats. Many of the pics on ESTEROpaddle.com were snapped by Marc. He's an experienced and well-rounded photographer and we look forward for more awesome pics. -TeddyB
Cayucos Collective made a nice prototype trucker hat for us. We've dubbed this graphic "MDO Lookout". If you have any pics you've personally snapped and think they would make a great graphic, email us @ esteropaddle@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram: @esteropaddle There's probably a hat and some shirts in it for you. -TeddyB
After a vast number of requests we decided to screen some racerback tanktops for the ladies. I'm a guy so I asked a few local ladies, and my cousin in Colorado (thanks Heather!) what they looked for in a tank. Great answers about material, cut, fit, and price came back from a trail runner, a crossfitter, a bikini model/EMT, a busy mom, a photographer/college student, and my lovely wife....just to name a few. Yesterday we posted a sneak peek on Instagram showing our ladies racerback tank tops and we received some nice feedback. These tops are really soft and come in black and gray colors. The light front screen makes them perfect for workout wear, a bikini cover-up, and/or an everyday tank top to wear around for any occasion. These tanks will be up on our site as we're coordinating modeling and what not. We're learning as we go but we've found that listening to the experts always pays off.....Thanks ladies!! -Teddy
Yes, we're up and running, but not without a lot of help on the site from Marc Amesse. Marc is a lot of things: mountain biker, surfer, SUP'r, photographer, business owner, coach, veteran, family man, and all around good guy. I feel lucky just to call him my friend. He is a mild mannered, soft spoken man, that makes things happen....good things. I want to take a moment to thank Marc for his work, craft, eye and art of photography. Marc has assisted with this site both technically and artistically...without compensation. I don't know how he finds the time for a career but Marc owns the State Farm Insurance office in SLO and he is a professional photographer to boot. I'm pleased to share his insurance and photography websites and I'm sure you'll be just as happy doing business with him as I am. -Teddy
Well, we have decals in stacks and t-shirts in boxes....and I'm usually in bed by now. It's 0028 and the night err, morning is young. So much to get done. Finishing up this website and what not...I've learned a lot about small business, webpages, SSL certificates, decals, silk screening, e-commerce, what else?? I've been able to pick the brains of some dear friends and watch a lot of YouTube video tutorials. I'm really excited about getting out stuff out there and donating to OPERATION SURF. I just saw them on the NatGeo IG feed tonight and it made me happy to see it. Things are coming together for this "idea" Sam and I had. We've received a lot of rad feedback on things and it's really going to be an adventure. Stick with us and see where this goes. -Teddy
The ESTERO decals have arrived and we're really happy with how they turned out. They measure 2.75"x2.75" and are finished with a UV resistant luster top layer. These decals will stand up to the sea, salt, sun, and snow. Stick 'em where they belong, mind the trash, and have fun!
