CEO: Chief Eternal Optimist with Kevin Rutherford

What is Pickleball?
According to Selkirk brand, the leader in this category, "pickleball, at its core, is a fun and exciting indoor/outdoor sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong.
Pickleball is played on a court the size of a badminton court, with a low net similar to tennis, and with what looks like an oversized ping pong paddle and a wiffle ball. The sport is currently the nation's fastest growing sport with over 4.8 million players in 2021 (up 14.8% over 2020) and an estimated 66 new locations to play pickleball each month."Selkirk Sport is the leading manufacturer of pickleball paddles and equipment. Brothers Mike and Rob Barnes, along with their father Jim, founded Selkirk Sport with the mission to redefine the way the world views pickleball. Since its founding in 2014, Selkirk has grown from an upstart with 10 employees to an energetic outfit with more than 100 team members.
Selkirk is headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, overlooking the Selkirk Mountains from which the company derives its name.
About host Kevin Rutherford

Kevin is a human-centric leader helping you to unlock your team’s full potential by creating a dynamic and engaging work environment. Joined by other thought leaders, they will share tools they have used to create highly successful teams through culture-first leadership.

Kevin Rutherford is a CEO, board member, public speaker and team culture expert who believes in the power of people. As CEO of two different companies, he shaped their company cultures resulting in recognition as one of ‘Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work’ for a total of six years. Known as the Chief Eternal Optimist, he has made it his mission to create a working environment where everyone can succeed and thrive. Join Kevin on a journey to help you and your team become the very best they can be.
Special thanks to our sponsor, The Running Event!
We were at The Running Event 2023 in Austin, Texas in November and want to share a bit about our experience.
The Running Event, also known as TRE, is an annual in-person conference and trade show for run and outdoor specialty retailers, brands, media and other industry professionals from across the US and even the globe. It’s a great opportunity for those in the industry to come together, do business and make new connections. The Running Event 2023 was the largest in the show’s 17-year history, welcoming more than 4,000 total visitors and featuring 314 exhibiting brands like Brooks, HOKA, On, Saucony, Balega, ASICS and New Balance.
A big takeaway for us is that TRE is a lot more than a trade show. There was so much buzz and good energy at the event, and you could tell people were really making connections, doing business and talking shop—all while really having a good time. We loved our time at TRE, and if you’re in the run or outdoor specialty business, we definitely recommend you check out the 2024 event.
The Running Event 2024 will take place November 19-21 in Austin, TX, at the Austin Convention Center; registration is set to open mid-July. Visit TRE’s website: https://www.therunningevent.com

Contact: Christina Henderson, Event Director, The Running Event [email protected]

Kevin sits down with Eric Ryan, a serial entrepreneur. At one point the two of them were competitors leading the way to the creation of a booming natural cleaners category. Today, they are friends and dig into the 'what' and 'how' they both won their 'Superbowl'. More importantly, as Eric reveals, why stop when you have success when you love what you do.
Eric talk about how identifies opportunities and how he and his teams took method, Olly, and Welly, from concept to massively successful brands. More importantly, Eric's authenticity and wonderful character shine through in this episode.
Get ready to take notes because this one is full of insights and ideas for you to reapply.
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Eric Ryan has built his career and portfolio of direct-to-consumer companies by disrupting industries that are overly complex by simplifying and beautifying them to make consumers’ lives easier and prettier.
He started out squeaky clean in 2001 when he co-founded Method with a good high school friend and built it into a global industry leader for both design and sustainability. In 2015, he shed his clean reputation to shake up the vitamin aisle with OLLY, an innovative line of gummies and proteins with smart design and downright deliciousness.
Next, Eric ventured into making the finest fabric bandages and ointments that people actually want to buy and wear, co-founding Welly in 2019. Most recently, he co-founded Cast, a collaborative, female-focused line of fine jewelry created by some of the world’s most inventive jewelry designers.
A serial entrepreneur and creator of everlasting brands, Eric is always thinking about his next big project. So, what’s next? You’ll see soon!
Eric has been named an eco-leader by Vanity Fair, an eco-revolutionary by Time Magazine, PETA's Person of the Year, a recipient of the Clinton Global Citizen Award, and was named to Fortune’s 40 under 40.
He's accomplished quite a bit, yet remains modestly approachable, and has a great sense of humor. There is no separation between work and home - what you see is what you get. He brilliantly owns his bold style yet keeps it real by always being respectful, transparent, and empathetic. And if that’s not enough, despite his self-professed less than average build, this adrenaline junkie is an avid kite-surfer, snow skier, sailor and
Dad to three lively kiddos.

In case you missed it, Gen Z is having a moment. A young woman went viral this week for expressing the reality of adulting, and having to go back to the office on a regular basis.
About Kevin,
Kevin is a human-centric leader helping you to unlock your team’s full potential by creating a dynamic and engaging work environment. Joined by other thought leaders, they will share tools they have used to create highly successful teams through culture-first leadership.

Kevin Rutherford is a CEO, board member, public speaker and team culture expert who believes in the power of people. As CEO of two different companies, he shaped their company cultures resulting in recognition as one of ‘Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work’ for a total of six years. Known as the Chief Eternal Optimist, he has made it his mission to create a working environment where everyone can succeed and thrive. Join Kevin on a journey to help you and your team become the very best they can be.

I've heard this my whole career. I'm still hearing it now that leaders, teammates, employees are all really frustrated. In fact, they're exhausted and it's causing a human energy crisis. And they're exhausted to the point where you've got apathy happening in the workplace where people kind of just go through their emotions or you have quiet quitting...or quiet firing.
About Kevin,
Kevin is a human-centric leader helping you to unlock your team’s full potential by creating a dynamic and engaging work environment. Joined by other thought leaders, they will share tools they have used to create highly successful teams through culture-first leadership.

Kevin Rutherford is a CEO, board member, public speaker and team culture expert who believes in the power of people. As CEO of two different companies, he shaped their company cultures resulting in recognition as one of ‘Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work’ for a total of six years. Known as the Chief Eternal Optimist, he has made it his mission to create a working environment where everyone can succeed and thrive. Join Kevin on a journey to help you and your team become the very best they can be.

In 1995, Mike Fata had no idea how to lose weight the healthy way. He fell for the low-fat fad diet as his go-to solution.
Then he set-off to get ‘healthy’ by cutting the fat and ramping up an exercise plan, but soon realized that he'd gone too far. He lost too much weight, felt lethargic all the time and was overall...still unhealthy.

A lot of experimentation later, Mike discovered that hemp hearts offered the right combination of essential fats to enhance his diet, allowed him to build the strength and start feeling amazing every day.
That’s how he ended up co-founding Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods in 1998, and began my journey to dedicate over 25 years of his life studying and practicing natural health.
About host Kevin Rutherford
Kevin is a human-centric leader helping you to unlock your team’s full potential by creating a dynamic and engaging work environment. Joined by other thought leaders, they will share tools they have used to create highly successful teams through culture-first leadership.

Kevin Rutherford is a CEO, board member, public speaker and team culture expert who believes in the power of people. As CEO of two different companies, he shaped their company cultures resulting in recognition as one of ‘Outside Magazine’s Best Places to Work’ for a total of six years. Known as the Chief Eternal Optimist, he has made it his mission to create a working environment where everyone can succeed and thrive. Join Kevin on a journey to help you and your team become the very best they can be.