It's a “TRIBE.” Or is it a “Community?”

Let’s face it: all of us old time locals have a habit of referring to our place in the San Diego lifestyle spectrum as our “tribe.” The longer you have lived here, the more you become that - you were and are a pivotal and crucial Tribe member, put there to defend one and all from the “others!”

I have been thinking about this for some time so I went to our unofficial SDSI member, Merriam Webster, for some insights. Turns out a “tribe” is a group of persons having a common, character or interest. Yeah that's us… whether a cyclist, surfer, golfer, swimmer, walker, runner... or snowboarder, kiter, long boarder or now… a “foiler.” We throw up the collective wall (sound familiar), circle up the wagons and define ourselves by our activity. Good or bad are comments related ability, nothing more or less: i.e. “I am a (good; bad) short board folier.” Wow, really? Tribe for sure, summarized by activity.

Well, what if we were a group of persons with common interests living together within a larger society… hmmm. Mr. Webster tells us that is the definition of COMMUNITY. And I think it is a more accurate definition of our sport, active and healthy living “tribe” here in San Diego. While it is easy to describe ourselves by our activity, in the tribal sense, it’s also possible to tell us a little about what we stand for: i.e “I am a dedicated surfer. I surf everyday there is surf. But last year I joined the 100 Waves in a Day movement and raised $1,000 for the Boys and Girls Club.” Community member all the way, categorized by activity within the tribe and the greater social structure, namely our Sport and Active Lifestyle community here in San Diego.

It’s no stretch to say that SDSI has plotted a similar path: we evolved from Action Sport Innovators (tribal for sure) to San Diego Sport Innovators (Community for sure). It took us a while to realize that we are involved with businesses that help make the San Diego Lifestyle so amazingly appealing. Every tribe is here. But collectively we have magnetized ourselves into a core dedicated in part to helping our individual business, while, at the same time, serving as a gateway for all the other companies who want to join the Community. No walls here!

As a reminder, our Mentor Community has donated 1600 hours per year toward graduating 82 companies, with a 87% successful track record… who have raised over $80 million in Capital and, BEST of ALL, 46% are led or founded by Women.

Our SDSI companies do WELL as tribalists and do GOOD as community members. “Awwww-sssooome”, as we say in the tribe. Thanks for helping make it happen!

-Bob

American Wave Machines PerfectSwell Deployed at Scale
…and it looks amazing! Many members came to Solana Beach to hear from American Wave Machines and take a look at their demo pool with this technology a few years ago but now that the Barefoot Ski Ranch has a full scale pool, it only looks better. Read the full recap and watch the videos on the Adventure Sports Network article.

Procopio Co-Hosting Executive Roundtable Event For Business Executives/Owners
On June 7th, Procopio is co-hosting a roundtable featuring CEO’s and owners that have successfully navigated the process of financing and selling their business.  This breakfast event is for any executives or owners who have built a successful business and are now at an inflection point – is it time to take on additional capital and grow, time to take some chips off the table and transition, or sell outright and move on to the next phase? This event will take place from 7:30-10:30 AM on Thursday, June 7th at The Estancia La Jolla.  CEO’s and business owners can RSVP to Kimberly.Christianson@procopio.com.

4LBU’s Mind Your Gold Date Announced: August 25
SDSI Springboard Grad and celebrity meditation expert Prince Daniels, Jr. has developed a unique and exclusive event entitled "Mind Your Gold" tailored for professionals who seek to find balance between their busy careers and celebrating life’s precious moments. At "Mind Your Gold”, high performing professionals can learn how to meditate, network with like-minded peers and indulge in the amenities of a one of a kind event. This August 25th event features world renowned mindfulness expert and NY Times Best Selling Author, Joan Borysenko. For more info on the event, the cause, and sponsorship opportunities view the brochure.

Injinji and Digital Operative Featured In Magento Case Study
We love to celebrate successes between members, like the Digital Operative and Injinji cocollaboration which resulted in them being named finalists for the 2018 Magento Imagine Excellence Awards for the category of “Best Web Experience.” Claire Kooperman, Injinji Brand Manager said, “When Digital Operative upgraded our site to Magento 2 Open Source, they took the time to learn about our product, target market, and culture. Our new site exemplifies the quality of our brand.” Read the full case study.

Fly Into Summer with Cirque-It Fitness
Come check out the brand new studio entrally located in University City on the corner Governor Drive and Genesee Ave. Cirque-It Fitness is circus-infused circuit training. Unleash your inner acrobat and get a full-body, cardio, strength, and flexibility workout using exercises inspired by the circus. All abilities welcome. Get fit, have fun, and be DONE with your workout in only 45 minutes with Cirque-It Fitness! First class is FREE so sign up today! Cirque-It Fitness and Founder, Elazabeth Skwiot, was also featured in a blurb in the UCCA June Newsletter (page 13).

Slyde Fest 2018 Handboard Competition
Slyde Headboards is calling all beach lovers to the shoreline of San Clemente, California Saturday June 23rd, for their 2nd Annual Handboarding Competition. Open to all levels from casual beachgoers to the best in the world. Best of all, all proceeds from the event go to A Walk on Water – an excellent organization that uses Surf Therapy guided surf instruction for children with special needs. To get signed up or to get some more info, visit the event website.

Roger Spatz Discusses Future of Reef with SES
Shop-Eat-Surf talks with Reef President, Roger Spatz, and VP of Marketing, Mike Matey, about the changes to Reef’s main brand positioning, product priorities, and sales & distribution philosophies. Reef as also tried to stay true to the Reef rich heritage, working with the brands Founders, Fernando and Santiago Aguerre. “We’re really trying to tap into the secret sauce that made Reef great, and respect that,” Roger said. “Part of it was the fun, part was the irreverence. But they were also very, very focused on product. So we’ve been doing quite a bit of work with Santiago on product.” Read the full story (note: Shop-Eat-Surf Executive Edition members only)

Roth Capital Partners Featured in Orange County Business Journal
Roth Capital’s Chairman and CEO, Byron Roth, was featured in the OCBJ sharing his insight into what trends he’s seeing in the industry and what he is focused on now: IPO’s. The article covers the evolution of the firm and what it has been able to do to keep thriving, even in less than ideal economic times. Read the full story.

Surftech Wins 2018 Gear of the Year Award from Outside Magazine
Surftech collaborated with San Diego success story, prAna, to develop a women’s specific line of sustainable stand-up paddle boards (the Aleka), paddles, inflatables, and leashes. “Surftech’s Aleka takes home our Gear of the Year award for one deceptively simple reason: in nearly all conditions, it shone. Designed for SUPers focused on fitness, it’s lightweight, it’s durable, and it held its own on distance outings, through choppy short trips, and in small waves off the Northern California coast.” Read the full article on Shop-Eat-Surf.

Jiva VR Nakuru Kuru: Awakening Debuts as Prologue to 2019 Release
Jiva VR debuts a live action 360 degree VR experience with a focus on environmental stewardship including: stopping the flow of plastics into the ocean, promoting the protection of endangered species with marine sanctuaries, and restoring coral reefs through coral gardening. View the 9 minute, fully immersive, 360 degree video (pro tip: move your phone/tablet around or click and drag if you’re on a computer) or the feature on Surfer.

Dew Tour Adding Women’s Street and Park Events
"Since The Enthusiast Network began producing Dew Tour in 2016, we've been building to add women's skateboarding competitions," said Adam Cozens, VP and General Manager of Dew Tour. "We are extremely happy to showcase the world's best female skaters this year at Dew Tour with the help of global streaming platforms and NBC TV broadcast." Read more on Adventure Sports Network. 

CA Skateparks Training Facility Now Open
CA Skatparks has finished their skateboard bowl and finalizing their street course which means it will probably be done by the time this newsletter goes out. They are that fast! Household names like Tony Hawk and Bucky Lasek have already stopped by to share their thoughts. To see that and the progression of the park, give @caproductions1 a follow on Instagram or visit their website for more info.

Hookit Signs Deal With Indycar
SDSI Springboard Grad, Hookit, will provide insights and evaluation for Indycar on the performance of its events and promotional campaigns for its sponsors. “At Indycar we are always looking for innovative new ways to succeed, both on the track and off,” said CJ O’Donnell, chief marketing officer for Indycar and IMS. “By partnering with Hookit, we are taking our sponsorships to a new level in terms of the value we will be able to create and prove as well as the effectiveness of our campaigns.” Read the full press release.

Are you equipping your sales leaders with the tools to make them successful? How often do we hear this statement “Tom was great in sales, but just couldn’t make the leap to Sales Manager”? Unfortunately, we hear these comments all too often. However, in our experience, at least 50% of the time, if not more, the lack of performance is due to the absence of preparation and training. Strong sales skills do not automatically equate to strong sales management skills. Hiring, interviewing, mentorship, report management, accountability, building trust, working across departments – these are just a few of the new responsibilities thrust upon new Sales Managers. Spend the time upfront to train, prepare, track and support your new managers rather than putting 100% of the burden on them to figure it out as they go. Contact Ken C Schmitt at TurningPoint for additional insights.

Job Openings
Inside Sales Rep, Software – San Diego
Inside Sales, Cybersecurity – San Diego
Account Manager, Software – San Diego
Inside Sales, IT Security – Southern California

Cirque-It Fitness – Fitness Professional, click for info

Common Thread Collective – Creative Director, click for info

Digital Operative – Multiple Positions Available click for info

Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa - Multiple Positions Available click for info

Hookit – Multiple Positions Available click for info

J!NX – Freelance Artist, click for info

KPMG - Multiple Positions Available click for info

SKLZ - Multiple Positions Available click for info

UC San Diego Athletics - Events Coordinator click for info

Jun. 7 - Procopio Executive Roundtable, La Jolla, CA see "member news" for more info

Jun. 23 – Slyde Handboarding Competition, San Clemente, CA click for info

Jun. 28-29 - Agenda Long Beach, Long Beach, CA click for info

Jun. 28 – America’s Finest Corporate Dash, San Diego, CA click for info

Jun. 28 – Jul. 1 – Dew Tour Skate Contest, Long Beach, CA click for info

Jul. 23-26 - Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, Denver, CO click for info

Aug. 25 – Mind Your Gold Benefitting 4LBU Foundation, San Diego, CA click for info

Oct. 4 - Sales & Marketing Leaders of the Year Awards, Del Mar, CA click for info