Impact Magazine Issue One 2017

owner partnerships with various regional investors. Catering to
the needs of college students, Orfalea sought out locations near
college campuses, but the clientele soon expanded to include all
manner of customers.
Fueled by its open-all-hours policy, Kinko’s spread internationally,
establishing over 1,200 locations with 23,000 employees in 10
different countries. In 1997, Orlafea sold a stake in Kinko’s to the
investment firm of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and left the company
in 2000. In 2004, Kinko’s was acquired by FedEx Corporation and
became FedEx Kinko’s, later being rebranded as FedEx Office.
Deckers
In 1973, Doug Otto was wrapping up studies for a B.A. in Business
Economics at UCSB, when he teamed up for a business venture
with classmate Karl Lopker.
In a footwear fashion landscape strewn with penny loafers and
wingtip shoes, the pair started making sandals aimed at the local
surf community, and initially sold their wares at craft fairs up
and down the west coast. During a trip to Hawaii, Otto heard
the locals referring to flip-flops as ‘deckas’ and, upon his return
home, he christened his creations Deckers.
With the burgeoning success of Deckers, the company started
purchasing other casual footwear brands to add to its company.
In 1982, Lopker left the company to join Santa Barbara-based QAD
Inc., a software company founded by his wife, Pamela Lopker.
Otto remained at the helm of Deckers Outdoor Corporation
until his retirement in 2008. Now boasting brands such as UGG,
Teva, Sanuk, Ahnu and Hoka One One, in 2010 Decker’s revenue
surpassed the $1 billion mark.
Territory Ahead
Santa Barbara’s outdoor-oriented lifestyle has nurtured more
than just footwear. After working for companies such as LL Bean
and Espirt, in 1987 Bruce Willard made the professional move
from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. Electing to base himself in
Santa Barbara, Willard commuted south each day, but in 1989
gave up the drive completely when he founded Territory Ahead.
“I wrote the business plan for Territory Ahead on the steering
wheel of my Saab, while driving back and forth to Los Angeles,”
Willard told Impact Magazine. “Santa Barbara is really quite a
supportive community. It’s a small but creatively vibrant place
where it’s relatively easy to get to know people, so I found it a
very supportive town for starting a business.”
Bruce Willard, Territory Ahead Founder
“I wrote the
business plan for
Territory Ahead
on the steering
wheel of my Saab,
while driving back
and forth to Los
Angeles”
In 2000, Willard stepped down as Territory Ahead’s
President. The chief executive with Territory Ahead
subsequently sold the company to Massachusettsbased
Distinctive Apparel. Willard has gone on to be
the driving force behind several other locally based
clothing companies including Carbon to Cobalt,
True Measure, and 32 Bar Blues.
Sonos
The tech industry has also tapped into Santa
Barbara’s inherently creative soul. In 2002, John
MacFarlane, Craig Shelburne, Tom Cullen and
Trung Mai founded Santa Barbara-based Sonos,
developing and manufacturing a range of highquality
smart speakers. Now, with offices in 12
countries, the company opened its first Sonos Store
in New York City last year.
Procore
In 2003, Craig “Tooey” Courtemanche launched
Procore, a project management software
application he created in response to issues
he was having with the construction of his new
Santa Barbara home. Designed to support
input from several sources, the software allows
the management of everything from meeting
minutes to drawing markups, while also providing
document storage capacity for all project-related
materials.
Procore started in Montecito with just a handful of
employees, Deckers was born from local craft fairs
and Kinko’s first served the copying needs of UCSB
students. If one thing can be learned about Santa
Barbara’s role in fostering some of the country’s
leading enterprises, it is this: the greatest driving
force behind the success has been Santa Barbara’s
greatest resource – its people.
“There’s a highly creative and highly innovative
environment here,” Garufis said. “I’m sure the
weather and the location and beauty have something
to do with it. Santa Barbara is a very inspirational
place to live, but you’re also surrounded by people
who really want to change the world.”
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