![]() Garland Pollard, who authors a popular blog called "BrandlandUSA" - which focuses on former popular brands and where they went - said sunscreen is a fiercely competitive, elbow-to-elbow market but Sea & Ski has an advantage upstarts don't. They also operate a nearby storage facility. The strategy is to launch two new products each year and they already are adding 10,000 square feet onto its current 13,500-square foot facility. Lee expects the number of stores to grow each year as Cross Brands aggressively hits the spring break and musical festival crowds with free samples and aerial marketing. One of its more popular efforts locally was a flying aerial banner at the Surfing Santa event in Cocoa Beach. (Locally, that includes stores in Cocoa and on Merritt Island.) Lee and his team have been able to get Sea & Ski into a number of smaller surf and beach shops in Central Florida and also earned coveted shelf space in 115 Walmarts in Florida. "I wouldn't have done it without these people."Īt full production, and with sales and marketing personnel, Cross Brands is employing nearly 35 people, a figure he hopes to double as the business expands. ![]() The availability of a trained work force left over form Sun & Skin Care Research was key into starting the operation here. ![]() Lee's Rockledge company at 1938 Murrell Rd., Cross Brands Manufacturing, also makes skin products for other companies who he declined to name. "The brand is popular and people recognize it," he said. He would not disclose how much he purchased those for but he said it seemed like a good business decision to him. He brought on as a partner, a close friend from Wisconsin, Charlie Kasten, who also has a home in Palm Bay.ĭuring all this, Lee learned of the possibility of purchasing the Sea & Ski formula and label and quickly jumped on it. Lee decided to strike out on his own, sans DeAngelo. Mutal acquaintances put him in contact with DeAngelo who was looking to re-start a skin car business following the departure of Ocean Potion and the the other brands. Lee, who had purchased a vacation condominium in Cocoa Beach two decades ago was looking for a challenge. About 200 Sun & Skin Care Research workers suddenly were jobless following that move. Three years ago, that firm sold the labels to a Canadian company which closed the Cocoa facility and moved production out of state. Operating mostly out of Cocoa, Sun & Skin Care Research eventually acquired the very popular No-Ad product label and, after DeAngelo sold most of the company to a private equity firm, it acquired the BullFrog line. "Anytime you have a brand with this type of recognition and you can purchase that brand it helps," Lee said, "because you can get benefits right away."įor nearly three decades, the Space Coast was able to boast itself as the headquarters of Sun & Skin Care Research, a company started by a former commercial Realtor, Gary DeAngelo. The company has kept the famous angular bottle on some of the product line, as well as the formula that provides its particular scent, but he also is bottling the sunscreen in spray cans and tubes which many consumers expect these days.īut the main thing is keeping and cultivating the Sea & Ski name, a label that even made its way on episode of the popular TV show "Mad Men."
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