Page 17 - made-in-portland

July 25, 2013 MADE IN PORTLAND 17
KEEN
TURBO PUP
By KYLIE WRAY
The Tribune
When Keen started in Alameda, Ca-
lif., in 2003, it had the goal of mak-
ing sandals to protect the toes.
Thus, the Newport was born.
Keen showed its summer sandal at a win-
ter trade show, and got a mixed bag of com-
ments. While
some were excit-
ed by the original
looking product,
others were try-
ing to figure out
exactly what it
was and making
judgments about
it being the ugli-
est shoe they had
ever seen.
Keen’s most re-
curring para-
graph on its web-
site: “Can a san-
dal protect your
toes? The answer is yes. The reason is Keen
Patented Toe Protection where the shoe out-
soles wrap up and over the toes for ultimate
protection.”
Keen calls the Newport a com-
bination of opposites, a fusion of
protection and breathability.
Since creating that first shoe,
Keen has created a philosophy
encouraging its consumers to cre-
ate, play and care in their Keens,
something it calls HybridLife.
In 2004, when the tsunami hit
the Indian Ocean, Keen’s Hybrid.
Care was born, a giving program.
Keen joined the relief effort by
pulling its advertising budget in
order to donate it.
Keen relocated to Portland in
2006. In 2011, Keen launched its new cam-
paign, inspiring adults to reintroduce play-
ing into their daily routines: “Recess is
Back.” Keen’s website asks visitors to take
the pledge and commit to getting out every-
day. For those fresh out of ideas, Keen pro-
vides six categories from which they can
pull inspiration from activities including,
walking the dog, birding, chasing waterfalls,
puddle jumping and biking. Each activity
has a page where Keen recess goers can
post their photos and stories about
their activities through the website
and social media.
But not only does Keen encourage
individual adults to get out and play,
it also provides a workplace tool kit
with benefits about how having “re-
cess” can help employers boost the
moral or teams.
One such toolkit secret weapon is
an instant recess African dance vid-
eo.
It seems there are endless things
to explore on Keen’s website. If there
is one thing Keen is to its customers,
it’s helpful. Keen has several fun tools for
those shopping its shoes, including a “find
the perfect shoe tool.” This tool asks what
sex, weather condition and outdoor activity
you are looking for shoes for, and then sorts
several different options for the consumer to
explore.
By KYLIE WRAY
The Tribune
Taking your four-legged compan-
ion with you when hiking or
camping can be a great experi-
ence, but it can also be a hassle.
Ziploc bags and Tupperware full of dog
food can take up valuable room in your
pack.
This was a dilemma that Kristina
Guerrero and her husband Brandon de-
cided to meet head on.
According to the Guerrero’s, one day,
they were hiking and took a break to eat
their power bars. When their dog, Dunk-
an, looked at them like he was asking
where his was, a lightbulb went off.
“I thought ‘Why isn’t there something
like this?’ “ said Kristina. And after
watching Dunkan knock over his bowl of
food into the dirt one to many times, she
decided something needed to be done.
With the help of her husband, who is a
food scientist, Kristina developed Tur-
boPup bars, a food replacement bar for
dogs.
TurboPup’s first bar, the bacon-flavored
“The Adventurer,” is available. And the
company’s second bar, “The No Grainer,”
a peanut butter grainless bar will be re-
leased soon.
All of TurboPup’s bars are made with
natural, human grade ingredients that ex-
ceed AAFCO and are tested by Team Tur-
boPup themselves, Kristina, Brandon,
Dunkan and the newest member of Team
TurboPup, Odin, who is often lovingly re-
ferred to as T-PIT: TurboPup in training.
TurboPup bars are easily interchange-
able with your dog’s food to avoid the has-
sle that comes with switching to a new
food. Dunkan, who is a medium-sized dog,
needs three bars a day for the proper nu-
trition. Although one bar is not enough
for one day, the bars are light weight easy
to pack.
So far, the most challenging part for the
Guerrero’s has been trying to create for-
mula’s to fit different dog’s needs, which
is how the No Grainer was
born. While testing out their
bars at Doggie Dash, Team
TurboPup got a lot of requests
for bars free from allergens of
all kinds. “I would have never
known there were dogs aller-
gic to chicken,” said Kristina.
According to Team TurboPup, they
“founded TurboPUP as a platform to serve
our four-legged best friends and our coun-
try’s heroes: Veterans.”
Kristina graduated from the U.S. Air
Force Academy in 2002 with a focus in pi-
loting. She flew flew C-130s for the Air
Force and Air Force Reserve.
Now she has a goal of helping women,
particularly female veterans become busi-
ness owners. Recently, Kristina received
a grant for being a female entrepreneur
and she would love to pass on the legacy
to others.
Footwear company just wants its customers to get out and play every day
Power bar for dogs created to give pet owners a natural choice
Keen Inc.
515 N.W.
13th Ave.
Portland
97209
PHONE:
866-676-
KEEN (5336)
keenfootwear.
com
COURTESY OF KEEN FOOTWEAR
Portland’s Keen Footwear started with sandals
and grew into an international company with
dozens of shoe styles for all kinds of outdoor
activities.
Keen provides six
categories from
which people can
pull inspiration from
activities, including
walking the dog,
birding, chasing
waterfalls, puddle
jumping and biking.
Turbo Pup
turbopup.com