About Brad Black
Brad Black is co-founder of EO® Products, a leading provider of certified organic personal care products based in Marin County, California. Before launching EO in 1995, Brad and four friends found themselves in San Francisco and, looking for clothing that fit their active, social lifestyles, decided in 1988 to design, manufacture and market their own brand of active wear clothing. The company they founded was called Maine-iac, and in 1990 it was among the first to use organic cottons in their designs, despite the difficulties of pricing and sourcing.
In 1994, Brad left the apparel business to team up with his ex-wife, Susan Griffin-Black, to distribute personal care products imported from the United Kingdom. At the same time, they responded to the growing interest in private label product by manufacturing for such well-known companies as Birkenstock and Rockport. The following year they created the EO brand and developed products exclusively for Bloomingdales.
Recognizing the dramatic cultural shift toward organic and sustainable products, in 1995 Brad and Susan decided to drop their private label and distribution relationships to focus full time on developing and marketing the EO Products brand.
Ruling out the high cost and lack of control associated with contract manufacturing, Brad initially focused on sourcing organic ingredients, designing sustainable packaging, and developing environmentally friendly production processes. Direct relationships with suppliers enabled Brad and Susan to apply their knowledge of ingredients and formulation to create pure, efficacious products consistent with their vision of offering superior quality while minimizing their impact on the environment.
In 2001 Brad shifted his responsibility to overseeing the sales and marketing teams at EO, building the brand and increasing distribution both domestically and overseas, with exports to over ten countries. As consumers continue to demand natural, efficacious and sustainable personal care products EO will continue to meet that demand.
Today, Brad is active in working not only on reducing EO’s carbon footprint with sustainable practices and packaging but also in forming long-term vendor relationships. He frequently visits EO vendors all over the U.S. and abroad to ensure that the ingredients, packaging and production methods used in EO products meets their strict standards for purity and sustainability.
A native of Connecticut, Brad Black holds a bachelor’s degree from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY, where he studied both business and political science in an early demonstration of the balance he seeks to create in both his professional and family life. Brad and Susan co-parent their two children.
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