Channel Mastery - Ep. 176: David Stover and Kevin Ahearn, Co-Founders of Bureo Inc.

Bureo Inc.

**brand alliances, origin story, and drive to end fishing net pollution**

“And I think in reality, what's happening now is that boardrooms and even public companies are realizing that you know, it's not that the cost of doing business is higher to be responsible and that's taking away from profits. It's that the cost of not doing good is much higher and that the longterm kind of risk of really losing customers and losing credibility to a brand is much higher by not making responsible decisions for people on the planet. And I think that we are seeing that transition now, and there's several good examples in the market of brands stepping up, whether that's the transition to cleaner energy or are being vocal around why we want to protect land or, or resources.”
- Dave Stover

show highlights

Hear how Bureo expanded their reach and mission by partnering with brands like Costa Sunglasses and Patagonia
Dave Stover and Kevin Ahearn share their founding story of Bureo and their clear mission of ending net pollution in the oceans
As consumers continue to align with brands that share their core values, it’s more important now than ever for specialty businesses and brands to be transparent about their initiatives and efforts when it comes to sustainability

episode preview

As part of our Channel Mastery series featuring brands and businesses that are focused on sustainability, we are elated to introduce the team from Bureo, Dave Stover, and Kevin Ahearn. Bureo is on a mission to end fishing net pollution in our oceans and shares their story behind their passion throughout the episode.

Dave and Kevin offer insight into their interesting journey to gain B-corp status, their founding story, and the development of their partnerships like Patagonia and Costa, which has increased their reach tenfold.

Bureo is absolutely standing up to the challenge of serving consumers who are aligned with brands and businesses that share common values with them.

featuring

Kevin Ahearn & David Stover

Kevin Ahearn is one of the three co-founders of Bureo Inc. Growing up in a family of Ocean lovers, Kevin took to surfing at an early age with his Dad and twin brother Brian. The importance of "protecting the places you love" was a lesson ingrained in the brothers at an early age and something Kevin has carried throughout his life and into his professional career at Bureo. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and leads, research and development, recycling supply chain and material integration efforts at Bureo.

David Stover is a Co-Founder of Bureo Inc, an emerging company focused on developing innovative solutions to recycle discarded fishing nets. An avid surfer and environmental enthusiast, David left behind a career in corporate finance when his global travels led him to the issues facing our ocean today. Currently residing in Ventura California, David splits time between Chile and the US and is actively involved in Bureo's day-to-day operations alongside the broader mission to prevent plastic pollution in our oceans.

topics covered

Bureo, Bureo founding story, b-corp status, Patagonia and Costa partnerships, mission-driven business, Chilean fishing community

select quotes

“...It's kind of the dirty behind the scenes work of, of engaging on the ground. And you know, every kilo of fishing nets that we recycle is gone through by hand washed, cleaned, sorted, prepped and there's a lot of work that goes on. And a lot of that does happen behind the curtain for a lot of the big brands. And when it does finally come into the consumer goods, it's really focused on, the diversion of waste or the reduction in CO2 emissions or you know, the environmental benefits of it. But at the end of the day, really, it goes back down into building sustainable in the sense of ongoing and continued programs working directly with the people on the ground.” - Kevin
“So rather than going out with our scuba gear on and trying to find one net the focus is really on prevention of that material ending up in the marine environment in the first place. And that really begins with the communities and with the people that were engaging. Yeah. And I like to say that we were right, but in reality, the people that we listened to and the people that we connected with…” - Kevin
“And I think in reality, what's happening now is that boardrooms and even public companies are realizing that you know, it's not that the cost of doing business is higher to be responsible and that's taking away from profits. It's that the cost of not doing good is much higher and that the longterm kind of risk of really losing customers and losing credibility to a brand is much higher by not making responsible decisions for people on the planet. And I think that we are seeing that transition now, and there's several good examples in the market of brands stepping up, whether that's the transition to cleaner energy or are being vocal around why we want to protect land or, or resources.” - Dave