ABOUT US
From SUNNY75 founder Holly Nemerofsky:
The Why
I created SUNNY75 for one simple reason...it's a lot of work to live comfortably outside.
I loved camping but I loathed packing and unpacking. That included finding my gear, sorting it from the big bins in the garage, and jamming it in my car and crossing my fingers I didn't forget anything too critical for comfort.
cTrunk is designed so you can store your gear in the trunks (never unpack) and when the fever strikes, you can be out the door in minutes instead of hours. And even better, when you get back no piles of gear sitting in your hallway for, if you are like me, days or weeks. Just throw the cTrunks back on the shelf till adventure calls again.
The Moment
Every brand has a story. Our story started Memorial Day weekend 2016 camping at Mt. Dessert Island (Acadia National Park, Maine) with friends Edith and Steven. We left for a hike and left our reusable shopping bags filled with gear on the picnic table and a couple of duffels outside of our tent.
When we were gone an unexpected rain shower had turned our gear into a soggy mess. Dang, why isn't there gear storage made expressly for camping? And why is it so difficult to find my gear in these black hole duffel bags. There has got to be a better way.
I told Edith and Steven on that trip I was going to invent an adventure bag that would do all this and more. I'm sure they thought I was kidding. It took me 6 years to put the pieces together but here we are.
The How
Nothing truly amazing happens in this life without the support and love of others. My life took this unexpected entrepreneurial detour when I returned to school to get my MBA from Northwestern Kellogg. I was a technology Chief Marketing Officer but realized this dream had been nagging at me for far too long. My classmates and professors encouraged me (and even seeded the dream as angel investors!) to take the leap. That was October 2021 and I never looked back.
My product vision was made real through the genius of Bally Design and Lexicon Design - two super talented Pittsburgh based design firms. After all, I knew nothing about building a physical product but they helped me through every stage from concept to physical prototypes.
Special Recognition
Aside from my Kellogg network of friends and angels, there are a few other people to recognize:
Vishal and Ritu Mangla, of Infostride. Quite possibly the most friendly, accessible, and flexible of IT consulting companies. You effortlessly flexed to support all my technology needs. You were also the first to hear my pitch and you will never know the impact of your early support.
Scott Coleman, SUNNY75 advisor and chief cheerleader. You've been a friend and motivator on this up-and-down journey. Truly could not have done this without your unending enthusiasm and uncanny instinct for knowing when I needed an extra push. I hope I never need to make that 3am call, but if I do... I'm confident you'll always answer.
John Nemerofsky, my husband and partner in life. You never batted an eye when I walked away from a successful career to pursue this risky dream. Your support has never waned and your belief was true. When I blew by my walk-away date you encouraged me to push forward. I'll always be grateful for your love, support, and willingness to go camping (even though you kind of hate it).
And of course, thank you to my Mom and Dad who inspired my love of the outdoors. I'm blessed with memories of the Berkshires in the Fall, tasty picnics by streams, and meandering walks in the woods. You taught me that family is everything, best things in life have nothing to do with money, and how to love unconditionally. So proud to be your daughter. I won the lottery when you adopted me.
Lastly, to my kiddos Foxx and Sana. My love for camping was born from wanting to provide you with grounded quality family time where you could be kids and we could make great memories. Mission accomplished. Even though you are teens now and temporarily too cool for camping, I absolutely treasure our memories of catching crabs, toasty campfires, giggling in the tent, and forcing you to do hikes that you hated. Love you endlessly.
You make every day feel sunny and 75.