OOBE, Inc. co-founders Tom Merritt and Mike Pereyo to present at Endeavor’s September Collaborators & Cocktails Educational Speaker Series

Creative, Dynamic Entrepreneurs to Share Collaboration Story that Drove Brand Success

Endeavor, a membership-based coworking community for independent agencies and freelancers in the creative services fields as well as corporate marketing teams, is hosting its next Collaborators & Cocktails, a monthly networking series for members and pre-registered guests, on Tuesday, September 12. The speakers are Tom Merritt and Mike Pereyo, co-founders and co-CEOs of OOBE, Inc.

Merritt and Pereyo met while they were both students at Clemson University. They founded OOBE in 1994 as an outdoor lifestyle apparel company marketing to specialty outdoor retailers. Later, OOBE was positioned as a strategic branded apparel company in a sea of uniform companies, winning the business to outfit employees from large companies including Chick-fil-A, BMW, YMCA, Krispy Kreme and many others. Last year, OOBE evolved again by launching Van Willem, a lifestyle brand that blends performance and style with a heritage feel, and opened its first retail store in Charleston, S.C. At Endeavor, the duo will share the marketing strategies, creative work and collaboration stories that helped OOBE continue to live its mission to serve people through well-crafted clothing.

“Tom and Mike demonstrate such a compelling collaboration story as they’ve built OOBE – with each other, their team and with the partners that have helped them grow the brand from operating out of a former auto body shop to the pacesetting, dynamic organization it is today,” said Joe Erwin, president of Erwin Creates and founder of Endeavor. “As the OOBE brand has evolved over the years, Tom and Mike have been able to stay true to their initial vision for the company – something that only the best brands can execute well, yet something we all strive to accomplish.”

Collaborators & Cocktails starts with networking at 5 p.m., with the speakers giving a presentation and Q&A session at 5:45 p.m. The event is free to all Endeavor members and corporate members, with a limited number of advance purchased guest tickets available for $30. Registration is required, no walk-ins accepted. Contact [email protected] for ticket information.

About Endeavor

Endeavor is a membership-based coworking community for independent agencies and freelancers in the creative services fields, as well as corporate marketing teams. Endeavor’s premium location in the ONE Development in Greenville, SC provides members with state-of-the-art work and meeting space, and uniquely, surrounds them with a diverse array of creative peers who offer a broad range of marketing services and experience. Training opportunities, networking events and business consulting are available for the creatives who call Endeavor home every day, as well as corporate creative professionals and resource-seekers across the region. For more information, visit www.endeavorgreenville.com.

About Erwin Creates

Erwin Creates was established in 2016 by Joe Erwin, co-founder and former president of national marketing agency Erwin Penland. It serves as the platform to support Erwin’s continued entrepreneurial involvement in business consulting, education, training and civic activities, including his commitment to growing The Erwin Center for Brand Communications at Clemson University. In spring 2016, Erwin Creates opened Endeavor (www.endeavorgreenville.com), a creative, collaborative community which offers co-working space and business-building opportunities for creative services professionals—and serves as a destination for companies and individuals looking to connect with and help cultivate the Upstate’s vibrant creative class.