Introducing KC Brown (the third time around)

One of my favorite things about being in the office is getting to introduce new staff members. With everyone gathered around, I call each new employee and intern to the front of the room and have them tell the group who they are, where they're from, and how they first heard about TOMS.

Of all the introductions that I've made, KC Brown's might be the most memorable that we've ever had. It was also a first in TOMS history...

Most employees get introduced once.

Some employees get introduced twice - first as an intern, and then again when they're hired full-time.

This was KC's THIRD introduction.

The backstory here is worth telling...

After a long trip away from the office, I jumped on the TOMS Shuttle one morning and discovered KC behind the wheel. As we got to chatting, something strangely familiar caught my eye... and I couldn't help but ask: Are those my shorts you're wearing?

Oddly enough, the answer was "yes."

KC explained that he's an old friend of our Office Manager, Travis, and that Travis had given him the shorts as a wedding present in Australia. This seemed even more puzzling until KC explained that Travis got the shorts at one of my "office garage sales" (from time-to-time, I open up my closet and allow TOMS staffers to pick through my extra stuff. Because I live on a sailboat, my closet is conveniently located in the office).

A few months later, though, KC told us that his true passion is film and that he wanted to give up his full-time job at TOMS Shuttle Driver to become an intern in the Film Department. This request was a tad out of the ordinary, but we decided to take KC up on his offer... and KC was again introduced to the TOMS team - only this time as a member of the Fall Intern Program.

KC did such a great job as an intern that we decided to hire him on full-time in the Film Department. Here's the speech that he gave at our most recent all-staff meeting... I think that you'll really get a kick out of it.





From employee... to intern... back to full-time employee. KC, you're truly one of a kind :)

Accepting the ACE Award

Rarely do I ever write out a speech, but last night, accepting the ACE Award in DC, was such a special night and opportunity I wanted to make SURE that I thanked everyone in the proper way. The irony of it all is that when Secretary Clinton presented me with the award, I was kind of nervous and confused and I did not get to give the full speech I had planned, so I want to share it with you here and hope that more people will read this than listened to me bumbling up there at the podium. So, here it is...

When I was told that we were nominated for this award, I was filled with one emotion and that was humility. As I looked over the list of past winners, all companies that we all know and respect, I could not believe that I would be going to Washington and possibly standing up here today.

TOMS started as a spontaneous desire to give shoes to kids who really needed them. Faced with this need for the first time in Argentina, I did not want to simply start a charity, for I worried about sustainability. I mean yes I could have asked friends and family for donations and that would have worked for a year or two, but what happens when we have something like Hurricane Katrina and my donors are supporting the needs of the victims, or what happens when we find ourselves in a tough economic downturn? I could not imagine going to the kids we had been supporting and saying, "Sorry, no shoes this year." So I started TOMS as a for profit business based on a simple model. We started in my apartment with 3 interns, one who runs much of the operations today, and our efforts were not fueled with investment capital but a deep passion to help those original kids, and I have found in the last 3 years that passion and compassion can build a business.

With so many health problems in the world, many people ask me "Why shoes?". I did not choose shoes, they chose me, but I have learned a lot about shoes and, more importantly, their importance in world health and the life changing vehicle they can be to people who are at risk for foot diseases such as hook worm or podoconiosis. Most of the foot diseases that cause destruction to lives are preventable with shoes and basic hygiene, and I plan on spending my life preventing these diseases so that these beautiful people can live the full life we each deserve.

The original TOMS shoe was based on the Argentine alpargata, mostly worn by farmers and "common people" as my friends in Argentina say... Now, every time I go back to Argentina, my friends down there and I get a good laugh when I show them the pictures of our humble shoe on celebrities on the red carpet, runways of fashion shows, and being "guest designed" by the great Ralph Lauren for his Rugby collection. But besides laughing at the irony of it , all my Argentine partners get a deep feeling of pride knowing that it is their shoe that is helping put hundreds of thousands of shoes on children's feet in countries like Haiti, Ethiopia, South Africa, and even here in the USA.

Of all the people who have been part of this amazing journey in Argentina, there is one that stands far above them all. In fact, the reason I was so excited that we were nominated for this award was that I knew if we won, I would have the opportunity to recognize one of the most amazing young men I have ever met, and that is Alejo Nitti. He is my friend, our original Chief Shoe Maker, and as they say in Argentina, my "companero". He has been with me since the very first day. Without his commitment to TOMS and this idea I had on the farm 3 years ago, I truly do not know where we would be. You can see why this award is so special to me- it not only represents business being done between two countries that benefits others, but it is proof that when two people come together to do something special, regardless of their citizenship or language, something magical, even historical, can happen and that is what the past 3 years of my life has been: a magical journey with one of the greatest human beings I have ever met. And while I accept this award on behalf of all the amazing TOMS employees in the USA and around the world, I will be giving it to the first believer in TOMS, my companero down in Argentina, Alejo Nitti.

While this journey might have started with Alejo's belief in me, there are many people who have come into my life the past few years who have truly made this dream come true and really they should be standing up here accepting this award. I speak of my staff, or as I call them, my TOMS family. We are now 60 plus people and each person in our LA warehouse, that we call an office, is not only a deeply passionate individual, but they are some of the most talented and positive people I have ever met. Without their willingness to pour their heart into this movement every day, I would not be standing up here. If you all are reading this right now, know that I love each of you very much and you inspire me every day more than you know.

For those of you who know me, you know that I spend most of my days in far off places around the world and spreading the TOMS story on college campuses across the country, so I am rarely in the office. Many people have asked me how it is possible to run my business from so far away and of course we all know one of the answers thanks to my great friends at AT&T and the beautiful commercial they created this year about TOMS and my life, but the truth is it would never be possible to do what I do without a very special person in my life. This person is here with me today, and her name is Candice Wolfswinkel. I met Candice at a Nordstrom when I was selling shoes out of my Airstream trailer and a few months later convinced her to volunteer for TOMS for 9 months in planning our South Africa Shoe Drop. It did not matter that we could not afford to pay Candice in those early days- she gave us everything she had and once we were able to start paying her, she accepted a position as my right hand and has been leading the culture of our company ever since. Candice, I love you deeply and feel so blessed you are in my life, and I thank you on behalf of the 500,000 kids that will be getting shoes this year as a result of your tireless effort and service.

It is very hard to believe but all the people I have mentioned so far have only been a part of the last 4 years of my life and, as you can see, they have affected me deeply and positively, but there is much more to this story than the past 4 years. In fact, the only reason I was confident enough to set out on this journey in the first place was the result of the unconditional support and love my parents, Mike and Pam, and my brother Tyler and sister Paige have given me for the past 33 years. I truly believe that I can do anything because of them and I know no matter how hard I fall, and I will fall, they will be there to help dust me off and set me on my way again. I love you all very much and thank you for believing in me.

Lastly, I want to thank a few other people celebrating this special day with me. My grandfather Bernie, my many friends and colleagues who have flown in from all over the country to be here, Secretary Clinton for presenting me with this incredible honor, Undersecretary Hormats, Assistant Secretary Borg, and Former US Ambassador to Argentina Tony Wayne who nominated us for this ACE award.

So I leave you all with the a few words that a very special friend recently gave to me,

"May your days be filled with love and light."

thank you

As The Sun Rises

Bob Dylan plays
the sun rises
our plane is ready
the coffee strong

back i will go
soon will be back
witch's rock i will remember
ollie's point will i return?

thoughts are unfolding
plan for 2010 in the flow
give me a few more hours of thinking before i go

but with a smile
and love and light i give
for the sunsets filled my tank
and for this i have you, God, and everyone to thank.

TOMS on campus, flights for meditation, and good new tunes

I've been visiting a ton of campuses this semester, sharing TOMS and the idea of a One for One business model with students all over the country. I really enjoy getting to meet all the young people who are wearing their TOMS on campus everyday, and I'm excited to know that telling the TOMS story is inspiring new individuals to be lifetime supporters of One for One. Last night at Purdue University, over 1,000 people came out and it was one the biggest crowds they have ever had! It's such a great natural high to connect with these students. You can tell these are the people who going to change the world!

But I definitely appreciate the quiet hours on the flights. Looking out over the blanket of clouds is wonderful and meditative. I saw 4 sunrises from my window seat this week (yes, that means I had 4 days of 5 am wake up calls, I admit I'm a little tired!). I also downloaded a ton of music on iTunes while one of my flights was delayed, and I am currently in love with: Skinny Love by Bon Iver, Kids by MGMT, The National Boxer by Fake Empire, and Furr by Blitzen Trapper.

Now I'm headed back to LA- for only 48 hours- and could not be more excited to see the TOMS staff at HQ and dress up for Halloween.... This year I'm dressing up as "Where's Waldo" which I think is quite fitting. No one ever knows where I am!

Speaking at Rackspace

This past week I did a speaking engagement at a company called Rackspace in San Antonio, Texas - a company who is the world's leader in hosting all due to their amazing "support". From the moment I walked in, I knew this was a special place. The office was no frills, but each cube was decorated as if it were entering into a Mardi Gras parade contest. Then my host warned me that the CEO was kinda crazy, and absolutely fanatical, and to be ‘ready' when I met him. I just smiled, for I have often heard my staff explain me in the same way.














Photo with Lanham and Graham, CEO and Chairman of Rackspace

As I rounded the corner to the "support" area, I saw a strait jacket on the wall in a glass case. Surrounding it were pictures of different employees wearing the strait jacket with big smiles. I have seen some interesting fashion since we started TOMS, but without a doubt this was a first...strait jackets? Of course I had to ask.

Turns out getting the strait jacket is the highest award at Rackspace, and it is given to the employee who demonstrates the most fanatical support to its customers, someone who is so "fanatical" that they literally need to be restrained, hence the strait jacket. Wow, this is my type of company! No nonsense, all the focus on the customer, and having some fun while doing it.

My talk went great and after I was done, they presented me with a custom pair of TOMS they made, with their logo sewed on the shoes’ canvas. With a little extra touch, they glued in special orthodics to the insoles for, well I bet you can guess it, "support".

Off to Ethiopia

I spent last week at the Clinton Global Initiative conference in NYC for the third year in a row. As with last year, I walk in to this conference with such an incredible level of respect for the individuals who participate and who are making a considerable impact on the world. But also, just as last year, my expectations are blown away. The goals that are created, and the reflections on past successes are beyond inspiring. If I could bottle an ounce of the inspiration that is brewed at this conference to give to each of you, the world would be in damn good shape in about a day. They open our eyes to the multitude of issues and challenges and hardships that drastically affect lives of all types of people. But beyond discussing the issues, this is the place where action items are created, organizations hold each other accountable, and change is realized. That’s what keeps TOMS coming back.


Met up with Jessica Alba + Cash Warren who are also doing amazing work at CGI. They're both such wonderful people!

This weekend, I took a flight to another place I'm very excited about, Ethiopia. TOMS began an initiative there in 2008 providing shoes to children at risk for an awful disease called Podoconiosis. I've relayed to my team back at HQ how passionate I am about this initiative, and I could barely sleep the past couple nights knowing that soon, I will be able to experience our work there with my own 5 senses. The coming weeks will be spent far away from marketing meetings, emails and rigorous schedules, and close to the need, the disease and the people.

As much as I'm looking forward to the experiences and education over the next month, I'm also looking forward to my return and sharing these things with all of you.

Signing off, and Carpe Diem.

Birthday Celebration

Last night, we hosted an awesome launch party at The Viceroy in Santa Monica to announce that TOMS will now be carried in the hip west-side hotel. Conveniently, its just about my birthday time, too (next week!), so together with my TOMS family, friends old and new, artists, The Viceroy crew and everyone's awesome guests, we celebrated. We celebrated all night long and it was absolutely amazing to have such a great crowd come out to support TOMS and wish me happy birthday. Endless thanks to the TOMS team (Jill, Garett, Katie, and Megan- amazing!!) for envisioning such a stellar event and making it perfect down to all the last details, The Viceroy staff for being wonderful hosts, Karma Tequila for quenching our thirst, our artists who came out to custom paint TOMS all night long: Cheech, Man One, Theo Hetherington, and Brooke Reidt, A Fine Frenzy and DJs Oil & Vinegar for pumping the perfect music, and every single guest for hanging out, having fun, and meeting all the wonderful people I'm lucky to be surrounded by.

Cheers to 33!

The Original TOMS Mom

Hi! Blake's Mom here. I know it may be hard to believe, but I had never painted a pair of TOMS before a couple of weeks ago. I had my white pair of TOMS sitting on a shelf in my closet with a brand new set (still in the package) of paint pens, just waiting for a little inspiration. They had been there since last October. It wasn't so much that I was procrastinating, I just knew it would take a lot of time and I wanted to make sure I could complete the task in one sitting.

So, let me explain how this all came about. We have a new puppy named Sadie, a precious Golden Retriever who needs constant supervision. I've found that it is much easier watching Sadie outside where she can't get into too much trouble (or so I thought). One afternoon as I was sitting out on the back deck keeping my eye on Sadie and playing ball with Noah (our other Golden Retriever), I decided to pull out the TOMS and paint pens and see what I could create.



I started doodling on the toe of one and then I continued around the sides and eventually finished my first shoe! I definitely had no plan of attack. They just sort of evolved over several hours time.

I think the main reason I'd never painted a pair of my own was because I'd seen so many awesome painted TOMS that people had created and knew MY artistic ability was lacking to say the least. However, after I finished I was actually excited. I put them on and walked around the deck. I had so much fun creating something original and was anxious to show Mike, Paige, Blake and Tyler.

I took a couple of pictures of my shoes and emailed them to the kids. Blake wrote me immediately and thought they were awesome! About an hour later, he asked if I would be willing to paint some to sell online. He said he would make it a "Limited Blake's Mom Edition" in honor of Mother's Day. Of course I told him yes, thinking I could surely paint a few pairs of shoes if I had a few weeks to do so.

He asked me to email him a picture of me wearing the shoes and also one of me holding them.



Like I said, this all took place about two weeks ago. For Mother's Day Mike gave me a trip to LA to visit the kids for the weekend and he stayed home with the dogs and cats. Our sweet and calm little Sadie has recently turned into "a Marly" and Mike needed to stay home to monitor the situation. You REALLY have no idea!!!!

I arrived in LA on Thursday and figured Blake decided to scratch the Mother's Day Special Edition shoe idea since I hadn't heard anything else about it. I didn't give it another thought.

Then, Friday morning, Liza called me from the TOMS office and asked if I had seen the website. I told her I hadn't looked at it for a few days... and why? When I arrived, she told me to come take a look- Oh my gosh!!!! After reading what Blake had written, I was so touched by his kind words that I was truly honored to be part of the Mother's Day project.

Liza proceeded to tell me they had sold three pairs the first hour. By the time I left the office, they had sold six pairs. I was beginning to get a little nervous. This was only the first day and it had only been on the website a couple of hours! Friday night I got a text from Liza telling me they had sold thirty pairs the first day.

So, now I'm back in Arlington sitting at my table outside on the deck surrounded by FIFTY pairs of white TOMS and an assortment of paint pens. Noah is diving for balls in the pool and Sadie just dug a hole in the mud... and is trying to climb into my lap. If you bought a pair of my hand painted TOMS, THANK YOU, and please be patient! You will receive them as quickly as humanly possible and hopefully mud free!



Thanks for supporting TOMS and therefore providing shoes for children in need all over the world!! May God Bless each and every one of you for your generosity!

Fondly, Pam Mycoskie (The TOMS Mom)

My Masters Moment

Two months ago AT&T approached us wanting to feature TOMS in an ad campaign. We could not have been more excited and grateful, but to find out weeks later that the ad would premiere as part of the Masters telecast was truly an honor.

Golf has always held a very special place in my life. At the age of 12, my dad taught me the game, and some of the greatest days of my childhood were spent battling my brother Tyler and my Dad for dollar skins as the sun would set. Being golfers, I don't have to tell you about the smell of freshly cut grass and the sense of possibility standing on that first tee. Celebrating good bounces, accepting bad ones, believing in the club you have chosen and committing to the shot are lessons golf has taught me that transcend all aspects of my life and business. And the greatest part... the 4 hours away from reality we experience after that first tee shot. I have always made it a priority to get away to a place where I can relax and have time to think. For much of my life, golf has provided that opportunity. In 2006, that same quest took me to Argentina where, for the first time, I was introduced to often overlooked inequities that lead to the idea for TOMS Shoes.

My hope is this is just the beginning. I envision a future where our One for One model is expanded through partnerships with other great companies and opportunities which allow TOMS to truly create a better tomorrow for our customers and the children we serve. Our debut on the Masters telecast will prove to be a landmark moment for our One for One movement and, without a doubt, a memory everyone at TOMS will cherish forever. Thank you ATT!

I want to dedicate this special weekend to those people with whom I have shared precious memories on the links over the years. To my mentors Carl Westcott and Jack Crosby, two men sharing an incredible love for golf and entrepreneurship. And to my longtime golfing buddies Joseph Robertson, Steven Patak, Jimmy Leach, Art Ryan and Andrew Palmer. To my mother Pam and sister Paige, who come along just enough to remind us it’s only a game. Finally, and most importantly, to my father Mike and brother Tyler, who are the greatest golfing partners a man could ask for. Each ball struck, bet won or lost and 20 foot putt made is a blessing we all share.

Watch the TOMS AT&T commercial at www.TOMSshoes.com!

TOMS Limited Edition Facebook Gifts

Learn more about the gifts HERE, and purchase one in Facebook's Gift Shop.

TOMS Celebrates 200M Facebook Users

In the past few weeks, TOMS has set some pretty steady records- we had our 100,000 customer come through TOMSshoes.com, we hit 10,000 fans on our Facebook page, and now Facebook is celebrating a pretty amazing milestone of their own.

Today, the 200 millionth user signed up for a Facebook account. I was incredibly honored when TOMS was approached to help them celebrate by partnering in a unique opportunity: the gift application on Facebook allows users to purchase and send virtual teddy bears, corn dogs, cupcakes, and other crazy icons to their friends within the network. Facebook has chosen 16 organizations who have each created 2 special gifts for this 200 million celebration- and the proceeds will be going to the organization's cause (Friends of TOMS, for us).

We brainstormed for hours on what to include as our 2 gifts- from sailboats to pancakes to a Vagabond van or a mountain of shoes, and ultimately chose 2 gifts that will share the TOMS One for One movement: a shoe with a parachute attached- a playful reference to our Shoe Drop program, and an image of one of our new spring styles. Both gifts are available RIGHT NOW on Facebook, and as an added bonus, TOMS is offering a $5 coupon for every one who sends a gift AND everyone who receives one. Jump over to Facebook and start sharing the One for One movement with your friends!



We're stoked to see Facebook celebrate this milestone with giving, by bringing together some great organizations, and encouraging all 200 million+ users to support a better tomorrow.

More in DC

Just left the meeting - pretty inspirational. The administration really does want our input, each gave their personal email addresses and encouraged dialogue. This photo is of me in front of the White House with my new friend Jake, who started Threadless. We're hatching some ideas to grow the One for One movement and get our TOMS community more creatively involved. More to come!

One for One + Obama

At an all day meeting with senior leadership from the Obama administration, along with a group of the top young business leaders in America, to present tangible solutions and ideas re: economic policies. What an unreal opportunity!

First Shoe Drop of '09

In Misiones, Argentina with Maggie, Alejo, co-workers, and friends. January 2009.