Brent Kappes

So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

Hello! My name is Brent Kappes. I grew up in Portland, Oregon, and I haven’t spent much time there since joining the Navy right out of high school. I was drawn to the idea of service, but if I’m being fair, part of me also wanted to do something challenging, adventurous, and a little badass.

Growing up, I was always active but fairly introverted. I sometimes had a hard time relating to other people, so I spent a lot of time in my own head creating things and imagining what I could become. I was always drawn to engineering, inventing, and figuring out how things worked. Looking back, I think that combination of service, creativity, and curiosity has shaped a lot of the decisions I’ve made since then.

Today, I’m based in Pasadena, California where I’m continuing to build the next chapter of my life and business, Bamtech.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now?

One thing that's great about Pasadena is the environment. It's very calm and a good place to focus on work without distractions. I don't have a family yet, but I can imagine Pasadena would be a great place to have a family.

Tell us a little bit more about what your company does and how it started? How does it help your customers?

I created Bamtech because I wanted to fix some of the problems I personally had with base layers in the military, especially socks. When I was serving, I had a really bad case of athlete’s foot that started early on and pretty much never went away. Being in boots all day definitely didn’t help.

After I got out, I started looking into better materials and came across bamboo. I liked how soft and breathable it was, and I saw a real opportunity to make a better performance sock that could help keep your feet more comfortable and dry.

That’s really where Bamtech started. Since then, we’ve expanded into other base-layer products and started looking at other problems we could solve through better materials and design. Our most recent project is our bamboo performance underwear, which follows the same idea of making something that performs well but is still comfortable enough to wear all day.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

Perception is reality. When people first hear about your business, they’re probably going to look up the website, social media, and reviews before they buy anything. So early on, I think it’s important to make the business look clean, credible, and established, even if you’re still small.

Once you know the product idea is actually working and there’s real demand, I’d focus heavily on one product category you know you can scale. One mistake I made was diversifying the product line too quickly. It spreads your money, time, and attention thin. I think it’s better to get really good at selling one thing first, then expand from there.

What was one feedback from a happy customer/client that you won't forget about?

I like this one: "Bamtech is the most comfortable shirt ever made. Should be a Billion $ company."

Where do you see your company in the future?

In the future, we want to keep growing our wholesale business and get Bamtech into more stores. We also have plans to continue developing new products and eventually open our own headquarters and retail location in Los Angeles.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

I don’t think people fully understand the technology challenges on the manufacturing side. Since starting Bamtech and committing to making everything in the USA, I’ve faced countless obstacles sourcing certain components that would be much easier to find in other countries.

What has been one of your biggest struggle building your business and how did you deal with it?

One of my biggest struggles was getting too focused on the creative side of the business and not paying enough attention to inventory and cash flow. I kept creating new products because I thought having more options would make Bamtech look like a stronger brand. While it may have helped in some ways, it also pulled us away from what Bamtech was built on: performance socks.

I learned that more products do not always mean more growth. Since then, we have been working to get back to our roots by focusing more on socks, adding new sock styles, and being more careful about where we invest our money.

Who was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

It's hard to choose between Michael Jackson & AC/DC. Growing up, my favorite athlete was Curtis Martin.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

Shoutout to the other 3% of American clothing companies who still make their products in the USA.

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

Bamtechusa.com or @bamtechusa on socials. We appreciate your support.