About us

I'm Cory, Woodies' Captain

I know one thing for sure...Life is 15% more fun when you're wearing a captains hat.  
I started Woodies in 2012 to provide fun, beach-ready products made from wood and bamboo. I've been delivering the goods for almost 4 years and I'm very grateful to more than 50,000 happy (hopefully!) customers.
Here is a podcast I recorded for Shopify Masters about how I started Woodies
Who am I? I'm Cory Stout, I am the owner, president, and CAPTAIN of Woodies. I'm 30 years old, I'm from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and I've been traveling full-time for the last 3 years while I operate Woodies. It's somewhat of an alternative lifestyle, but I love it and wouldn't have it any other way. I read the 4-Hour Workweek and built Woodies according to most of those principles.

More About Woodies

Keep it simple:
I keep Woodies products simple. We sell sunglasses, watches, and a few other items, but they all fit into a certain theme. I could have added dozens of different styles and colors, but it would have sunk me by now (#pun) I keep Woodies super simple because I want to spend more time at the beach and not in front of my laptop!
Focus on customer service:
I have to admit, in the first 2 years of Woodies, the customer service left a lot to be desired. Imagine me cooped up in a hostel in Thailand, answering customer service emails, while the waves crashed within earshot. I do some things well, I have some strengths, but this wasn't one of them. Lucky for me, my mom stepped up and took over that department and is CRUSHING it. I haven't had a single negative review with her in office!
Be genuine and tell a good story:
This has guided me through several tough decisions. In the beginning, I tried to build a brand utilizing celebrity exposure (checkout Kendall Jenner in all our photos) but one day I realized that I should tell my real story. I've traveled to 30 countries and wear a captain's hat everyday, I should share what that's like! That's why I really love Snapchat (WoodiesUSA - follow me!), it's a completely unfiltered look into the Woodies lifestyle through the eyes of me, your Woodies captain. I will sail this ship towards fun and good times. That's my promise to you. Thanks for reading
 
See you at the beach!

Customer Support

Meet Pamela, Cory's amazing mom! Pamela (or you can call her Pam), has been with Woodies from the start. She loves her wild adventures and you can definitely tell Cory's her son with how similar their crazy souls are. Her favorite role, aside from being part of Woodies, is her role as a grandma. While Woodies is centered around the beaches and sun rays, she still enjoys the snowy climates of Oklahoma. Visit our contact page to reach her for support or just to say hello!

Marketing & Public Relations

Meet Taylor, the face behind Woodies Marketing and Public Relations. Taylor is based on Oahu, Hawaii and she is a huge shark and marine conservationist and ocean lover. She has a lot of passions and one of those is marketing. She stumbled into her role through a friendship with Cory and has now been with Woodies for about a year. She is not fond of cold climates but maybe we'll catch her snowboarding with some woodies next winter.