Title: Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Company: Studson Inc.
Location: Tigard, Oregon, United States
Ryan C. Barnes, founder and chief executive officer at Studson Inc., has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Executives for dedication, achievements, and leadership in manufacturing.
With over two and a half decades of experience, Mr. Barnes has built a successful career in manufacturing, specializing in helmet production. Since 2019, he has served as the founder and chief executive officer of Studson Inc., where he focuses on manufacturing industrial safety helmets and above-the-neck personal protective equipment (PPE). His prior roles include snow category sales manager for North America at POC Sports from 2014 to 2020, business development manager and senior buyer at The Clymb from 2011 to 2014, and account executive at Smarsh Inc. from 2010 to 2011.
Mr. Barnes also held positions as product and marketing manager at TRU Company from 2007 to 2010, sports marketing at Salomon from 2003 to 2007, and alpine FIS coach at Mt. Hood Academy from 1998 to 2003. Laying a solid educational foundation, he earned a Bachelor of Science in sociology with a minor in business from the University of Oregon in 1998. He also serves on the executive leadership team of the American Heart Association and has been honored with multiple awards, including the Makers & Manufacturers Award from the Portland Business Journal in 2023, the BLT Built Design Award in Switzerland, the NED Innovation Award, and the Pro Tool Innovation Award.
Reflecting on his path, for the past 20 years, Mr. Barnes has been immersed in the action sports and outdoor industry, previously working with a Swedish brand specializing in helmets for gravity sports. After recognizing a lack of innovation in industrial safety helmets, he decided to address this gap and inspired by technologies used in sports helmets, he identified a need for better head protection in industrial settings, especially given the rise of traumatic brain injuries from slips and falls. In 2019, he founded a company dedicated to developing a new helmet, and the team successfully launched its first product in August 2021. He takes great pride in transforming an idea into a highly successful and sought-after brand in the competitive PPE market, with the company distinguishing itself through the use of the highest-quality materials, particularly advanced plastics and polymers, and by incorporating two unique technologies.
In the coming years, Mr. Barnes and his team have an ambitious product roadmap focused on expanding beyond their current offerings, with one of their primary initiatives aimed at addressing heat stress by developing cooling accessories to help regulate body temperature. While their current lineup includes helmets, ear protection, and eye protection, they are working on products that extend beyond traditional PPE. They are currently in the research and development phase, making adjustments to meet European certification standards, with plans to launch in Europe by mid-2025. Additionally, they are collaborating with the American Heart Association to sponsor lifesaving initiatives like CPR training, aligning with their mission to save lives through both head injury prevention and heart disease awareness. In advising aspiring professionals, he reflects that it took him 44 years to find an opportunity he was truly passionate about and willing to fully commit to and that if you truly believe in an idea or opportunity, pursue it wholeheartedly with unwavering determination.
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