Kay Martin is the Founder and CEO of BOCO Gear; the industry leader in the manufacture of custom headwear and accessories for teams, events, retailers and brands worldwide.
After 25 years in the outdoor industry working in a variety of executive roles for high-end performance brands like Pearl Izumi, Balega, Headsweats and Moving Comfort, Kay saw a huge opportunity to innovate the custom headwear styles and products for endurance athletes.
Kay started BOCO Gear inspired by the trends she saw in surf, skate and outdoor categories, and found designers eager to join her. She carefully selected factories aligned with her mission, to work exclusively with BOCO Gear. This helped differentiate them with low minimums and speed to market with innovative customized designs.
She expected a few initial orders from industry connections and friends, but that changed quickly when she and her team launched the 360° Visor® on the world stage of Triathlon in 2013. The minute the teams, clubs, athletes, brands saw BOCO had created a visor to address all their concerns, the brand took off! The Technical Trucker® hat launched a few months later and catapulted BOCO into the leadership position for custom headwear and accessories. Kay continues to drive innovation and development that keeps BOCO Gear at least 1-2 years ahead of everyone else in the market.