FREE SUNSHIELDS… a “Freedom Lifestyle” Apparel Company that Empowers You to Safely Enjoy the Great Outdoors!
By Terry Newsome
Originally posted in Coastal Angler Magazine April 2021 Issue
Behind every great company, you will find great leadership; and FREE SUNSHEILDS, (a successful outdoor apparel company located in St. Augustine, FL.) is no exception! I have interviewed countless successful entrepreneurs over the years, but rarely do I have the privilege of meeting a business owner as impressive as Brad Brynteson; and for good reason! Brad is one of the Founders of Free Sunshields and I can tell you without hesitation that he is truly a servant leader that is driven by his purpose and is dedicated to making a REAL difference in the lives of others! For Brad, Free Sunshields is more than just a custom neck gaiter outdoor apparel company for health-conscious customers, career builders (and business owners who want to promote their corporate brand.) Brad’s purpose-driven company represents a “freedom lifestyle” that empowers his customers and clients to safely enjoy the great outdoors! “Free Sunshields, ‘free’ corporate messaging represents a lifestyle that we hold true as a company and want to be able to pass on to our family, friends and customers,” Brad proudly explains, “and we love the outdoors and the freedom we feel when we are experiencing it. Our mission is to share this sense freedom through the products that we sell, so that our customers, brand ambassadors and corporate business clients can enjoy the outdoors and share the experience for themselves. We believe our products should be functional for outdoor activity, high quality, long lasting, and priced fairly. Albeit, the price may not be free, but we are confident that a potential customer will be hard- pressed to find a better sunshield neck gaiter product with a better price point in the marketplace!”
During my interview with Brad, he always referenced the mission of his company and the very foundation upon which the company was conceived. “As one of the founders, my story began more than 3 decades ago, growing up in the Florida sunshine. Boating, fishing, surfing, and hunting were just a few of many outdoor activities that brought adventure and freedom to my life,” Brad fondly remembers, “and my passion to combine work and play led to the creation of Free Sunshields, an outdoor lifestyle brand. As a small, family owned business, we have taken the biz on the road to live-work-play with our family aboard a 36’ Albin Trawler cruising the Florida coast. We are ocean explorers eager to pass-on the love we have for the water and sunshine to our children, showing them how to live from a place of passion, freedom and respect for the outdoors and encouraging the adventurous spirit inside them.”
As an avid coastal angler, myself, I am also extremely passionate about the outdoors! However, I am also acutely aware of how important is to have the appropriate outdoor equipment and functional outdoor apparel when embarking on an outdoor adventure! The sun (especially in the state of Florida) is powerfully intense and gives off rays of light that can be harmful to us. These rays are known as ultraviolet (UV) rays. Overexposure to UV rays can damage skin cells with long-term effects and potentially make skin age faster than normal; (called “early aging.”) That’s why protecting your skin with Free Sunshields neck (and face) gaiters is SO important!
The company’s website (www.freesunshields.com) is impressive with important and informative information. The website user navigation is simple and easy to use for customers, brand ambassadors and business clients. The website explains that “Free Sunshields are multi-functional headwear pieces that can be worn as a face shield, head band, scarf or various other ways. No matter what outdoor sport or hobby, they take the ‘red’ out of redneck and the ‘burn’ out of sunburn.” On a personal note, I also was inspired when I read that the company (in 2020) was making sunshield face masks available to all first responders for FREE (to be worn over or under a medical grade face mask.)
As I did my research for this article, I saw many accolades and countless positive reviews about Free Sunshields neck gaiters. “We are dedicated to delivering a great customer experience through the quality and value of our products,” Brad proudly explains, “and we love working with our customers and brand ambassadors to help spread the word about our awesome neck gaiters that we offer at incredibly low prices. We believe that word of mouth marketing is the best kind and we make it a priority to pay back those who help promote our small growing company. To qualify, an official Brand Ambassadors must be passionate about the outdoors and be VERY active on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube or Twitter. We absolutely love to read all of the inspiring comments on social media and we are truly grateful for the ongoing support of our brand and mission.”
CUSTOM NECK GAITERS FOR BUSINESSES
With over 5,000 happy customers and neck gaiter clients including Chevrolet, Cargill, Northrop Grumman, The Hartford, Ford, ROCKSTAR Energy Drinks and REALTREE (just to name a few,) Free Sunshields is a time-tested promotional opportunity for local, national and international companies and corporations to harness the power of brand awareness that can increase sales and retail pull-through. “If you are looking for custom neck gaiters featuring your company’s logo or artwork, our talented and professional creative marketing team can provide customized neck gaiters for a very reasonable price,” Brad explains, “and there is no MOQ and there is no set-up or design fee. Neck gaiters make a great promotional item that can be given away at events or sold directly to loyal fans. We gladly accept wholesale applications from resellers who are looking to sell our stock neck gaiter designs in their retail or online stores. We can also provide custom neck gaiter designs, (but a wholesale account is not required if you only want to purchase custom neck gaiters.) Free Sunshields neck gaiters are a viable and smart low-cost option to higher-priced promotional logo T-Shirts or promotional brand items (like logo key-chains or trinkets with low perceived value.) From small family-owned local businesses to major international corporations, our low-cost, high-impact customized logo neck gaiters are perfect to give away to Fishing Tournament attendees, Outdoor-themed Trade Show attendees or corporate sponsored events to increase brand awareness. Our clients include Governments entities (Police Departments, Fire/Rescue, US Air Force, etc.)” Another impressive aspect of Brad’s proven business model is that Free Sunshields neck gaiters are not just for the hunting and fishing community. In fact, anyone who works (or plays) in the outdoors can help protect themselves from overexposure to potentially harmful UV rays including those who work “outside” in construction, demolition, landscaping, roofing and other occupations. “My family and I truly want to make a real difference in the lives of others,” Brad passionately reveals, “and our mission is to provide our valued clientele with unique, superior quality outdoor apparel that delivers functionality with purpose! From the beachside to the mountain top, we want men, women and children to pursue their outdoor hobbies (and careers) with passion and to enjoy a profound outdoor lifestyle of freedom.”
My inspiring interview with Brad Brynteson is one that I will always remember. I just placed my first (and certainly not the last) product order with www.freesunshields.com and I can tell you with absolute certainty that Brad will continue to touch many lives in our community and beyond! He will have a profound impact on the “outdoor world” for many decades in the future through the multiple purpose-driven businesses that he owns right here in Northeast Florida. As always, on behalf of the readers of Coastal Angler Magazine, we wish Brad and his family all the best!
With over 25 years of corporate experience as a writer, director and producer, Terry Newsome has personally filmed and produced over 100 outdoor television shows and instructional fishing videos internationally. He is an avid coastal angler and is a former co-owner of Pine Island Fish Camp on the Intracoastal Waterway just north of St. Augustine, Florida.