Story

Overnight Success in 20 Years

Matt Middlestetter’s love of business started at a young age. It quickly escalated from lemonade and lawnmowers, to a full scale snow/skate board wax manufacturing company by the age of 14.

Falling into a skateboard sports company was not all on accident, but it was also not completely on purpose. When Matt and his brother identified a need in the industry and combined it with their love of board sports the rest was easy. Well, almost… going to meetings with retail chains and distributors in other states still required a ride from Mom & Dad. The important lessons learned here were how to create a unique product in a diluted market, and still make great margins while being bootstrapped.

Growing up with an entrepreneurial mindset helped Middlestetter grow personally and in business. While working in the action sports industry, Middlestetter developed a love for technology. As it turned out, opportunity was there as well. Whether it was fixing salty marine computers in Fiji, to running e-commerce websites he was hooked. Out of this came Compex, an IT firm specializing in medical technology. This gave Middlestetter experience with a variety of new challenges. Some of the most rewarding were creating a company and client culture that made it easy to love working. Also, being able to work for Microsoft, Intel, and other name brands as an industry and product advisor gave insight into how large organizations worked too.

Fast forward a decade, and now with a family, it was time for a new adventure. Having grown Compex into a multi-million dollar company over the years was a labor of love. Selling the company to a growing California technology firm to see the unique ideas and culture valued was even better.

Continuing on the philosophy of only doing what you love, Middlestetter continues to collaborate with businesses through brand development, adventure capital, and consulting.

Middlestetter is based in Florida and enjoys travel and time spent at the family’s Oregon based offline cottage. With an active family and continued pursuit of adventure and learning, Middlestetter can be found flying airplanes, skydiving, fishing, scuba diving, or on the slopes as your local ski patroller.