Celebrating A Quarter Century of Service: Sharing the Values that Shaped Our Past and Will Guide Our Future
General
In 1998, Dougan Clarke approached his former boss and nearly lifelong mentor with a proposition. Dougan had an idea to apply their shared knowledge of marine rigging and nautical engineering to designing the world’s most durable patio umbrellas. The Ultimate Umbrella Company, Inc. (Tuuci) was born, with a mission to create beautiful, endlessly serviceable umbrellas. We’ve since expanded our original vision to include hammocks, cabanas, lounges, shade sculptures, garden planters and spacemaking accessories that reflect the beauty of ocean life. To celebrate Tuuci’s 25th year, we share four of the key values that have shaped our company and will continue to guide us for decades to come.
Protecting the Environment
Tuuci products were inspired by a life on the water, and we’re committed to protecting our natural water resources and precious ecosystems, now and for generations to come. For us, that means designing highly durable shade products that keep umbrellas off our beaches and out of our oceans and landfills. Our products are engineered with endlessly serviceable modular components to extend their life even further. But our work doesn’t end there.
As a partner of Miami Waterkeeper, we support our community’s efforts to maintain swimmable, drinkable, fishable water for all, particularly in Biscayne Bay and Florida Everglades. As a First Mate supporter of the Blue Scholars Initiative, we’re helping provide free educational programs that inspire our next generation of ocean stewards to solve our most pressing and difficult issues. And by working with Shake-A-Leg Miami, we’ve joined in their mission to utilize the marine environment to improve the health, education, and independence of children and adults with physical, developmental and economic challenges, in an inclusive community setting.
Building a Crew that Feels Like Family
No organization is built by a single person, and Tuuci is no different. From its first order for 100 parasols to its current global footprint, we owe our company’s success to the diverse team of talented, passionate and rule-defying professionals who work hand-in-hand every day. We believe diversity brings a wealth of knowledge and perspective that is valuable to our business and our experiences as human beings. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where all are welcome, valued and fulfilled, both in their work and in the personal relationships they build at here.
Supporting Our Community
We owe our success to the overwhelming goodwill and generosity of others—so we’re grateful for the opportunity to pay it forward. This is our inner compass as an organization. Our community outreach includes organizations like Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross, and many more.
A Love of Adventure
At Tuuci, our spirit of innovation drives an unquenchable curiosity. Are we enjoying the journey? Definitely. Will we accept anything as a final destination? Never. As a small, independently owned company, we make our own rules and accept no limitations. We’ve tested our product performance in some of the world’s most exposed, unforgiving locations to put our marine grade standards to the test. And we strive to make every day a new adventure.
We’ve loved every minute of the last 25 years and know that we are just getting started. So far this year, we’ve opened two new showrooms in Chicago and Atlanta and launched our biggest shade parasol ever, the Ocean Master Mega Max. We have some more surprises up our sleeves for creating beautiful, comfortable outdoor spaces that care for people and support the planet. Thank you for making history with us.
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