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Inside Outdoor | Winter 2016 64
by Martin Vilaboy
“We traveled
around the
world, to all
these conflict
areas, and we
saw that small
were really
the things that
were creating
sustainable
change.”
Combat Flip Flops takes its inspirational story to specialty store sales floors
Peace Signage
When evaluating a new
brand or product to bring into a
store’s assortment, retail buyers
often say they look for “a story.”
Whether that’s a technology
story, a cost-savings story or a
brand story, buyers are looking
for something to explain why
something is unique, has value
and deserves consumer atten-
tion, as well as a place in their
merchandising mixes.
Well, Combat Flip Flops cer-
tainly has a story. And it’s one
that is sure to choke up just
about anyone who hears or tells
it – particularly anyone who
views themselves as a socially
conscious shopper or retailer.
Despite the fact that Combat
Flip Flops has been telling its
tale for three or so years now,
it’s possible few truly know
the whole story. That’s likely
because it’s a rather detailed,
global-spanning narrative; not
one that fits very easily into a
30-second elevator pitch or that
be conveyed by a six-word
slogan (though the company
certainly has tried).
With this challenge in mind,
Combat Flip Flops has now
made it easier for retailers
to convey and share its story
through a new point of sale
display that ties together the
any’s products with its
istic projects. And it’s a
POS display that will be hard for
customers to ignore. That’s be-
cause this display is doing more
than presenting and pushing
merchandise; it’s helping change
the lives of thousands of people
around the world.
The initial premise behind
Combat Flip Flops isn’t all that
complicated. A handful of U.S.
special operations veterans
would deploy back to countries
impacted by wars and conflicts,
take military capacity that was
established to make tools for
war and manufacturer com-
mercial products, which then
would be shipped all over the
world and help a whole bunch of
people along the way.
In other words, the former
Army Rangers who founded
Combat Flip Flops were looking
to manufacture peace through
commercial products, to cre-
ate economic and educational
opportunities, in some of the
world’s most dangerous places,
through employment and en-
trepreneurship. So far, thanks
to healthy doses of persistence,
creativity and respect, the plan
is working.
“We traveled around the
t areas,
and we saw that small businesses
were really the things that were
creating sustainable change,” said
Matthew “Griff” Griffin, Combat
Flip Flops CEO and a veteran of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The story starts in Afghani-
stan, where Griff and fellow Army
Ranger Donald Lee came upon
a factory where some 300 locals
were manufacturing combat boots
for U.S. soldiers fighting Al Qaeda.
After the pullout of U.S. forces, the
factory shut down, so Griff and Lee
set out to convert the factory for
sandal production so those same
folks ould continue to support
their communities and families.
“Either someone can get paid
$50 to go plant a bomb or land-
mine on the side of a road, or they
can guarantee $400 to $500 a
month making a cool product,”
said Griff. “They are going to take
Combat Flip Flops’ new POS rack, front and back