Introduction
Richard P. "Rick" Alden (born July 4, 1964 in Baltimore, Maryland) is the founder and former CEO of Skullcandy, Inc. and co-founder of Plus550 LLC.
Education and career
While studying at the University of Colorado Boulder, Alden co-founded his first company with Jim Gardner in 1986—National Snowboard Inc (NSI), an events and marketing company producing consumer, amateur, and pro-snowboarding events nationwide. When NSI moved to Denver, Rick transferred to the University of Colorado Denver, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in political science. Alden launched his second venture in 1995, designing and patenting the first step-in snowboard boot and binding system. This venture was co-founded with snowboard industry veteran Brett Conrad, and launched under the brand name, Device Manufacturing.
Skullcandy
In 2003, Alden formed Skullcandy designing products that offered consumer audio solutions conducive to an active lifestyle. The first Skullcandy product – the Skullcandy Portable LINK – was introduced at the 2003 Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, where it won its first Design and Innovation Award. A few weeks later, the brand was launched to the action sports industry at the SnowSports Industries America Snow Show.
While CEO of Skullcandy, Alden was issued a patent for technology that integrates mobile phones and music players, known as LINK.
Alden holds a design patent for the Orvis Batternkill Large Arbor Fly Fishing Reel.
Awards and recognition
In 2008, Alden was featured as #31 in (#1 in Consumer Electronics Category) Inc Magazine's Inc 5000 Award for Skullcandy's three-year (2004–2007) growth. In December 2009, Rick was named "Entrepreneur's Entrepreneur of the Year" and appeared on the cover of the January 2010 issue.
Personal life
Alden resides in Park City, Utah. He is the grandson of Rose Marie Reid, an American swimsuit designer.