Marc Ecko Enterprises

Along with twin brother Marc Ecko and business partner Seth Gerszberg, Marci Tapper founded *ecko unltd. in 1993 with just six t-shirts and a can of spray paint in their parents' New Jersey garage. Upon graduating from Rutgers University in the spring of 1994, Tapper wore many hats at *ecko unltd. including: customer service representative, warehouse supervisor and collections agent, as well as bookkeeper and office manager, all the while keeping Marc and Seth working toward the same goal. As the company expanded, Tapper was able to focus on product development and production, turning Ecko's sketches into actual garments. Tapper's pivotal role at *ecko unltd. helped to transform the small T-shirt company into a $400 million dollar clothing label, which now includes twelve unique lines of fashion and accessories. The company also publishes a bi-monthly urban and street-culture magazine called Complex and has a video game design and productions sector. Based on the success of *ecko unltd., Gerszberg, Tapper and Ecko were honored with the 2001 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for their achievements in the business world. Marci currently lives in Manalapan, NJ with her husband.

Having grown up in the underground community of skating, snowboarding, and BMX riding in New England, Greg Lucci headed for sunny Los Angeles, the apex of the skating scene. Skate shops in southern California were, and still are, a dime a dozen. Lucci set out to open a different kind of shop one that embraced the skating lifestyle offering clothes, music, and other ties to the community and appropriately named it Chaos. His rebellious and trend-setting approach to the business drew unrivaled interest from the skating community. The store's growth and popularity garnered much attention from his peers at small and large companies alike. Eager to benefit from Lucci's expertise and influence, large sportswear companies such as Nike and Adidas approached Lucci to sign on as a consultant. Lucci lent a hand in their design, marketing strategies, and international trend marketing techniques. While freelancing, Lucci worked on many special projects, including the Adidas' Kobe Bryant Project and the limited- edition Originals line.

Smith was up for an athletic scholarship in his junior year of high school, but unfortunately broke his arm. However, during this time, a new style was coming on the scene street skating a new twist on an old style. This revamped style of skateboarding became popular worldwide. Skating in the streets eliminated the dependency on skate parks and sparked a new generation of free style street skating. Equipment became outdated since it did not meet the new demands of street skating. After high school, Smith developed an interest in manufacturing boards and accessories to accommodate the new breed of skater. Smith and friends explored designs, materials, and distributors, and assembled boards that became quite popular. In 1986, the skateboard manufacturing company Shut was formed and went on a successful six year run. Due to the rising cost of business, Shut closed in l992 and inspired Smith to draft a new business plan for his dream company, Zoo York.