ABOUT ROB
ENTREPRENEUR
While it can certainly be challenging – the learning, rewards, life-long friendships made and partnerships formed which have come from being an entrepreneur have been incredible!
The life of an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart. It will test your patience (something I have little of) and it will keep you up at night, but persevering comes with the most amazing benefits. I wouldn’t have wanted to live any other business life than the one I have – on the business roller coaster!
I have started and exited, among others: a real estate development company, a day trading enterprise and a solar installation company. I now spend my days building Hummingbird Sports, a female focused lifestyle company I founded in 2015 (www.hummingbirdsports.com).
If you’re having an issue with a business you own, please reach out (rob@hummingbirdsports.com). I guarantee I’ve been there too and I’m happy to experience share!
INVENTOR
I was not a good student. I am not a scientist. I am not an engineer. But I can proudly say that because I followed my passion, I found a way to create the first ever ASTM approved and SEI Certified headgear for girls’ lacrosse. Passion beats knowledge – any day of the week!
I came home from that lacrosse field with my daughters and discovered that while helmets are mandatory for boys, a helmet didn’t even exist for girls. I found 2 major studies showing girls lacrosse as the 2nd highest High School concussion sport, behind only football. I read girls stories who have suffered – mostly from one accidental stick or rock-hard ball to their bare heads. I read studies done by Dr’s showing the need for all these girls to wear head protection in lacrosse and more studies about how girls suffer worse than boys do. I just kept thinking, “if only I can prevent one”. I am so humbled to now know that I have prevented countless.
Creating and patenting this headgear was one of the toughest journeys I have ever endured, but it has been by far the most rewarding. There were many nights, I thought about throwing in the towel. But, because the amazing and brave girls I have met who have suffered major head injuries in the great game of girls lacrosse were always in my mind, throwing in the towel wasn’t an option. Until I had something to protect these girls with, I was never going to call it quits.
After three years of failing, I saw it through to completion and I am now on a second challenging road which will only end when USA Lacrosse, the governing body of lacrosse, mandates that every girl playing lacrosse does so with their heads protected! Just like they do with the boys!
FATHER
My greatest creations are my four amazing, talented, strong, smart, funny and athletic daughters and I am so blessed that they all continue to be healthy. My role as their father has been more important than all the other roles I have ever had – combined. There will never be a company that I start or a product that I invent that will ever replace them as my number ones. They have taught me more about myself than I ever knew and I have cherished each chapter we’ve written together. I can’t wait to continue to be their biggest supporter, cheerleader and fan!
AUTHOR
I am the Amazon best selling author of “It’s a No-Brainer: An Entrepreneur’s Battle to Reduce Concussions in Girls’ Lacrosse.” This was a journey I could never have pictured myself taking ever and in my book I share my personal stories starting from my trauma filled childhood, to how I was able to endure despite multiple roadblocks, failures and obstacles. Buy a copy and read my personal journey for yourself.
It’s a No-Brainer: An Entrepreneur’s Battle to Reduce Concussions in Girls’ Lacrosse is the story behind the heart of Hummingbird Sports and why Rob Stolker and his family and friends created the first-ever ASTM-approved girls’/women’s lacrosse headgear.
Throughout the book, you will hear stories from girls who have suffered life-changing head injuries while playing lacrosse—most often from a single ball or stick to their unprotected heads—how their families have struggled watching their loved one’s in pain, and the science behind why all girls who play lacrosse need to be wearing head protection today!
It’s a No-Brainer tells the story of how the inventor, Rob Stolker, and his team at Hummingbird Sports struggled through the ups and downs of making state-of-the-art headgear. The company soon became a groundbreaking girls’ sports industry–changing lifestyle and sports equipment brand that continues to advocate for increased safety measures in the game of girls’ lacrosse. Hummingbird has made products and apparel designed specifically for girls and women and has made a real and lasting change for female athletes everywhere.
The story of Rob Stolker and his team’s journey through successes, grueling failures, relationships made with industry leaders, the patent process, and the fight to make positive change is an inspiration for anyone who is passionate about taking chances and having an important, long-lasting impact on the world.
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