Meet Dan McCashin: Co-Founder S1 Helmet Co.

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan McCashin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I co-founded S1 with my business partner 25 years ago we were only 21 years old. When you are that young you are purely in the moment and your thought process is more about being creative, ambitions and following that individualistic spirit that drives you to want to do something unique, and you are most certainly not thinking about the gravity of the life goals you’re embarking on. We both grew up surfing and skating and we were passionate about those daily disciplines. When we had the idea to start S1 it was more of an art project where we could collaborate together and as it evolved, it too became a daily discipline and here we are 25 years later!

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are S1 Helmet Co, an action sports and lifestyle Protective Gear Company rooted in Southern California’s rich skate and beach culture. When you run a company you are constantly making decisions that have consequences to your success one way or another and the importance of those decisions is especially profound when your core goal is to protect people. Integrity and holding ourselves to a high standard of ethics is in the fabric of who we are as people and we felt that our company should reflect those same values as our foundation. Over the years we’ve leaned on those core values to make the everyday decisions that have made us who we are today. Many years back we noticed some vert skaters, downhill skaters, BMX riders and roller derby players were getting knocked out and in some instances getting traumatic brain injuries in traditional soft foam skate helmets which do not pass ANY helmet safety standards. Knowing this we set out to educate the community and to make a better and safer helmet so we created the S1 Lifer Helmet. Every S1 Lifer Helmet is certified under both the CPSC and ASTM safety standards for single and multiple impact hits, which makes them up to five times safer than traditional soft foam skate helmets. We go above and beyond industry standards for quality and safety by batch testing every run we make to ensure the quality and safety standards are consistent and reliable. S1 Helmets spearheaded the movement in Skateboarding, Roller Skating, Roller Derby, BMX and Scoot to use safer helmets that look better, fit better and better reduce the risk of concussions and other head injuries. S1 has raised the bar for quality in craftsmanship, transparency with the certification process and pushed for the importance of using certified helmets however you roll.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The First thing I would do is take them for a morning surf at El Porto and then to breakfast at North End Café in North Manhattan. In this week we would also drop in at the Venice Skate Park, roll up to Mammoth for some powder, play a round of golf at Industry Hills, take some cruiser boards on the strand from Manhattan Beach to Hermosa for some beers, go see the “Oh Sees” play at The Teragram in Downtown LA, hit a Dodger Game at Chavez Ravine and lastly go see the Lakers play at The Staples Center.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I feel like you pick up little bits and pieces from multiple role models and experiences in life which help form and mold you as a person. If you do not have a solid foundation in which to use those experiences to refine and build you up you may never reach your full potential. That being said, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my Mother and Father who raised me to be a free thinker, encouraged me to stay focused on education and helped guide and control my sometimes overwhelming enthusiasm and energy for life!

Website: https://shop.s1helmets.com/

Instagram: @s1helmets

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/S1Helmets/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnW0tuLOP29-9FxRFf8ghkA