(upbeat music begins) - [Narrator] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- Just ahead on "Carolina Impact."

- It's a North Carolina success story.

How one homegrown company has it made in the shade thanks to a product that North Carolina beach goers can't get enough of.

- [Amy] Plus a Charlotte CEO stays true to himself, combining business and skateboarding.

And see how a local man turns timeless treasures into art.

"Carolina Impact" starts right now.

(upbeat music continues) Good evening, thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burket.

Imagine turning your weekend DIY project into a multimillion dollar business that sells out every year with virtually no advertising.

It sounds like a dream, but it's actually a teal and blue dream come true for three North Carolina beach buddies.

"Carolina Impact's" Jeff Sonier and videographer Russ Hunsinger take us to the Carolina Coast for more on the friends and family company with an unusual name and its one of a kind product.

- Yeah, we're riding the ferry from Southport to Fort Fisher on our way to the beaches near Wilmington for a story about what might be the single most recognizable thing that vacationers bring for a week of fun in the sun.

Made here in North Carolina for shade here in North Carolina.

♪ V A C A T I O N ♪ ♪ In the summer sun ♪ Yeah, vacationers come to the sunny North Carolina coast for the surf, and the sand, and maybe a tan.

♪ We're on vacation ♪ ♪ We're gonna have a ball ♪ But when you're ready for a little cool-off time, shaded from all that vacation sunshine, well, put away the tents, gents, and forget the umbrellas, fellas, because here in the Carolinas it's this blue and teal wind sail that's got you covered.

♪ V A C A T I O N ♪ ♪ We're gonna have a ball ♪ They're called Shibumi shades, and most of them you see here were also made here by a company that was founded here, too.

You'll find a sea of Shibumis on nearly every beach and boardwalk this summer.

Easy to spot, but maybe not so easy to pronounce.

♪ Shaboom, Shaboom ♪ ♪ Ya-Da-Da-Da-Da ♪ - What did they call it, Kathy?

Sashimi?

(Jeff laughs) - [Jeff] We found our Shibumi here at Ocean Outfitters in Southport, where manager Lauren Broadwell says they started selling Shibumis after so many beach goers started asking for Shibumis by name.

Well, sort of.

♪ Shaboom ♪ - The majority of the people come in going, "It's that sh."

And you have to fill in the blank.

Yeah, it was every pronunciation you could probably think of.

Sashimi, sha sha, I mean, I can't even think of all of them.

It's got a really unique name and a really unique design, and that's one of the things I think that makes it stand out.

- Shibumi, where did you come up with the name?

- So I started Shibumi with my brother Scott and best friend Alex, and we all three went to UNC Chapel Hill.

We lived in a very small apartment complex called Shibumi.

So that was the first time that we had ever heard of the word.

- [Jeff] We're talking with Dane Barnes, Scott Barnes, and Alex Slater sitting on new Shibumi beach chairs at the Shibumi warehouse in Raleigh.

Now it's two hours from the ocean here, but this is where the Shibumi shades are labeled and shipped by the thousands to buyers and beach goers all over the Carolinas and beyond.

Over 300,000 Shibumis since 2016.

That's more than $75 million in sales.

And it all started with some PVC tubing from the hardware store and a sewing machine in Alex's spare bedroom.

- We wanted to make a product that we would enjoy using on the beach, and pretty soon other folks on the beach would come up and ask us all about it.

What is this thing?

Where did you get it?

And then ultimately, can you make me one?

- For the first several years of Shibumi, the only employees were these three, and it really wasn't even our day job.

We had day jobs.

This was just a nights and weekends sort of project for us.

- And we just had no idea that so many people would want a Shibumi shade.

And it just took us by surprise.

When we would walk out to the beach and we'd get out to the dunes, and we'd look right and look left, and all you could see, for miles it seemed like, were the blue and teal Shibumi shades.

- [Jeff] Shibumi's founders say that one key to their success (wind whooshes) (upbeat music continues) is the simple color scheme, which made the shades easier to produce at first, but now gives every Shibumi on every beach that blue and teal ocean feel.

- I think when folks see it on the beach for the first time, something clicks and most people really get it.

- It also came to be a sort of a trademark for the brand that when you went out, it was hard to miss that every shade that you saw was just the same blue and teal, and it became kind of iconic for us.

(upbeat music continues) - [Jeff] And now as the company comes up with new products, including new colors for new customers, the founders are using drones to help measure their success from above.

And they're giving us a sneak peek at this first ever Shibumi commercial.

- Ma'am, did you just say shampoo me?

- That's right, the first many years of Shibumi, we didn't advertise at all, and it was a hundred percent word of mouth.

- I do think the first time seeing drone footage, that was one of those just like, I cannot believe that this is happening.

Like, I mean, and I'd been on the beach, I'd seen it in person, but it just still felt just so unbelievable.

- [Jeff] Shibumi also rented a NASCAR wind tunnel to test new fabrics and stitches for its shades before building its own mini wind tunnel, here in the Shibumi warehouse.

- [Scott] And for example, these shades might run in the wind tunnel for 100 hours, 200 hours total.

- And then learn from that experience.

- [Jeff] But the founders say, no amount of new technology at this family and friends company will ever replace the feedback they get from actual Shibumi users here on Carolina Beaches.

Why'd you get one?

- Probably the same reason most people did.

- We've done a lot of the pop-up tents and broke our backs with the carrying, and we were excited to have a lightweight option.

- Almost every day I'll get a text or a photo from someone being proud setting up their Shibumi shade on the beach.

People taking photos of their children's artwork at school, and they're drawing the beach, and they draw an arch and it's, I mean, just such a gift that we have become part of the fabric of going to the beach.

- [Jeff] Yet, for a whole new generation of family vacations, Shibumis are billowing in the breeze of those summer memories.

(upbeat music continues) So what's next for the homegrown company that's covering these Carolina beaches in blue and teal?

Well, how about more beaches?

East Coast, Gulf Coast, West Coast, they're all on Shibumi's to-do list, along with maybe more colors, too, because it turns out that Shibumi lovers apparently aren't just partial to blue and teal.

In fact, last year's limited launch of orange and pink, well, it sold out in two days.

Amy.

- Thank you, Jeff.

I have seen those shades all over the beach and never knew they were made right here in the Carolinas.

Well, if you wanna know more about the North Carolina homegrown Shibumi shades, and the three guys from UNC who founded the company, log onto our website, pbscharlotte.org and we'll link you to the timeline of their success story.

Now onto another Tarheel state business.

Tom Risser isn't your typical CEO.

This fourth generation owner of US Bottler's Machinery has spent decades prioritizing people over profits, all while staying true to his love of skateboarding.

From building skate parks to creating welding art, Risser inspires others to embrace creativity and authenticity.

"Carolina Impact's" Chris Clark has more.

(upbeat music begins) - [Chris] Picture the typical CEO.

Crisp suit, polished shoes, and a corner office that whispers tradition.

(record scratches) Now toss that image out the window and meet Tom Risser.

- If you don't mess up, you're not going fast enough.

- [Chris] The president of US Bottlers Machinery is anything but conventional.

- To me, it's a breath of fresh air.

- [Chris] In a city where creativity flows, the man at the helm of this bottling empire is right at home on four wheels.

- I'm a traditional engineer.

To venture off into being more creative was kind of an awkward sense.

(upbeat music begins) - [Chris] Tom comes from a long line of engineers, but he's the renegade sketch in the family blueprint.

The story begins back in 1906, when his great-grandfather co-founded US Bottlers Machinery company in Chicago, building machines that package glass bottles.

The business passed down through his grandfather and father, each generation adding its own innovations along the way.

- Plastic bottles came along, so glass wasn't as popular, developed some technology for that.

He started being able to do those containers in high speed, at the time, say 250 bottles a minute, 300 bottles a minute.

Today we go over 11-1200 bottles a minute.

(upbeat music continues) - [Chris] In the 70s, Tom's father needed to expand the business and Chicago was off the table.

The choice came down to Little Rock, Arkansas or Charlotte.

And a 16-year-old Tom, obsessed with skateboarding, quietly tipped the scales.

- My dad sent me to the library to look up those two towns a little bit.

We went down to Charlotte and there was a skateboard park on South Boulevard.

I was hooked immediately.

So I said to dad, now that wasn't the only reason, but I said, "I think Charlotte sounds like a really good option."

- [Chris] He hit the park as often as he could, but eventually Tom went away to college, graduated from NC State with an engineering degree, marriage followed, then a role working for his dad.

It seemed skating was gone for good, or was it?

A small ramp in his parents' place sparks something bigger.

- And we bought five acres out in Waxhaw, and I would stare into the woods and my wife said, "What are you doing?"

I go, "Man, we could put like a ramp over here."

And she said, "How about over here, on the other side of the property, like where the septic field is?"

You know?

And when your wife says it's okay, you just go to Home Depot and start getting plywood.

(upbeat music continues) - [Chris] Within five years, Tom had constructed the world's largest continuous skateboard ramp, a sprawling masterpiece that quickly became the stuff of legend.

Didn't take long for word to get out, drawing the titans of the sport, eager to experience the underground marvel for themselves.

- You come home one day and that bus, Tony Hawk's bus and ESPN is parked outside your driveway, and you're like, okay.

It's like Michael Jordan coming over and saying, "You wanna shoot some hoops?"

- [Chris] Since then, he's brought numerous skate parks to life for the public, like the one in Waxhaw, but his true passion lies at Whip Snake, his skating haven, where creativity and adrenaline weave seamlessly into every curve and ramp.

- The best advice is to walk this park first to see what transition leads to the other transition on the opposite side.

And you could be dealing with three feet on one side, six feet to death on the other.

Whether there's 20 people out here or it's just me and Tom, it's like there's always a sense of joy, sense of solitude, sense of you're challenging yourself, you're pushing each other to achieve things maybe you once did as a kid, maybe you are just learning again.

- [Chris] Tom doesn't leave that passion at the park.

He carries it with him to work, fueling another artistic pursuit.

Welding.

- My wife bought me a little sort of a tiny sculpture based on a photograph of me doing a hand plant as a skateboarder.

And she gave it to me as a present.

And I was fascinated by how this thing was constructed and I wondered if I could do something like that.

- [Chris] The short answer was yes, but it took some practice.

- I said to one of my welders, "Gimme a 20 minute lesson.

I don't have time to go to school."

So he shows me how to mig weld a little bit.

I find a used NASCAR welder.

I go home, I catch my pants on fire.

- [Chris] Tom has come a long way since his fiery beginnings.

These days he's working on an enormous bear sculpture.

All of these made with leftover metal from his bottling company.

His artistry extends far beyond the factory walls.

His creations bring life to every skate park he's built with sculptures in cities like Pineville, Matthews, Waxhaw, Wilmington, and as far away as France.

- It's just become like this whole rollercoaster whirlwind ride is starting out, and it's never slowed down.

- [Chris] From the custom desk, he designed the artwork adorning every corner of the offices.

Tom's influence is woven into the fabric of the company.

His bold, creative, and boundary pushing mindset shaping its culture.

- It gives you the freedom to act without actually worrying about, am I gonna make a mistake?

- Failure's not fatal.

You've gotta take chances, gamble a little bit, but then learn from those mistakes.

- [Chris] Tom Risser is proof that the best leaders don't just think outside the box, they live there.

Whether he is welding sculptures, designing skate parks, or running a bottling machinery company, his creativity and fearless approach inspire everyone around him.

With a mindset forged by skateboarding and an artist's eye for innovation, he's built more than just a career.

He's built a legacy of passion and possibility.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Chris Clark.

- Thank you, Chris.

From skate Parks to the factory floor, Tom proves that success isn't just about machines, it's about people, passion, and staying true to who you are.

Well, sometimes we have to give ourselves permission to try something new.

It can be scary taking a leap that's different from what we're used to, but in the end it can be oh, so worth it.

That's what a local man discovered after starting his business selling handmade robots.

"Carolina Impact's" Dara Khaalid and videographer Marcellus Jones show us how he puts his own creative spin on the machine.

(upbeat music continues) (TV clicks) - [Dara] They've taken on many forms over the years.

In the 80s, "Transformers."

♪ Transformers, more than meets the eye ♪ In the 90s, "Robot Jocks."

More recently, "The Wild Robot."

No matter the decade.

- They've just been around in everything.

In a lot of cartoons, a lot of movies, a lot of shows.

- [Dara] Humans always seem to be fascinated by these big, clunky metal creatures that sometimes threaten to take over the world.

(upbeat music continues) (compressor rattles) And Cornelius's Palo Pedini is no exception.

- I always drew robots and like sci-fi themed characters growing up.

So the interest was always there.

- [Dara] That interest led to what you see now.

Him taking pieces of wood and creating robots.

- [Palo] It's fun to make something outta nothing.

- [Dara] He makes between 200 to 300 a month and they come in many different sizes, shapes, and styles.

With a six foot long plank of wood, he can divide it into 20 to 30 sections to make the heads of small bots.

(tool whirs) Once the foundation is together, it's time to paint.

And that's where Palo's creativity comes to life.

- [Palo] When I paint it and I design it, it seems to take on its own personality and people can connect to it.

I feel a connection to it.

Most of the time I can part with these things and I can sell them.

Once in a while I have to keep something because it's pretty special.

- [Dara] Some robots have vibrant colors, others are more muted.

Some are characters from popular shows and games, while others are created from his imagination.

- Those are the ones that I fall in love with and it's the ones then with the little sad eyes, oh, they're just so cute.

Like I just, I can't resist them when they just have these little faces that talk to you.

- [Dara] But the personalities of the bots aren't the only thing that draw people to them.

It's also what they're made of.

- Old phone charger cord, like a little bottle thing.

This is actually an old skateboard wheel.

These are like some other old toys in there.

- [Dara] Palo says he finds recycled materials when he's out and about, on the ground, and even at home.

He's intentional about using them in his art.

- Almost everything could have a second life.

So it's good to use what we can.

It makes me feel better when I recycle things, 'cause then I feel like I'm not producing so much waste and throwing away so much stuff.

- [Dara] The Michigan native has been an artist since he was a kid who went on to college where he majored in graphic design.

- I had exposure to art history, different types of art classes, photography, sculpture, painting, drawing, things like that.

Those were really crucial for me.

I learned a lot of what to do and what not to do.

- [Dara] Palo spent the majority of his career painting, and in 2019 he started his business, Zero Pop Art.

Part of the inspiration for the name came from him wanting a fresh start in his career, to start from zero.

But like many, when 2020 hit, things changed.

- I was in the home studio a lot and I felt like I had time to experiment.

And I always had it in mind that like I wanted to do sculptural things.

These robots just kind of like became a source for me to get out my ideas.

- [Dara] And in 2024, those pandemic-born creations caught the eye of Kristen Feighery.

- I saw Palo's stuff and thought, now that is unique.

I have never seen anything like that before.

I loved just the artistry of it, I loved his designs.

I just thought it's whimsical, it's childlike, but it's also, I would buy it myself as an adult.

There was just something special about it.

- [Dara] An artist herself, she owns KF Studios Handmade Marketplace in Davidson.

A shop selling handcrafted products created by artists across the state.

She knew right away she wanted Palo's robots on her shelves.

- It just lights up the area.

And whenever I'm sitting at the desk and I hear people laughing, or talking, or, "Look at this, oh my gosh, you've gotta see this."

I know they're talking about Palo's work.

I don't even have to go in the back.

I know what they're talking about.

(Kristen laughs) So that's really fun.

- [Sarah] All right, you ready?

Go.

- [Dara] And as he keeps his eye on the yard, his wife keeps her eye on everything else.

- To me, it's just an automatic where, if that's the support that he needs, I'm gonna find time to do that.

And it's our time together.

- [Dara] Sarah, who he met at middle school, helps with the business by doing admin work and selling bots with him at events.

- Funny 'cause he always says, "If you want me to go do this market, I'll go do this market."

I'm like, no, this is the best part.

I like finding that home for that robot and seeing the happiness.

- She's great, and amazing, and I really owe her a lot.

And she's a big inspiration for me.

- [Dara] Which makes all the difference as he continues to do what he loves as an artist.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Dara Khaalid.

- Thank you, Dara.

Palo doesn't just specialize in robots.

He also sells stickers, t-shirt designs, and art prints.

Well, finally tonight, over the years here on "Carolina Impact," we've brought you all sorts of stories about creative people, from painters to woodworkers, metal welders, and children's book illustrators.

But it's pretty rare when someone excels at not just one, but two forms of art.

"Carolina Impact's" Jason Terzis joins us with the details.

- Well, while doing a little research on Charlotte area artists, I found all the usual array of art forms.

But then one person caught my eye, working not only as an abstract painter, but also a jewelry maker.

A unique combination.

You might say she's an artist times two, and then some.

And it's all self-taught.

(upbeat music continues) - You don't find a lot of beads that have two holes drilled in them.

I think I've always loved crafting.

These are fun.

So you can run a wire through one and then run it through the other, and so I kind of made this cool little shape.

So it's a like an oversized stud.

- [Jason] For Kathleen Murphy, creating is a huge part of her life.

- This is my finished pile.

This is my working on pile.

- [Jason] Could argue, it kind of is her life.

- We've been a crafting family since the get go.

And if you like opened up a cabinet over there, it would probably fall on you.

- We'll have a lot of the neighborhood kids over.

The counter right here will be completely full of crafts, and there'll be six girls around the table, and she's on the other side orchestrating everything.

- [Jason] She has all the tools of the jewelry making trade, creating earrings, bracelets, and necklaces.

- [Kathleen] I feel like a lot of people like mint in the summer.

- [Jason] And it's not just crafting, but also painting.

- The consistency of the paint has to be just right.

- [Jason] Rare is it you find someone like Kathleen who excels at not just one art form, but two.

- It makes me feel really special that someone would want something that I made in their homes.

Then I have different patterns that I use to cut different various shapes.

- [Jason] But to Kathleen, jewelry making and painting are quite similar.

- Art is kind of like jewelry for the walls.

(upbeat music continues) - [Jason] Kathleen's creative seed was planted at an early age, thanks to her mom, Debbie.

- My mom would make wreaths out of seashells that she would find on the beach, or she would make something out of moss.

- [Jason] At 15, she took bolt cutters, started lopping off the ends of spoons, creating angel brooches, selling them at local art shows.

- They sold like hot cakes.

I mean these women couldn't get enough of 'em.

- [Jason] After college, she started dabbling in jewelry making, and just like her angel spoon broaches years before, her jewelry was a hit.

- Belk department store was having a contest.

It was called the Southern Designers Showcase.

And I couldn't believe it, I won.

Like my jewelry was in "Vogue" like at one point.

It was so cool.

- [Jason] With that, another creative seed was planted.

- I realized that I could make something and I could make money off of it.

And I thought, well this is great.

This must be the real American dream.

- [Jason] When she settled into her Charlotte home, Kathleen wanted a large abstract painting to put above the living room couch.

- I found this gorgeous piece, thinking there's no way it would be more than $1,000.

And it was much more than that, it was $8,000.

- [Jason] Then it dawned on her, just paint it herself.

- Had never painted ever before.

- I was like, "All right guys, we're doing this.

We're gonna make this painting, but on this canvas."

And we did it, and so that's my first piece that I did.

And I still like it to this day.

- When other people would see it, they'd say, "Oh, that's awesome.

Can you make one for me?"

And I was like, uh oh, here comes the second side business.

- I thought, well I'm gonna try and make another one, 'cause that was kind of fun.

And then kind of word got out.

And then I started working with interior designers.

(upbeat music continues) - [Jason] Her painting style is quite unique, starting with the canvas laid flat, Kathleen first pours the paint, almost like someone pouring pancakes.

She then lifts and tilts the canvas to spread it all around.

After a few days of drying, she goes back in for the detailing.

- And then you put it up on the easel and then you kind of add all your accents that you want in there.

- [Jason] But trying to juggle a full-time pharmaceutical sales job, two side businesses, and two young daughters would be overwhelming for anyone.

- I could just see she was really stressed out.

- Something had to give.

The safe thing would've been quit jewelry, quit art, stick with pharmaceuticals.

- [Jason] The safe thing, yes.

Her decision, no.

Kathleen left her quote, "real job," to focus solely on her creative passions and her family, turning her carport into her painting studio.

- Now half of it's a play area and half of it's art studios.

They're not allowed to cross the line.

- [Jason] And her paintings have even been featured on HGTV's "Love It or List it."

- Was selling a bunch of paintings to the interior designers and selling 'em to different stores.

And I thought, this is crazy, like pinch me.

Like why?

Why are, you know, I just thought it was, I knew how to make jewelry, and I guess now I know how to paint.

- I learned about abstract a few weeks ago and I was like, oh wait, my mom does this.

- [Jason] And she's even won the approval of her two daughters, 8-year-old Clara and 11-year-old Amelia.

- Probably my favorite painting, I have some my mom made, was probably that one.

- That one.

- Look at this.

The head, look at the Jumping bunny.

- Hey, could y'all help me with this?

- Sure.

- [Jason] And now that they're getting old enough, mom can put the girls to work.

- It's pretty fun just getting to like sit here and try to like put 'em on the cards.

We normally do it when we're watching TV, but sometimes we do it when we get home because we don't have homework sometimes.

- Also, I do it normally when I'm bored.

- [Jason] Locally, Kathleen's work can be found at the Cotswold marketplace, and her creativity actually goes beyond just the painting and the jewelry.

In her home, she's turned floor lanterns into overhead kitchen lights, made a hand beaded sconce, and get this, makes her family's Halloween costumes by hand.

- For all things where she feels like she can do it herself, she loves to DIY.

- Okay, so inquiring minds always wanna know, how pricey are her pieces?

- Yeah, good question.

All the jewelry she makes, like earrings and bracelets, range from about $20 up to about $50, necklaces around $30 to $80, and for the art, the most popular size painting is 48 by 36 inches, so that's four feet by three feet.

They usually run in the upper hundreds, so about $700, $800, $900 bucks up to about $1,000 bucks.

But the interesting part, the frames are included, and if you've ever done custom artwork, it's always the frames.

- Crazy expensive.

- Yeah, it's the frames that jack up the cost, so the frames are included.

So that certainly helps.

- Always love learning more.

Thanks Jason.

Well, it's good to know all the hidden gems that exist throughout our area.

Do you know any of them that we should share here on "Carolina Impact?"

Please email us details to stories@wtvi.org.

Well, that's all the time we have this evening, my friends.

Thanks so much for joining us.

We always appreciate your time and look forward to seeing you back here again next time on "Carolina Impact."

Good night.

(upbeat music continues) - [Narrator] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.