On February 2, 2022, the Washington Retail Association (WR) Board of Directors met virtually for our winter meeting of directors. Incoming Chairwoman Theresa Treat, VP of People Services for Ben Bridge Jewelers, took the opportunity to officially honor past WR Chairman Sean Brownlee, CEO of Ravenox, presenting him an award for his exceptional leadership of the Association during the 2021 year.
This past week, President & CEO, Renée Sunde and the Policy and Government Affairs staff had the chance to present the award to Sean in person and personally thank him for his dedication in leading the Board during a time of industry transformation and for his selfless service and support of the WR staff. “Even when we knew how limited Sean’s time was, he was always willing to offer his expertise, knowledge, and commitment. Service above self is just one way I would describe Sean Brownlee’s approach to leadership.”
The WR team met Sean in 2018 in DC at a Retail Advocates Fly-In hosted by the National Retail Federation. Sean was the 2018 finalist for the NRF’s America’s Champion Award for advocacy and engagement in public policy discussions in support of the retail industry. His company, Ravenox, was a finalist for Amazon’s Small Business of the Year award in 2019. In 2020, his company was selected to share its’ story with the Qurate Retail Group on QVC, HSN, Zulily, and other production outlets.
“When we learned Sean was from Washington State, we knew we wanted to tap him to join and eventually offer his leadership to the association, says Renée Sunde, President & CEO.”
Sean is a Special Operations Marine with over 23 years of continuous service. He is still active in the Marine Corps and supports national readiness through the DOD and non-profits. With a desire to serve his country outside of the military, he formed Ravenox to create jobs, bring manufacturing back to America, and help American companies grow and stay relevant in the 21st century. It all started with rope – something very familiar. With years of experience rappelling, fast-roping from helicopters, SPIE rigging, parachuting, and understanding how important it is to have only the best ropes and cords, Ravenox started on its way as a manufacturer, direct-to-consumer retailer of custom ropes and cords.
His demonstrated success growing and managing various businesses, start-ups, and organizations, and has been highlighted in a variety of publications and organizations. Sean’s breadth of leadership experience has made him an exceptional leader in navigating the Association through numerous pressing issues, as we responded to serve our members during the global pandemic.
