FROM SURESHADE AND BEYOND

IN 2007, DANA RUSSIKOFF ’92 AND HER HUSBAND, RON, FOUNDED

SURESHADE, a designer and manufacturer of patented retractable sunshade systems for the marine industry. From an initial idea to solve a common problem for boaters to an international business, SureShade played a vital role in the local community.

“My husband was a boater on the Delaware River his whole life” Russikoff shares. “Something we noticed while we were out on the boat all day long is that protection from the sun is not always readily available. We saw an opportunity for a way to provide better sun protection on boats. My husband’s background is in manufacturing and production, and he had already started a side business repairing boat canvases.”

After several prototypes, Ron invented an automated awning system for boats. “I was selling other people’s products, and I said, ‘Well, maybe we can sell this,’” remembers Russikoff. Together the Russikoffs founded a company, SureShade, in Philadelphia in 2007.

The Russikoffs launched their product with an exhibit booth at the 2007 International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition & Conference (IBEX). “By noon of the first day of the show, we had a meeting scheduled with one of the biggest boatbuilders in the world who was a high-priority target client for us,” recalls Russikoff.

Through the years that the Russikoffs owned and operated SureShade, Russikoff learned a lot of lessons about business. “One of the biggest lessons I learned in my business experience is to never accept a ‘No’ from someone who doesn’t have the power to say ‘Yes,’” says Russikoff, particularly noting a challenging period when they were seeking a loan to expand their business.

In addition to getting to know local chambers of commerce and trade associations for support, Russikoff also points out the importance of community engagement. “Get to know your community and local elected officials and let them know what you are doing,” she says. “We established a manufacturing start-up and created more than 20 jobs in our 10 years of existence. We wanted people to know our success story, and we sponsored community events and supported non-profits that were doing wonderful things for the community.” Russikoff is also currently an executive committee member of the Riverfront North Partnership, an organization supporting the development of the greenway along the Delaware River.

The Russikoffs always had the intention of eventually selling SureShade, though they did not have a timeline in mind. “Around our 10-year mark, there was a lot of consolidation going on in the industry,” recalls Russikoff. In October 2019, Lippert Components, Inc., a leading manufacturer and supplier of products for the RV, marine, automotive, commercial vehicle, and building products industries, acquired SureShade. “Marketing ourselves for sale was a long process that took several years, but the decision to sell our business at the time that we did and to the company that we did was something we felt very good about. We never wanted to be in a position where we felt like we had to sell, so we remain quite proud of our decision.”

Through Rodan Enterprises – the original parent entity of SureShade – Dana and Ron Russikoff continue to develop product concepts. “We want to carry the same mindset behind SureShade into other products,” says Russikoff. “For example, we’ve developed a new type of PPE that we think will revolutionize the market.”

At Holy Family, Russikoff – a graduate of Cardinal Dougherty High School – majored in International Business. “It worked out for me that a college that had an International Business major was a bus ride away from my house as opposed to me having to pack up and move to another state.”

Russikoff’s education in International Business was helpful when she was preparing to graduate. “In my senior year, I received a co-op opportunity to work for a manufacturing company in Kingsbury. Right out of the gate, I was doing exactly what I went to school for. While a lot of students have trouble finding jobs right after graduation, the company offered me a position in October of my senior year, so I knew that I had a job lined up upon graduation. I credit Holy Family for not just what I learned, but for the opportunities it provided.”