Featuring Nancy & Curt Richardson
Co-Founders, Blue Ocean Enterprises
Nancy & Curt Richardson are leaders and philanthropists who care deeply about issues and their community. They serve as Co-Founders of Blue Ocean Enterprises in Fort Collins. This Colorado-based company founded in 2011 commits capital to promising businesses, strategically invests in commercial real estate, and supports the local community through their philanthropic organization, The Richardson Foundation.
Nancy & Curt’s innovative and philanthropic efforts stem from their business success. Curt Richardson is founder and chairman of OtterBox®, a Fort Collins, Colorado-based innovator of protective solutions for the leading global handheld manufacturers, wireless carriers and distributors. Established in 1998, OtterBox today has global operations and a range of innovative technologies.
Curt’s life has been marked by an entrepreneurial spirit. He started Curt’s Lawn Service in Denver when he was in 7th grade and owned Genie Plastic Tooling when he was just 21. In 1981 he launched Richardson Tool and Mold. Richardson also imported molds for Mattel®, Display Technology, and other U.S. companies before turning his focus to creating the first prototype of a waterproof case in the early ’90s. In 2010, Richardson was named Northern Colorado Business Report’s “Bravo Entrepreneur – Fort Collins” winner and led OtterBox to the Better Business Bureau’s “Torch Award for Business Ethics,” among other honors.
Nancy Richardson graduated from Colorado State University in 1982 with a degree in interior design. She brings her design expertise support of her alma mater to a wide range of projects at CSU and throughout the community. She has been an adviser for numerous design and multi-disciplinary projects, including the OtterBox campus development at CSU and many other projects for related companies. She has also been passionate about addressing global concerns, in particular fighting human trafficking. Nancy was instrumental in launching the Northern Colorado Human Trafficking Symposium held in 2017 and 2019 at CSU. She also serves on the Board of Rescue: Freedom, an international anti-trafficking organization.
The Richardsons not only have a heart for entrepreneurship but also for the next generations. They have dedicated both resources and time to inspiring and developing students and professionals for future leadership, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy. The Richardson’s have lived out and exemplified their vision of “We Grow to Give” through real estate and business investments, entrepreneurship and innovation, that have launched and led local and global opportunities to develop businesses, strengthen communities and inspire future leaders.