TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

FishHawk Fundraiser Features Life Is Good Entrepreneur

ADVERTISEMENT

By TED JACKOVICS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 24, 2008

TAMPA - Bert Jacobs, co-founder of the Life Is Good apparel company, is headed to FishHawk Ranch on Saturday for an appearance at the Life Is Good Pumpkin Fest charity event.

Jacobs will compete for the title of World's Greatest Backyard Athlete in an event open to the public to raise funds for nonprofit organizations.

The competition includes backyard games such as disc toss, seed spitting and obstacle course.

Festivals in developments created by Newland Communities, including FishHawk Ranch, have raised nearly $1 million for nonprofit organizations since 2006.

The festival, which will include pumpkin carving, face painting, scarecrow stuffing and musical entertainment, will be from 4 to 10 p.m. Saturday at FishHawk Ranch's Park Square, 16144 Churchview Drive in Lithia.

Jacobs and his brother John began the Life Is Good brand in 1989 by designing T-shirts and hawking them from a used van. They launched their business selling door to door in college dormitories until 1994.

That's when they created a character with a perpetual smile named Jake and his dog Rocket along with the expression "Life Is Good," which is emblazoned on items from T-shirts and caps to wheel covers.

Life Is Good, based in Boston, is a $100 million business annually with 5,000 retail outlets nationwide and products sold in 29 countries.

Advertising Age magazine rated the company as one of its 50 outstanding brands in 2007.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT