Melissa, Tricia and Valerie are co-founders of Ursa Major. Melissa is Head of Operations, Tricia is Head of Brand and Marketing and Valerie is Head of Design.
Melissa grew up in Canada and Portland where she was exposed to entrepreneurship at an early age. Hard work, discipline and focus were consistent themes as she went on to study political science and art history at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver BC Canada. Melissa entered the world of fashion and consumer goods from a marketing perspective as she pursued a digital marketing career working with brands like Gap, Microsoft, Samsung and lululemon. Combined with her constant exposure in manufacturing, the industry her family pursued, she takes a customer-centric approach in business operations. At Ursa Major, Melissa is able to manage all the finances, operations and keeps the train moving from her home office and local coffee shops around the Bay Area.
Tricia grew up in Sacramento CA and studied graphic design at San Jose State. After pursuing a successful career as a graphic designer at a corporate law firm, she spread her wings as a self-starter and entrepreneur to start an artisanal soy candle company, type.lites, and manage a lululemon store in San Francisco where she met Melissa. As Head of Brand and Marketing, Tricia established Ursa Major’s brand identity and is constantly inspired by product, process, and people to develop best-in-class marketing strategies.
Valerie was raised in Virginia and moved to Portland for her high school years. She is a wandering star having studied Apparel Design in London and Portland and now residing in Honolulu HI. As Head of Design, Valerie draws inspiration from her experiences traveling keeping a simplistic and utilitarian approach to her designs – easy, on-the-go while pursuing a contemporary twist to classic designs.