The Cold Call That Changed Everything

How a Random Phone Call Between Two Strangers Built Tübr Storage

Great partnerships don't usually start with cold calls.

But Brad Jersey wasn't looking for usual.

He was working on bringing a revolutionary construction helmet to market—technology designed to prevent traumatic brain injuries. The science was solid. The vision was clear. But Brad knew he needed someone who understood something most people don't think about: what happens when one object strikes another at high velocity.

A friend at Nike gave him a name. Just one. "There's one guy in the United States you need to call."

So Brad picked up the phone and called Andrew Oldknow.

Two minutes into the conversation, Andrew said he was in.

That cold call didn't just launch a helmet company. It revealed that Andrew had been sitting on an invention that would become something entirely different—something that would change how people protect what matters to them.

That invention became Tübr Storage.

Andrew's Path: From Golf Clubs to 700 Patents

Andrew Oldknow fell in love with cigar culture when he was 13, on dove hunting trips with his uncle in Arizona. His uncle was a pipe smoker, and those mornings—the smell of tobacco mixing with desert air—created what Andrew calls "the romance of the product."

But Andrew's professional life took a different turn. Armed with an industrial design degree, he entered the golf industry in 1998 at Cleveland Golf, redesigning everything from logos to equipment. He worked with elite athletes, dove deep into engineering, and eventually landed at Nike Golf from 2004 to 2016.

At Nike, Andrew had the freedom to push boundaries. "Make crazy equipment," he says. "Push the rules." By the time he left, he'd accumulated somewhere between 7 and 60 patents in golf equipment design.

After Nike, Andrew designed elite military gear for Cry Precision—equipment for Delta Force and Navy SEALs. The work required getting weight out of products while maximizing impact mitigation. Every gram mattered. Every detail counted.

Those years of obsessing over tolerances, materials, and performance under extreme conditions? They were all preparation for what came next.

Brad's Journey: From Airlines to Event Promotion

Brad Jersey grew up in western Pennsylvania, spending time at his grandfather's bar, Jersey's Corner, which operated from 1932 to 1982. He learned about bourbons, beers, and smokes early—stories that turned into memories, moments that shaped how he sees the world.

Brad started his career at American Airlines, spending eight years learning marketing and sales strategy in the airline industry. After leaving corporate life following the Gulf War, a psychological profile labeled him a "promoter." He leaned into it, producing events, trade shows, and conferences across the United States. Eventually, he executed sponsorship activations for the college football national championship.

Then COVID-19 hit. The event industry shut down overnight.

Brad's next move brought him into the world of traumatic brain injury prevention. He connected with biomechanical engineers and surgeons working to bring industrial and construction helmets to market—helmets using technology already proven in cycling and snowboarding.

Brad did what he always does: he sought out the expert. The one person who could make it happen.

Two Minutes to Partnership

When Brad called Andrew, he didn't pitch. He didn't sell. He just explained the problem.

Andrew was in within two minutes.

They brought the Wave Cell helmet to market together. But during that partnership, Brad discovered something: Andrew had a portfolio of inventions he'd been developing for years. One of them was a storage system designed around a principle most people don't think about—creating a hermetic seal that locks out air, odors, and damage.

Brad saw it immediately. This wasn't just another product. This was a solution to a problem every cigar enthusiast, golfer, and adventurer had experienced: how do you protect what you value when you're on the move?

That invention became Tübr.

The Leap of Faith

The partnership worked because of what Brad calls making "1 plus 1 equal 3." Andrew brought decades of elite-level design and engineering. Brad brought marketing instincts, event experience, and the ability to tell a story that resonates.

They pursued development without outside funding, relying entirely on their complementary skill sets.

By July of last year, they had a series of prototypes ready. They brought them to the PGA Buying Summit in Frisco, Texas, to find out if what they believed was true: that they had something uniquely different.

The answer came fast. They landed a segment on the Golf Channel. Industry buyers took notice. And just months later, at the PGA Merchandise Show in January—the largest show in the world, with 1,400 exhibitors and 50,000 attendees—Tübr won Best Overall New Product Design.

Not bad for a cold call.

What Happens When Two Experts Stop Compromising

Tübr exists because two people with decades of elite experience refused to accept "good enough."

Andrew spent years designing equipment for the best golfers in the world and gear for the most demanding military operators. Brad spent years understanding what makes people stop, look, and say "I need that."

Neither of them were interested in making just another storage case.

They wanted to solve the problem right. Airtight. Crush-proof. Stylish. Functional. A product that elevates the moment instead of just holding your stuff.

The result is a hermetically sealed, patented storage system that's already considered the standard by people who know quality when they see it.

And it all started with a phone call between two strangers.

Watch the full story: Brad and Andrew share the complete Tübr origin story on the Burn & Learn: The Cigar Lifestyle Podcast. Watch the episode here.

Ready to experience what happens when two experts refuse to compromise? 👉 Shop Tübr Storage