By David Salazar - 12/18/2020
The founders of Urban Hydration recently held a virtual event that celebrated its partnerships with retailers and with its philanthropic partner, WaterisLife. Psyche and Vontoba Terry hosted the event, “A 2020 Message of Hope, Diamonds Under Pressure,” which included donations to WaterisLife, honors for the brand’s retailer partners and a conversation with former Major League Baseball player Torii Hunter.
A cornerstone of the brand is its commitment to help provide communities clean drinking water via a partnership with WaterisLife. The company’s Give Good, Give Well, Give Life campaign donates one clean gallon of water for every product purchased by consumers. With the event, the company highlighted WaterisLife founder Ken Surrite’s journey, and donated $35,000 to the organization, “in appreciation for their amazing partnership and philanthropy.
“Our keystone partnership with WaterisLife has been one of the most rewarding and inspirational ventures of our lifetime,” Psyche Terry said. “With the help of Ken Surrite and his phenomenal organization, we’ve been able to enact real change on a global scale.”
The brand also honored retailer it works with as part of the event. The brand named CVS Health director of skin care, Tom Burke, its 2020 Trail Blazer of the Year. “Tom Burke has continued to be a trailblazer and facilitator of lasting exponential growth and relationships for Urban Hydration,” Vontoba Terry said, attributing Burke and his team’s help with getting the brand to be the fastest-growing facial care brand in the country.
Also honored was Bed Bath & Beyond, which Urban Hydration named its 2020 Innovator of the Year. “The Bed Bath & Beyond beauty category is full of game-changers, not afraid of taking risks and challenging the status quo,” Vontoba Terry said.
H-E-B was named Urban Hydration’s 2020 Partner of the Year. “H-E-B’s team has proven their commitment to strong Texas businesses,” Vontoba Terry said. “They personally provided our Texas business the opportunity to add 12 more jobs during a pandemic.” He also credited the brand’s partnership with H-E-B as making the $35,000 WaterisLife donation possible, noting that the donation will go toward building a new clean drinking water well in Kenya that will serve 7,000 people.
The latter part of the event included a discussion with Torii Hunter and his wife Katrina Hunter. Torrii Hunter, a member of the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, and Katrina have been focused on opening new businesses and investing in businesses that include Urban Hydration since he retired from baseball in 2015.
To view the full event, click here.
