Bernard: Tire Wizard, Husband and Father

Fatherhood is important for all of us. All around us, there are fathers in our lives that are worthy of being celebrated. One of those fathers is Bernard, our Chief Tire Wizard.

Bernard grew up in Port Au Prince, Haiti. His path to get to where he is now has been winding and unexpected. However, we are grateful it's intersected with ours.

Bernard learned how to work with tires as a young boy. In fact, it’s a family tradition. As a child, his grandfather and father would make sandals completely out of rubber and sell them in the local markets.

As small boys, Bernard and his brother asked their father to teach them how to work with tires. He refused and told them they would have to wait until they were older because he didn’t want them playing with the tools.

So, they did the most logical kid thing: they went instead to their grandpa and asked him to teach them. He complied and it was their secret game they played, as they learned how to work with the tires. One day, they surprised their father with an impressive finished product.

He gave up - he knew that they were going to learn it with or without his help.  

As Bernard grew older and became a young adult, life in Haiti proved to be politically unstable for him and his family. As a result, he was forced to relocate to the Dominican Republic and build a new life in a new country. It was a few years later that we met him in Puerto Plata and learned about his story.

And guess how we discovered him?

As we spent time in his community, we began to ask if anyone knew how to work with tires.

A very helpful person mentioned to us, “I’ve heard there is this guy, named Bernard…” :)

Bernard is a husband, a father and an entrepreneur.

He was our first tire wizard and he has helped to bring more people to help us as we grow. Every time we see him, he has a new idea or project that he has created and he inspires us with this creativity and passion to try new things. He is kind, positive and always hard at work on a new idea.

We appreciate you, Bernard.

Your family’s tradition and love for the earth has helped to make you the man you are today. That man is a father that believes he can build a better future by continuing a legacy of creativity and passion.