Originally named “SeaChair,” SeaSucker is the third business success of entrepreneur and founder/CEO, Chuck Casagrande. The Bradenton-based manufacturer provides gear for outdoor enthusiasts, whether their passion takes them on roadways or through waterways. From land to sea, at the core of SeaSucker’s car racks for boards and bikes, as well as a multitude of marine/boating accessories, is a vacuum-mount technology as resilient as the company’s mascot—the octopus. Mote Marine scientists and artists were consulted in creating a logo that exudes strength, fun and connectivity to the marine world that inspired the dream. 

SEASUCKER VACUUM MOUNTED CAR RACK MOUNTS, SEASUCKER.COM, @SEASUCKER

For 17 years, SeaSucker has remained a family owned and operated company. “We run the business with heart and don’t allow outside funding to force us to care more about profit than our employees and the foundational culture of the company,” says Casagrande. After pursuing other business ventures in England, Casagrande, along with this oldest daughter, Genevieve, President and Chief Operating Officer, decided Bradenton had it all—access to manufacturing facilities, fellow offshore anglers, avid cyclists, paddle boarders and beautiful waters. Not to mention the year-round sunshine for SeaSucker-enhanced activities. Florida’s Gulf Coast was decidedly the ideal locale for SeaSucker to begin manufacturing their vacuum mount products right here in Florida. While SeaSucker started as a marine focused endeavor to suction just about anything to a rig while out for the day on the water—including cup holders, rod holders, a cutting table, tool holder, dry boxes, a chair and cooler mounts, etc.—they quickly grew to incorporate car mounts for the transport of other outdoor equipment. SeaSucker’s Talon Rack mounts a single bike to the rooftop of a vehicle and has become the company’s bestseller—sold through the company website as well as through e-retailers like REI, Backcountry, Performance Bicycle and more. Its portability and practicality, coupled with a record setting install time of just under five seconds, attracts athletes and families alike on-the-go to transport their bikes with ease. Though the octopus has now made its way to land, SeaSucker’s mission remains clear — to spend less time loading gear and more time on the move.