Meet Trevor Barnum | Chief Executive Officer and Nurse

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trevor Barnum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trevor, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
The philosopher Plato once said some version of “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Azotherm Safety Apparel was was born from this mantra and we are working hard to bring high quality, flame resistant garments to the folks who need them most. I am a nurse practitioner by training and for some reason have a need for a little bit of danger on the side. I served in the Navy Reserve for 8 years and when I got out I started working as fire/EMS staff for a large national racetrack. It was at the track that I found a passion for the science and technology of fire and motorsport safety. We go out on track to wrecks, rollovers, fires, medical emergencies, etc. We use a combination of old and new fabric technologies to keep us safe from the dangers we face as first responders. I started to realize that the gloves I had just weren’t cut out for all of it and so I started trying to find something that fit the bill. When I realized that what I had in mind didn’t exist… I partnered with an experienced glove maker and I designed and manufactured my own. At the time, the red ocean market I was entering seemed a little less red than it turned out to be but…someone also said “Ignorance is bliss.”

What should our readers know about your business?
The journey of starting a business is one of the biggest risks I have ever taken. I’m generally a pretty risk-averse person and this was a little crazy. So far I have learned a lot about business, relationships and time management (mostly that you have way more time that you think if you choose to use it wisely). Azotherm Safety Apparel is a passion project that combines my love for motorsport, medicine and materials science. I saw a need and I decided that I had an idea that could meet it. The gloves we make are positioned in a very crowded niche market and this has taught me a few lessons that I think others can learn from. The first being that social media doesn’t replace personal relationships with potential clients. The chances you get lucky on TikTok are pretty low. The second being that business takes time. Things won’t happen overnight and you just have to keep trying. If you have something that people want, eventually it will get to them.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Chicago, IL and a long weekend in the summer here rivals any other city in the world. Most people don’t know that Chicago is a beach town and has some of the best food in the world-and its not crazy expensive. Saturday would start out at Southport Grocery and Cafe for brunch. A hip place in the heart of the Southport corridor with the best brunch in the city. We would then head over to a Cubs game, eat Chicago dogs and make cup snakes in the bleachers. After the game we would head down to the Lincoln Park and have Tapas at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reba. We can finish the night with a little 80’s music at the Hangge Uppe in Gold Coast. This place is open until 4am so pace yourself. The rest of the weekend would consist of hanging out playing beach volleyball and eating deep dish pizza… as long as it’s Lou Malnatis.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There is no doubt that I would not be where I am without the support of my wife and family. She has allowed me to stay up late at night and be distracted with calls and emails during the day. She has let our bedroom be taken over by sewing machines, label printers and boxes of gloves. My brother, Tyler Barnum, owns a Lapidary/Rock shop in Arizona called Arizona Rock Shop and really helped me get things off the ground. Sometimes you just need to know where to start by someone who has done it successfully before.

Website: www.azothermsafety.com

Instagram: @azotherm_safety

Twitter: @azotherm

Facebook: @azotherm_safety

Other: TikTok: @azotherm.safety