It seemed odd to Justin Johnson that this ubiquitous problem—getting a sweaty forehead while wearing a hat—had no solution. He quickly set out to change that. In 2008, Johnson, who grew up in Tonka Bay and graduated from Minnetonka High School, was attending a business class at Gustavus Adolphus College and had to create a business plan for a potential product. “The idea for NoSweat was conceptualized around the dinner table that weekend,” Johnson says. “People wearing hats, helmets and hard hats have been sweating for years, but there is no simple solution for controlling the negative side effects…sweat burning your eyes, moisture causing masks to fog up, and sweat stains ruining your favorite hat.”
Johnson created NoSweat liners, which are disposable liners that can be easily adhered to the inside bands of baseball caps, hard hats, football and hockey helmets, and more. The company, based in Hopkins, currently has 12 full-time employees and is certainly growing; they’ve built a strong lineup of professional athletes who have invested in NoSweat or become brand ambassadors, including hockey star TJ Oshie and tennis player Kerry Feirman. The NHL Officials Association ordered more than 21,000 liners for the 2017-2018 season, and NoSweat is an official licensed partner of the PGA Tour.
“Our goal is provide innovative products that improve how people work, play and live,” says Johnson. He mentions that NoSweat is hoping to expand in other industries—not just sports. The company is making inroads in other fields where people regularly wear hats: construction, military, industrial and food prep.
NoSweat
Liners can be purchased at NoSweat’s website and on Amazon.
Facebook: NoSweat
Instagram: @nosweatco
