Gordo Scientific
Though he had been working on the torch for nearly 10 years prior, it wasn’t until 2012 when Brad Gordon took upon the name Gordo Scientific. Like many others in the industry, he had a natural curiosity and passion for functional glass, and therefore began his new business with one main focus: to create an enduring impact on the way that the cannabis and glass industry smokes.
Although he initially set out to accomplish that through his extensive experience creating and innovating water pieces, his work has since shifted to the accessories -- specifically carb caps -- right alongside the industry’s substitution of titanium nails with quartz products. This change in direction was a necessary step in the evolution and fine-tuning of the community surrounding glass and cannabis, and just the right spark for a young man who had long been seeking the perfect application of a technique that he had been developing prior -- the “riptide.” A multi-core tubing, the riptide is seemingly infinite in functional opportunity in the eyes of any true creative or flameworker, but it wasn’t until “Gordo” took this design and meshed it together with the new demand for quartz accessories, that a fresh, contemporary method of consuming cannabis products was born.
Creating what was then dubbed the hourglass, and what we know today as the OG Riptide cap, Gordo started to see a clearer outline of the impact he sought to make, and humbly accepted that he would need to take on new forms of strategy for the follow through. As the owner of a growing small business, he understood that it was crucial to begin building a robust team, expand his focus beyond the OG caps, and provide a caring and personal experience to every customer. He also found it important to develop his business in a cannabis capital of the world, and moved shop to Denver, Colorado, which is where he met Joel Simmons (Bill Gates Glass).
Upon seeing Joel’s raw talent and capabilities on a productive scale, Gordo knew he had found just the right person that would help him carry the company further, and they have since grown to become close friends and business partners. The team’s no-quit and hard working attitude was undoubtedly vital in pushing past the barriers and slow patches of the company’s earlier history, but was really put to the test in 2018, when Gordo Scientific partnered with Task Rok of Highly Educated to collaborate on the first and only dual-functioning carb cap on the market: the GTR. Only this time, the effort wasn’t in spite of any lack of notoriety, but instead caused by the team’s struggle to keep up with it.
The studio suddenly became faster paced and higher intensity than ever before, and it was a juggling act trying to balance the seeking out and training of new employees, keeping up with the regular production schedule, implementing new ideas and products, and above all maintaining quality customer service. It’s a common misunderstanding that Gordo Scientific is a large business “machine” with a variety of employees all assigned to a certain job, when in fact it is quite nearly the opposite. The small unit of four takes care of everything from coldworking to shipping to flameworking and more; each individual being required to uphold a multitude of skills -- not just one -- and can therefore be transferable to any part of the process that needs the agency.
Most recently, the Gordo Sci headquarters has expanded into a new office as a place for business meetings, shipping and sales, and soon as a retail space for the local supporters who come to visit the studio. Looking further into the future, Gordo envisions the company augmenting an exclusive retail space in the Denver area, and gradually developing their selection of glass products, including more collaborations with Highly Educated and larger works. He also intends to establish a long-term collective of individual glass artists and craftsmen that will foster in the next era of the company.
Even though there is no time to wait around for it to happen, Gordo Sci is aware that all growth will be organic. Intrinsically there will be consistent bumps and hiccups alongside the overall success. But Brad remains a remarkable leader: one that does not expect accomplishment or progress by forcing his will upon the system, and instead by listening and reacting to the evolutionary intelligence thereof. Combined with a squadron of passionate and dedicated workers, the company is just sharpening it’s spear. Needless to say, there is still much work to do, but work is definitely one thing that the unit at Gordo Scientific isn’t afraid to do.
