Innovator Stories
Blue Q has many well-known points of pride, particularly to those in the Berkshires. Its founders, Seth and Mitch Nash, are brothers who grew up in Pittsfield; its irreverent, fun graphic products are sold internationally and have raised millions for charity; and the company is known for its work culture, retaining employees for decades and hiring individuals with disabilities through a longstanding relationship with BcArc.
From an infamous flat cat that launched the company to a product line with hundreds of quirky, edgy items like socks that encourage the wearer to “kick this day in its sunshiny ass” and reusable bags that say “I’ve heard good things about wine,” the Nash brothers and their team have been shipping products to thousands of gift shops, bookstores, and specialty markets from their Pittsfield warehouse since the 1990s.
Innovator Stories
Meet Mitch & Seth Nash
Blue Q has many well-known points of pride, particularly to those in the Berkshires. Its founders, Seth and Mitch Nash, are brothers who grew up in Pittsfield; its irreverent, fun graphic products are sold internationally and have raised millions for charity; and the company is known for its work culture, retaining employees for decades and hiring individuals with disabilities through a longstanding relationship with BcArc.
From an infamous flat cat that launched the company to a product line with hundreds of quirky, edgy items like socks that encourage the wearer to “kick this day in its sunshiny ass” and reusable bags that say “I’ve heard good things about wine,” the Nash brothers and their team have been shipping products to thousands of gift shops, bookstores, and specialty markets from their Pittsfield warehouse since the 1990s.
The company started in Boston in 1988, but with young families and roots in the Berkshires, the Nash brothers decided to return home. “It’s hard to know what the company would look like if we had stayed in Boston,” said Seth.
“Being here is really the best of both worlds. We don’t have to compete with high rents or some of the challenges of living in a larger city,” said Mitch. “It’s also a more intimate setting. We enjoy a good reputation here for our culture, so when people are considering moving here, they may know more about us than the average person would, or we can tap into people’s circle when we are hiring. We can participate and contribute to local arts organizations financially and with our work, and we’ve kind of specialized in some of that participation. The intimacy of the area has been good in those personal ways.”
“It interests us to see economic development flourish here with smaller companies,” Seth said. “I think that’s the way growth is going to shake out here. I see an influx of more small businesses in the Berkshires, and a lot of them you don’t even see, or are unaware of.”
The Nash brothers, as well as Blue Q’s staffers, are known for being active community volunteers, and Blue Q builds donations into its business model. For years, 1 percent of sock sales have gone to Doctors Without Borders; soon, the company will surpass $2 million in donations. And 1 percent of all bag sales go to environmental causes—about half of those funds are currently being steered to the Housatonic Valley Association, which is dedicated to preserving the Housatonic watershed (and whose leadership recently came to give a talk at the Blue Q garden).
Blue Q also opens its doors to Lever’s Berkshire Interns program, which offers professional development opportunities to interns working at leading Berkshire businesses for the summer. Intern cohorts have toured the facilities, heard presentations from Seth and Mitch, and left with plenty of Blue Q swag. “We enjoy opportunities to meet the leaders of tomorrow—these students are people who can be doing innovative things in the Berkshires,” said Mitch.
They have plenty of experience to offer younger folks, particularly those with an entrepreneurial mindset. “I would say, find a place to work with an interesting culture where you can really believe in the value system versus companies that are looking to do the business of their business,” Mitch said. “We spend so much time knitting Blue Q together in unexpected ways, with the goal of just keeping people engaged in weird, wonderful ways. Our value system is a top priority, and it’s why we retain people.
“So much of our business is based on experimentation,” Mitch said. “From the outside, it can look like this was a premeditated path, but that’s not really the case. A lot of it has been having an openness to learning, suddenly connecting a couple of dots and figuring something out. Just stay out there, keep meeting people. Inspiration exists, but it wants to find you busy. You never know what could come next.”
The company started in Boston in 1988, but with young families and roots in the Berkshires, the Nash brothers decided to return home. “It’s hard to know what the company would look like if we had stayed in Boston,” said Seth.
“Being here is really the best of both worlds. We don’t have to compete with high rents or some of the challenges of living in a larger city,” said Mitch. “It’s also a more intimate setting. We enjoy a good reputation here for our culture, so when people are considering moving here, they may know more about us than the average person would, or we can tap into people’s circle when we are hiring. We can participate and contribute to local arts organizations financially and with our work, and we’ve kind of specialized in some of that participation. The intimacy of the area has been good in those personal ways.”
“It interests us to see economic development flourish here with smaller companies,” Seth said. “I think that’s the way growth is going to shake out here. I see an influx of more small businesses in the Berkshires, and a lot of them you don’t even see, or are unaware of.”
The Nash brothers, as well as Blue Q’s staffers, are known for being active community volunteers, and Blue Q builds donations into its business model. For years, 1 percent of sock sales have gone to Doctors Without Borders; soon, the company will surpass $2 million in donations. And 1 percent of all bag sales go to environmental causes—about half of those funds are currently being steered to the Housatonic Valley Association, which is dedicated to preserving the Housatonic watershed (and whose leadership recently came to give a talk at the Blue Q garden).
Blue Q also opens its doors to Lever’s Berkshire Interns program, which offers professional development opportunities to interns working at leading Berkshire businesses for the summer. Intern cohorts have toured the facilities, heard presentations from Seth and Mitch, and left with plenty of Blue Q swag. “We enjoy opportunities to meet the leaders of tomorrow—these students are people who can be doing innovative things in the Berkshires,” said Mitch.
They have plenty of experience to offer younger folks, particularly those with an entrepreneurial mindset. “I would say, find a place to work with an interesting culture where you can really believe in the value system versus companies that are looking to do the business of their business,” Mitch said. “We spend so much time knitting Blue Q together in unexpected ways, with the goal of just keeping people engaged in weird, wonderful ways. Our value system is a top priority, and it’s why we retain people.
“So much of our business is based on experimentation,” Mitch said. “From the outside, it can look like this was a premeditated path, but that’s not really the case. A lot of it has been having an openness to learning, suddenly connecting a couple of dots and figuring something out. Just stay out there, keep meeting people. Inspiration exists, but it wants to find you busy. You never know what could come next.”