Meet Nathan Frisk, our newest Member of the Month, recently relocated to Tulsa during the pandemic from Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Nathan is the Marketing Director for Safeguard Equipment. His company is revolutionizing the electrical safety industry with their flagship product Compass™. It’s a personal voltage and current detector that has become essential PPE for workers in some of the world’s largest companies; eliminating preventable accidents and establishing a safe work environment.

Naturally, as a native Idahoan, Nathan is well versed on all things potatoes, so much so that he has convinced us all that potatoes and ice cream can actually go together. Scroll to the bottom to see Nathan’s “proper potato ice cream”. Nathan is a family man who brings a real sense of community and humor to our space, and we’re grateful he’s one of our wonderful members. 

Read on to learn more about Nathan and his 6-step plan on how he’d improve the world given unlimited resources.

What do you do? Tell us a little bit about your company.

I head up the marketing department for Safeguard Equipment. We make wearable voltage detectors for people who work around electricity.

We’ve heard 35+ personal accounts of lives saved using our devices in the last couple years, and it’s a really cool feeling to play a small part in that. 

What could you give a 30-minute presentation about with no advance preparation?

How to sell stuff without sounding like a used car salesman.

How did you end up in your current role?

I knew the founders of Safeguard for a couple years, and I was doing some contract work for them at the time. They were one of my favorite clients, so when they made me an offer, it was an easy decision.

What was the most important chance encounter you’ve had?

Meeting my wife on the first day of college. We ended up having the same core friend group. 17 years later and she’s still my best friend.

What is your favorite restaurant in Tulsa and what do you get there?

My favorite lunch place is Village Bowls (I think it’s Doordash only). I like their Everything But the Kitchen Sink Bowl.

Given unlimited resources, how would you go about making the world a better place?

Oooh – I love this question!

At a 30K foot view – Build entrepreneurial communities. And this is not my original idea – I’ve seen most of these pieces work effectively in different communities.

1. Set the expectation that these are places to dream big, and that there will be many failures on the path to success. Encourage people to try new things, knowing that they’re going to suck at them initially.
2. Invite people who have found success to share their stories. Ask them to share examples of what went well, what they wish they knew earlier in life, and how they failed spectacularly.
3. Create groups / events in this community around specific passion topics – real estate, cryptocurrency, etc. Make these events accessible so that someone walking in for the first time can still participate.
4. Encourage people to work together to channel their passions and interests into something tangible. Connect them with resources to start companies, create nonprofits, etc. Many people have viable ideas, but they don’t know what next steps to take. A community can help with that. 
5. Make connections between local companies, schools, and government. For example, if you have a group of people who are passionate about machine learning, that’s going to breed some interesting ideas that might appeal to existing companies. There’s potential for investment, economic development, educational programs, real estate development (coworking spaces too), etc. Many of these groups are working on their own projects, but more could be accomplished if they were brought together with a common thread.
6. Duplicate / tweak this process for different areas around the world.

Would you survive a zombie apocalypse? How?

No. I’m soft. Day 3 without a shower and I’m walking into the mob.

What is one of your favorite things about being a member of the root coworking?

I like the “‘buzz” of the space during different times of the day. People seem engaged and excited about what they’re working on, and I think that energy is contagious.

Via Nathan:

“Proper ice cream potato (no potatoes were harmed in the making – it’s all ice cream)”