Spotlight: Casey Strom & ABU
[CWIS’S NOTE] Up today I have the first in what I expect will be a series focusing on those who make up leadership roles within the ABDL community. Below, a spotlight interview with Casey Strom, CEO of ABUniverse. Casey is a long-time member of the community, and has been owner of ABU since 2015.
Have ABDL community spotlight suggestions for me? Email me at abysitter@gmail.com.
CWIS: You’re generally considered to be the Steve Jobs of the ABDL world, a magnate of sorts in the adult (baby) diaper manufacturing business. Can you tell us a bit about how you got started with ABUniverse?
CASEY: Around the time I was 18, I began doing some marketing work for the previous owners of ABU assisted with some product launches. I lost touch with them for many years, exchanging at most pleasantries around the holidays. In 2013 or so, the company I owned at that time moved into an office building that had an attached warehouse, and by complete coincidence, ABU was the occupant of the warehouse adjacent to us. I reconnected and offered assistance. After going on a long out of state trip to another one of our offices, I returned to find that ABU had jumped their lease, and there were tons of complaints everywhere online about them not shipping orders out. I made a few calls/texts to the owners, but didn’t hear anything back. I knew that they were going through a divorce, but the wife ran things day to day at ABU. In 2015 I was able to reconnect with the husband to discuss some possible career changes in my life, as his day job and mine were in the same industry, and I was more or less looking to see what the job market was like. We had dinner, and over the course of many hours of talking, the conversation kept swinging back to him suggesting that I become a turnaround CEO for ABU, as they had been trying to sell the dying company without much success. I just joked they could not afford me. Over the night, I did ponder the very real possibility of buying it outright. I talked to my family and decided that it could be a very wise move, or it could be something that if it didn’t work, we would allow the brand to finally come to a complete halt and die. After A VERY crazy 48 hours, I bought all of the assets from the company (remaining inventory, customer database, intellectual property rights, etc). Within two hours the company was shut down so we could begin to sort out the mess. The next few weeks were unimaginably insane. Finding out the scope of damage done to customers that didn’t get their orders after paying and waiting many months - and in some cases years. It was all very shocking. I had some amazing help at that time as a new team formed to carry the company into a new era. On April 22nd 2015, merely 47 days after closing, we launched with a new warehouse, new team, new logo, new inventory - at that point I knew the insanity had been worth it.
Photos 1-4, (L) to (R): Photo 1: April 17th 2015 - Unloading our first container into the new warehouse in Everett, WA. We had to go through the personnel door as the roll-up door had malfunctioned shortly after we moved in; Photo 2: April 3rd 2015 - Our only roll-up door failed within a week of moving into our warehouse, which meant moving anything in or out was a huge pain! The door was boarded up for weeks following this; Photo 3: April 22nd 2015 - Some of the orders from day one of being (back) open; Photo 4: June 15th 2015 - The warehouse continued to fill up a bit as we continued to bring in more stock. Exciting times :-)
CWIS: Are you a ‘little’ yourself? AB? DL? Pup? Tell us a little bit about your own persona, if you don’t mind?
CASEY: I am a little - maybe a bratty 4 year old. I’d say I'm equal parts AB and DL. From a young age (maybe when I was 4? 5?), I found the familiar scent of the grocery store diaper aisle intoxicating and a sign of something more I should discover about myself. Feeling funny when I saw a diaper commercial on tv - that was something. I recall having those feelings as early as when I was being potty trained. As soon as I had access to the internet with a little bit of privacy, I knew pretty fast that I wasn’t alone in these feelings.
I’ve resigned to going 24/7, as it is something that I’ve always wanted to do and I really have no reason not to, and that is something that brings me a lot of comfort.
Photo: Sometime in 2016? - Me having some breakfast at a friend’s house. I was still allowed my coffee without it being in a sippy cup.
CWIS: A lot of ABDLs notice that the community seems to be exploding in numbers in recent years. Without giving away any corporate secrets, has your customer base grown as well?
CASEY: Definitely. We’ve seen massive growth in the way of new customers each year. I believe that right now, more than ever, there are more ABDLs discovering themselves and figuring out that they can explore this side of themselves. I credit the many resources out there that help people realize that they don’t need to be ashamed of having a fetish or merely a desire to regress.
Early on after buying ABU, I had a call with a retired veteran of the Army that had been deployed in Iraq doing surveillance on strategic targets in a heavily armored vehicle. They would go out on missions for I believe around four days at a time. He said that they didn’t exactly have the ability to stop at the corner store, and they would become vulnerable if they were to leave the inside of the vehicle. The Army had issued his squad diapers for toileting use - specifically tabbed briefs. He said that after wearing and using the diapers, he began to keep them on overnight because they were almost like a security blanket of sorts. He shared with me that when he returned home he did a little research and learned that he did in fact identify as a part of the ABDL community. Unfortunately he also shared that his wife was very upset with this and left him, but he had newly partnered with someone that was very accepting of his desired choice of underwear.
This story, and several others that I can recall, really lead me to believe that this lifestyle, hobby, or whatever it is that you wish to call it, is something that can be discovered at almost any point in life. Something as simple as a smell or possibly even an adverse life event could spark someone’s curiosity towards a bit of googling and discover wearing diapers might be something worthwhile to try.
CWIS: You’ve been a sponsor of some major ABDL events, including TeddyCon, CAPCon, Tomkat, and the West Coast Jungle Gym for several years, and I know ABU has donated prizes for some smaller events around the US. You even sponsored the grand prize in my 2018 photo contest. I know you do the same for events in Europe, as well - Club ABDL in Amsterdam (the former Club Luier) and some others. How much of ABU’s marketing strategy consists of your sponsorship of, and/or placement at, these events?
CASEY: Community involvement and engagement are a huge focus for us. We don’t go to an event with the objective to make money - we are there to build relationships and introduce our products to those that may not have had the opportunity to try them before or they have not tried our full range. I strongly think that a company's leadership team should be visible and engaging with their respective community, and these events are a way to do just that. Even if we can’t be at all of the ABDL events that happen worldwide, even just showing people we care by sponsoring from afar is important to us. Then when we are able to make it to that event in the future, there is a bit of familiarity already. Seeing the 2020 calendar wiped clean due to COVID-19 has been a real bummer for everyone, but when it is safe to do so, we’ll be right back at as many events as we can make it to!
On another note - I am also a photographer and will often offer a hand to help capture the events that we are involved in. Being able to capture people enjoying themselves in their care-free element is really important in my opinion. I’ve acted as an official photographer for TeddyCon, Tomkat, and some other smaller gatherings worldwide.
Photo: September 22nd 2018 - Myself and Cub_Eolis at Fall Tomkat 2018.
CWIS: Is COVID-19 posing any challenges with regard to supply chain? How is the Novel Coronavirus affecting us getting our ABDL products?
CASEY: On the manufacturing side: Every year around the Chinese New Year (end of January), production at nearly every factory halts for 2-3 weeks. This year, the diaper factories just didn’t reopen. As COVID-19 spread, the need for supplies to make masks sore through the roof, and a lot of those materials needed to make diapers cross over with those to make masks. We didn’t see supply on those materials start to equalize with demand until nearly the end of March, and then we saw a massive price increase on many raw materials. During the summer was when we started seeing our inventory levels show some semblance of “normal”.
From our warehouse to the customer: In our warehouses, we took very harsh steps to ensure safety of our staff. From having staggering schedules, to not allowing walk-in customers, and even having A and B teams in case someone on one of the teams became sick so we could quarantine appropriately and switch to the other team working. There were a lot of changes for our team, even affecting packing efficiency, sometimes it even became difficult to get every order onto delivery trucks for the day. These factors caused us to suspend our shipping cutoff promise until a closer to the “normal” state returns. Once the package actually hit a truck, the shipping networks are all seeing massive delays as well. Speaking for the USA, our primary shipper is FedEx, but we also use UPS and USPS depending on the situation. Every single one of them has suspended guaranteed shipping dates. It has not been an easy task dealing with each of these challenges, and I suspect others in our industry are facing similar sets of challenges in how ABDL products get into a customer’s hands.
CWIS: What product that you make (or have made) are you proudest of?
CASEY: Without a doubt, PeekABU/Simple Ultra. We brought to market a new technology that allowed us to exceed the 5000ML capacity, and they reigned for many years as the most absorbent diaper in the world at an advertised 6250+ ML capacity. I personally feel like it has been and still is revolutionary to offer a product with unprecedented security and capacity, a product our customers can really wear without worrying about the things we shouldn’t have to like leaks or tapes.
CWIS: Any particular product in your line you wish you could go back in time and not introduce?
CASEY: During our ABU 4th event, I announced a new product called “Pretty Possums”. Not everyone saw it was all in jest and good fun, and somehow, I continue to get genuine requests for when these diapers are expecting release. We very much wish to avoid misleading our customers in such a way and did not intend any hints at a marsupial themed nappy for ABU’s future. Unfortunately, these pampered possums will continue to be very much a parody of pretty pinkish proportions and continue to have no plans for release.
Photo: April 2019 - Pretty Possums being announced.
CWIS: I see the @ABUNappies tweets all over Twitter, and I know that you’ve got a deal with Diaper-Minister that make your product line readily available in France, as well. Where else are you, and where would you like to be in the next few years? Where do you see the biggest growth in the ABDL market for diapers/various products?
CASEY: We never really planned to operate in the European market without some form of assistance. There are so many diverse nations, languages, and cultures across the European continent, we were apt to create fantastic partnerships with a few stores and brands, much like with Yannick and his team at Diaper-Minister. With their help, we’re able to extend our products to as many people as we can. There’s a reason why the quote once in our “About Us” page mentions ‘World Domination’ as our goal; we strive to go where any community is willing to support the ABU brand and wish to be there sustainably and responsibly. There are many other great relationships that have allowed us to expand into other countries of the world. Taking a page from Starbucks, it’s always been extremely critical for my team and I to ensure that no matter where you are in the world - when you place an order, you have the same great experience no matter if you’re in Tokyo or London. Quality, customer service, and consistency are huge for us to maintain globally. This is why we very much tend to keep the relationship between ABU and the customer, instead of working with networks of resellers globally. I will tease that we do have a new location preparing to open in another country as we speak, but I can’t give anything away at this moment! In terms of new products we’ve come to realise the unique position and privilege held by ABUniverse and other ABDL brands. For most of my team their idea of a vintage diaper is an Abena M4 or a 3 tabbed Attends - but we now have a new generation of younger ABDLs that have always had access to custom products, designed with them in mind. We want to have fun with them, growing great ideas that have a life beyond being just a diaper, like the PeekABU caps. They’re a great accessory to show others in the know who you are and we think there’ll continue to be great ideas and products that see ABDL brands blend more ‘lifestyle’ items with their core line ups and it’s exciting to see new brands emerging in the space too. Right now we have fulfilment operations located in Australia, Canada, Japan, Great Britain and two within the United States.
CWIS: Tell us a little bit about your team? Who’s behind ABU besides Casey?
CASEY: How much time have you got?! I think I could easily dictate a book on how proud of our team I am. We have a family of really passionate littles from all around the world. Not only does our team work their padded little butts off for ABU, but they’re also involved in their local communities. Whether it’s supporting the local munch or working to bring about a first ABDL Con in their home countries, I’m very proud of everyone’s spirited contributions!
Whenever a customer interacts with us online they’re most likely talking to one of our Customer Service & Communications team members either via social media or directly on ABUCares.com. Collectively this group of dedicated crinklers creates a lot of what I would call the ‘voice’ of ABU. If you encounter a problem, have a question, want to make a suggestion, or wish to reach out and simply say hello, these dedicated waddlers are on the case and ready to help.
ABUniverse’s inner workings are composed of a diverse team with experience gathered from all over the world. From serving their countries to running venues and even holding serious leadership positions in their respective fields, these associates bring all that passion and experience to the table and continue to push us forward and onwards daily. When we’re managing and creating designs for new products or even managing logistics, (You would not believe how much work goes into getting diapers from the factory to your doorstep) some team members work with big brush strokes while others focus on the tiny, beautiful details - both combine into what I believe makes ABUniverse a solid brand we all can be proud of. Their collective diversity, experience, and strength make it all come together.
[Note: We don’t typically use real names as doxxing is a real issue. I’m the sacrificial lamb in this regard.]
CWIS: Two of the complaints that we often hear from ABDLs about their favorite ABDL diapers is that they sometimes go out of stock, and that they sometimes vary in quality - tapes, plastic, etc. - and even in size. I don’t think there’s an ABDL diaper company that hasn’t been affected. What are the challenges, from manufacturing to distribution, that cause this?
CASEY: We sell a lot of diapers. Every time we organize a new production run, we aim bigger and better than before and still, somehow, it’s never big enough. We are continuously humbled by the support from the community and find ourselves blessed to be in such a position. As recent as this last year we’ve set personal goals in keeping key product lines (PeekABU, LittlePawz & Super Dry Kids) available and in stock at all times, even beginning to expand that promise to other products until Covid came along. With production runs in such large sizes and combining it with manufacturing being overseas we do occasionally get unintentional deviations from a previous batch. We own that, and then work to make it right with any unhappy customers and communicate the changes to people as effectively as possible. We will always work to make things right with our customers and have enough confidence in our products to support them right up until you throw them in the trash!
CWIS: Anything that you are working on that you can share with us?
CASEY: As of right now, we’re working on revising a few old favorites. One of the best things about diapers is they come packed with tons of great tech that most people don’t comprehend, and that means we can always improve methods of production and deliver better products than we had previously. We’re working on standardizing sizing across as many of our products as we possibly can. We’re also working to make our sizing both more consistent across all our lines, but also to implement more inclusive sizing options, making our products more available for a broader range of people across the community - extending beyond S/SM/M/L/XL! Both are ultimately long term projects, but they’re hugely important to us in our path towards the ABU of the future.
CASEY: In closing - I think i’ve got the greatest job in the world. It can be immensely stressful at times. Most years it has me travelling globally 3-4 months of the year. I have the privilege of working with people I really care about that I know have my back - and working with ABDL ‘stuff’ all day is a pretty crazy awesome thing! I really appreciate the opportunity to participate in this Q&A. If readers have more questions, feel free to email us at ABUCares@abuniverse.com, contact us on Twitter @ABUDiapers, Facebook @ABUniverse, or come chat with us on Telegram https://t.me/ABUniverseOfficial ! -Casey StromCEO, ABUniverse