Our Story
The Beginning:
STUDS
Summit Collective began as STUDS (Small Tactical Unabashed Dudes of Service) in 2020, co-founded by Brian Kerlin and Max Eckstein. The term STUDS highlighted a group of dedicated men committed to making a positive impact through their actions and service. Brian and Max wanted to turn this passion into a full-time endeavor while maintaining the community’s core values.
Evolution to Summit Collective
As STUDS grew, it evolved into Summit Collective, focusing on shared goals and collective growth. Summit Collective encourages personal development, meaningful connections, and positive impacts on its members and their communities. We are dedicated to helping each other grow and make a difference every day.
Meet the Founders
Brian is the Co-Founder of Summit Collective and the Founder and CEO of Optitude, a company dedicated to helping first-time entrepreneurs build consistent, sustainable revenue growth. His passion for helping others comes from his upbringing in western Pennsylvania, where his parents, Wes, a community social worker, and Marge, a nursing professor, instilled the values of hard work and giving back to the community. For Brian, Summit Collective represents a community where personal growth, meaningful connections, and positive impact are at the forefront, allowing him to give back and help others succeed in their journeys.
Max is the Co-Founder of Summit Collective and the COO of Ciancio Ciancio Brown, P.C., a law firm dedicated to helping business owners, professionals, and clients find their desired personal and professional success stories, solve challenges, and build meaningful relationships.
His passion for helping others comes from his family and Midwest Iowan roots. Both of his parents were entrepreneurial as a local business owners, a teacher, and their work in their church and community. They taught him the value of giving back to the greater community, friendship, and setting goals high.
For Max, Summit Collective represents a convergence where powerful relationships, personal professional growth, and philanthropic impact come together, allowing him to elevate and give back to others impacting and producing real lasting positive change.
Addressing the Void & Birth of Summit Collective
Recognizing a void in peer and leadership groups for men seeking personal and professional growth while giving back to their communities, Brian and Max established STUDS. Emphasizing vulnerability and meaningful connections, STUDS created an intimate community where men from diverse backgrounds could support one another.
Summit Collective was born out of Brian’s and Max’s personal and professional experiences, identifying the need for a group that fosters personal and professional connections while serving the community. Summit Collective offers a supportive environment where men from diverse stages of life can come together, support each other, and grow.
