Rick and Karen Walterson
How did you get started in this business, and how long have you been involved?
I grew up in suburban Toronto, Canada. After graduating from MI Technical University (Ha, the other MIT) I was hired by a Canadian firm to work in The USA as a Mechanical Engineer testing the seating applications for Ford, GM and Chrysler in Detroit, MI. Thrilled with a Green Card and the opportunity I worked my way up to become the “go-to-guy” for solving seating complications. Fast forward, I met and married my wife Karen, who was relocated by her employer to Beverly Hills, CA. While in CA I worked as an engineer for Kubota Tractors but didn’t find it inventive enough; the commute was brutal (both ways) and about that time we were expecting our first son, Kyler. So I took a leap of faith, and started my own engineering firm to manufacture seating-related components. It’s 26 years later and Seat Comfort Systems is a leader in the manufacture of seat heating, seat ventilation and cooling products including automotive, large trucking, motorcycle and even Golf Carts! We manufacture in Korea for OEM distribution and China for aftermarket applications. Our products are sold worldwide by distributors and are installed on many vehicles.
What factors brought you to the Grand Strand area?
We left CA to raise our 3 children (Kyler 26, Ryan 23 and Brooke 21) In the ski town of Park City UT. Once all three had left for college we were ready for something new. We maintained a home in Park City but were ready for beach life! We searched the entire east coast and loved Myrtle Beach and are happy to call it home!
My wife and I had both learned to play tennis as youngsters, and when we moved to Myrtle Beach she got back involved at the Dunes Beach, Tennis & Golf Club as a way to meet new friends here. She joined the Mixed Doubles league through the Myrtle Beach Tennis Center and has met wonderful friends. She recruited me as her partner and we are loving the camaraderie and weekly social matches. I think tennis is a fantastic, life-long sport that we are thankful we learned early in life. Our kids also all play. We built a Pickleball Court in our backyard, and feel that tennis established the skillset to play this fun sport, too.
How did you get started in tennis?
My wife and I had both learned to play tennis as youngsters, and when we moved to Myrtle Beach she got back involved at the Dunes Beach, Tennis & Golf Club as a way to meet new friends here. She joined the Mixed Doubles league through the Myrtle Beach Tennis Center and has met wonderful friends. She recruited me as her partner and we are loving the camaraderie and weekly social matches. I think tennis is a fantastic, life-long sport that we are thankful we learned early in life. Our kids also all play. We built a Pickleball Court in our backyard, and feel that tennis established the skillset to play this fun sport, too.
What are some other passions?
Besides playing tennis and pickleball my wife and I enjoy traveling, wake foiling behind our boat, exercising the dogs on the beach and still love winter skiing!