Shortly after graduating from San José State University in 2017 with a B.S. in Industrial Design and completing an internship at The North Face as an Equipment Designer, Taylor created the first functional Cigarette Surfboard by upcycling thousands of beach-littered cigarette butts. This project launched him into the worlds of ocean conservation and the surf industry, enabling him to meet and converse with some of the brightest and most renowned minds in these spheres.

The story of The Cigarette Surfboard has become an inspiration for people around the globe and has offered Taylor the opportunity to speak at the Trinity College in Dublin, We Love Green music festival in Paris, Brightworks Innovation Day in Toronto, Inertia Evolve Summit in Los Angeles, and more. Born from a long line of makers in the family tree, Taylor has sought fulfilment by finding solutions that address social and environmental problems. As a creative designer and collaborator, he enjoys nothing more than working with others to create ways that open up the minds of people and incite alternative ways of thinking and doing.