Scott Struthers remembers the first time he saw an elephant in the wild. He was 15 and had accompanied his father, a biologist, on a trip to Africa. It became a fairly frequent journey, and the natural beauty of the landscape, its wildlife, and the people who live there left a lasting impression.
But when he traveled back with his daughter years later, he was alarmed by the decline in the elephant population and was moved to take action. So in 2016, the O.C.-based entrepreneur who cofounded Sonance sound systems launched Elephant Cooperation, a nonprofit focused on conservation and community building. His philanthropic interests have strong roots here at home, too. “My true passion is to save and help animals, which is why I created Elephant Cooperation,” says Struthers. “I want to figure out ways elephants and communities of people can cooperate to coexist. I also have a soft spot for Boys & Girls Club and want to help future generations be successful in life. I have strong feelings on how I want to help animals, communities, and people thrive, so I tend to lean toward groups that support those things.”
Credit: PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SCOTT STRUTHERS AND SONANCE
Impact Abroad
At the core of Elephant Cooperation, which celebrates a decade of work next year, is the belief that protecting these majestic creatures—the Earth’s largest land-living animals—helps ensure biodiversity and climate resilience, and can even help drive the local economy. The organization puts it this way: “By combining wildlife conservation with humanitarian aid, we create a scalable model for coexistence.”
And the nonprofit’s work appears to be making a difference. According to the agency, some 1.2 million hectares of habitat have been restored, ensuring herds have the open space and corridors they need to survive. The group has helped implement anti-poaching programs. And community engagement and development programs have led to the creation of 525 wildlife ranger jobs and helped employ a total of 225,000 people, provided clean water to an estimated 9,500, and helped feed 29,000 schoolchildren. As part of a monthly food-relief program in Kenya, the group has distributed $100,000 to aid more than 2,500 people. And it’s donated another $110,000 to UNICEF to help malnourished children living in villages near Ethiopia’s Kafta Shiraro National Park.
And then there’s the impact on the elephant population. The organization believes more than 66,000 pachyderms have been protected as a result of its wildlife conservation strategies. “Elephants went from being on the verge of extinction to their numbers becoming increasingly more stabilized due to our efforts in saving them,” he says. But the group isn’t done yet. “Stabilized doesn’t mean saved,” says Struthers. “Now we have projects where we translocate elephants to more vast areas of land so we can mitigate elephant/human conflict. There is so much more work to be done.”
All of this is getting noticed. In fact, the organization began attracting attention almost off the bat. In 2017, a drone program earned Struthers and Elephant Cooperation the Lindbergh Foundation’s Timmissartok Medal. And it was a 2018 finalist for an Edison Award for social innovation.
At Home
Through Sonance Cares, Struthers supports a variety of initiatives that hone in on the planet, people, and animals. The charity is all about personalized philanthropy, connecting individuals with causes they care about. It funds prosthetics for children in Africa through the LimbKind Foundation, and partners with CARMA and Unleashed, two nonprofit orgs that rescue and rehabilitate injured and sick animals. Sonance Cares also works with Ryan’s Recycling, which aims to keep cans and bottles from ending up in the ocean. Then there are the fire and crisis relief efforts it supports through the Maui Humane Society and Greater Good. And that’s just a snapshot of the causes. When asked about the driving force behind his desire to “give back,” Struthers leans on a term coined by entrepreneur and philanthropist Peter Diamandis: MTP. “My MTP—massively transformative purpose—is to make giving cool again. I think everyone can give, whether it is volunteering their time or giving a donation or just being positive. We can all strive to better humanity by being more giving and taking care of people, animals, and the planet.”
How Music Plays a Role
It’s Struthers’ innovation and success in business that—in large part—have facilitated his ability to give so generously and with such impact as the Elephant Cooperation. Sonance is credited for being the first to manufacture a line of high-fidelity in-wall speakers. And he cofounded two other ventures. Luxury lifestyle brand STRUT handcrafts automotive accessories like custom finishes, vinyl wraps, and gem-encrusted gear shifters. And iPORT develops specialized hardware and software tools for companies that use Apple devices.
A music lover all his life, it makes sense that he’d find a niche in high fidelity. “In college, me and my business partner Geoff Spencer threw huge parties,” he says. “Those big speakers were heard for miles.” Even today, Struthers says he enjoys the visceral experience of music. “When I’m showering in the morning before a day with my dogs…you can hear my music blasting from my speakers and subs in my bathroom. I like to make the whole room shake! It gets me ready for a great day ahead, where I go out and try to make the world a better place.”
Music also serves as inspiration—he says he comes up with some of his best ideas when there’s music playing in the background. He keeps notepads around his home and office, and on his bedside table, so that he can jot down an idea when it hits. He’s currently developing a machine that breaks down “cardboard chaos.”
“I’m trying to take a new approach to saving consumers space, time, money, and the planet. People get so many packages delivered to their door every day, and those recycle bins fill up quickly. Imagine making that mess go away and erasing your carbon footprint at the same time. I always have new and innovative ideas. What will be the next big thing I can invent so we can make more money and then give more money to those in need? I want to leave a legacy of giving and taking care of animals, people, and the planet.”
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