UW-La Crosse alumni, Michael Garwood has made a unique place for himself in the world. He is a business luminary, but his ventures go far beyond that. From the men’s fashion industry, to source and recruitment consulting, venturing into organic foods, Garwood has become a popular entrepreneur.

He was an extremely active and driven student during his time at UWL, attributes which he has only built upon since graduation. His story of successes and achievements is an inspiration and one which UWL is proud to share.

Of all of Garwood’s accomplishments, perhaps the most unique is his endeavors in men’s high fashion. In 2013, Garwood founded the company The Garwood, a unique timepiece brand which handcrafts wooden watches. Amidst this, Garwood harbored the idea of creating a men’s fashion accessory that would carry personal resonance yet create an elegant statement; serving both design and functional purposes. Because of the constructs of the wood, no two watches are exactly alike, creating a one of a kind piece.

The Garwood offers 9 different styles including a special edition green and gold watch featuring The Green Bay Packer wide receiver, Davonte Adams. His personal logo is called “The One7” (for all of the Packer fans out there). With its unconventional use of wood, its modern time face, and quality craftsmanship, it’s no wonder Garwood watches and the company itself has a vibrant reputation which has been steadily growing since its foundation.

In addition to holding court in the men’s fashion world, Michael Garwood is a well-known businessman. Garwood has 19 years of extensive experience in company recruiting. He began his career with Aerotek Contract Engineering but soon left the agency word and began delving into source and recruitment. After a few years of employment at News Corporation, Garwood began to established a new business of his own.

In 2002, Garwood founded Avidus Inc., a professional search and recruitment firm based in Los Angeles. In the last 14 years, the company has been a tremendous success, focusing on the placement of sales, technical and executive level professionals. Avidus Inc. has made a reliable reputation for itself by assisting several prominent corporations, including Wells Fargo, CitiGroup, Ingersoll Rand, Merrill Lynch, SolarCity, Gilead and Yahoo! with their hiring needs in the areas of sales, IT, operations, human resources, and executive. Garwood still resides at Avidus Inc. as a senior recruitment consultant and continues his work in sourcing and recruiting candidates nationwide.

Garwood earned a Bachelor’s degree from UWL in 1997.  He has only continued as a natural leader, and is extremely involved in the University. He was a founding member of the UW-La Crosse Chapter of Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity and served as their Vice President, President, and even the Alumni Chapter President after graduation. Garwood also served as President of UW-L’s Interfraternity Council. He worked at The Racquet during his time at UWL. Michael currently resides in Los Angeles where he continues to achieve success in the business world.