It was just about six months ago that Welle, 56, turned his resemblance to Jeff Bridges' character Jeffrey "The Dude" Lebowski in Joel and Ethan Coen's "The Big Lebowski" into a business venture, working in his off time as The Flathead Dude for events and charitable endeavors around the valley. But his transformation into the role began during the pandemic. He had let his hair and beard grow out as Covid-19 upended the world and suddenly saw The Dude looking back at him in the mirror.