Like a fine wine...

To use a wine analogy, my goal is to continue to get better with age.  When I was at the ripe age of fifteen I told myself I’d never wear a tie to work – a noble goal!  I was teaching whitewater kayaking at the time. Living out of a tent for summers on end, soon upgrading to a trailer, and then a cottage.  I surrounded myself with river bums of various ages, and occupations. The one thing they all had in common was that they were either outdoor educators or teachers. All passionate about the outdoors and teaching others to love it, and have an experience. I learned the importance of leadership, organization, situational awareness, various ways to sleep in cars, and how to get completely nude in public while changing without anyone noticing. It was a great beginning to my journey.

 

I moved my tie-less work to the ski industry. I was tossed into a marketing and events job at a huge resort in Vermont, and had to learn quick. My tools of the trade became a megaphone, windblades, sponsors, my skis, and a stoke level unmatched. I found the grapes of the ski industry and was ready to add some years to the wine.

 

I took the helm of the marketing efforts at Windells’ camp on Mount Hood. It was a dream to be in a place where you can ski all summer, build an incredible experience for the shredding youth, learn about the business and befriend idols from ski movies that I watched as a kid. I learned what it took to successfully be a person behind a brand. Add in the ability to sprinkle my own love for an industry, camp, skiing, and most importantly a continued career in not wearing a tie, and a year or so got added to the wine. Man it is starting to age well don’t you think?!

 

Things work out in a funny way. Just as I was enjoying the west, a brand came calling that celebrates a lifestyle hardened by the east coast winters. Smiling and laughing at rain in December, ice that just makes you go faster, legendary stuff I’d grown up with. The job was at Ski The East and I moved back across the country to join them.  Small businesses are great because of the amount of things you get to touch, shape and work with. An opportunity to be put in charge of how it’s said, when it’s said, and everything in between was nothing short of amazing.

 

And now this wine get’s another turn of the bottle and it’s only going to get better.  I’ve loved my journey and look forward to the next chapter. No matter what it is, I still don’t plan on wearing a tie.