2. What territory to you cover and how many miles do you figure you drive a year? I cover the five Pacific Northwest states. Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Probably about 25,000 miles on the rig. Then about 10-15 flights each year. About 40-60 nights in hotels or at friends’ houses. Most of the business is done in the I-5 corridor, so I spend a fair amount of time over there in the valley.

3. How has“ repping” changed since you started? First and foremost, shop counts have gone down significantly due to the economy and the upswing and comfort of online shopping. This has had a large impact on my business and I have had to shift focus and adapt accordingly. I am a believer that we will always need snowboard and skateboard shops for their sense of community and what they can offer at the ground level. Can Amazon fix a burnt bearing? No. Will Ebay tell you about a powder stash at the hill? No. Can they offer a cold beer, high five and smile at the end of good day? Hell no! But Aspect, Skjersaas, Tactics and Powder House can! I know it’ s not always feasible in today’ s economy, but do what you can to shop local.

4. What was the best, funnest or coolest location for a company national sales meeting? They are all pretty good. Some highlights: I went to an Adio one where Agent Orange was playing in our warehouse and I got to skate with Chris Miller, Tony Hawk and Kenny Anderson. And by“ skate with” I mean when they weren’ t looking I dropped in.. hahah. It is humbling to see guys of that caliber skate up close. I also had an opportunity to go to Austria a few years back for a Ride sales meeting and hang out with some Euros and do the Alps thing. It is a good vibe over there. Sales meeting are most fun mostly because of the people that I get to go with. Reps from other territories are radical people and we are like family, so meeting up once a year is like a family reunion with a ton of good people.

5. As trade shows go, are they as important

as they used to be? Do you miss the shenanigans of Vegas? Is Denver the best place for the industry? National Trade shows are still important but more of a marketing play now than sales. 20 years ago, people wrote their orders at the show. Now with all of the date changes and efficiency of the web, these shows are a big showboat for brands to highlight new product and not really focused on sales. Shenanigans?(“ Hey Farve, what’ s the name of that restaurant you like with all of the goofy shit on the wall and mozzarella sticks?”) I do miss the Vegas“ fun boat” for sure. But my body disagrees and thinks leaving Las Vegas was the best thing ever. It was taxing after 4 days in Vegas with snow-bros. Denver is a good spot but I am seeing more success at regional shows. This is where the real work gets done. If you do get a chance to go to Denver, a visit to the Buckhorn is necessary.

6. What drives you, is it the innovation of the products you sell, the rep lifestyle, or the bigger picture getting people outdoors enjoying their lives? All of the above? A little of all the above. I grew up snowboarding and skateboarding. Once I figured out there was a career there I figured I would do whatever I could to make it happen. I love the flexibility the job provides and there are lots of perks. But at the end of the day, I’ m just stoked to work with really cool people who like to snowboard or live an outdoor active lifestyle. About 95 % of the people I work with I would consider a friend. I think that is a pretty good working environment for me. It is refreshing to work with likeminded people who enjoy and have passion for the same activities you have.

7. Do you think on snow demos are the most effective way to turn people onto your products?

Consumer facing demos can be effective if ran through a shop. Too often I will be doing a demo when Billy comes walking up and sees we are“ demoing” boards. He then calls over his buddy“ Hey Leroy, no need to go to the rental shop, they got boards right here for free!” Then the boards are gone all day and neither Billy or Leroy will ever buy those boards. But if ran in alignment with a retail shop- for sure! It is always good to get wood under foot. Plus it gives a lot of people a chance to try some new boards, especially with all of the new shapes on the market.( WARRRRPIIIGGGG!!!!)

8. What’ s the strangest thing that has happened to you on the road or at a resort( that you can tell us about)? Plenty has happened that really wouldn’ t be suitable for print. However, I did have a strange encounter with a hitchhiker up in the Northern Cascades. I couldn’ t get the Deliverance song out of my head. I literally dropped him off at his trailer where there was a Camaro on cinder blocks. There is more to the story, but let’ s just say I had to change my travel plans. My fault for helping a sketchy hitchhiker.

9. There aren’ t a lot of reps living in Central Oregon. Why did you choose to live here? I spent a lot of time here as a kid. I have fond memories of Bachelor and Bend. As my job morphed into a more of a remote position, options of where to live became more open. My wife had an excellent opportunity here and when she called me to get my opinion, I literally bought a pass that day. She is from Montana and the mountains mean a lot to her. So moving here was about the most perfect option. The beer, people and lifestyle were also deciding factors.

10. If you could rep a beer company in Bend, what brand would it be? OH man... helluva question... Domestic: Miller High life Regional: Deschutes, Immersion or Crux Import: Boddingtons.

11. If you weren’ t a sales rep, what would be your dream job? I have a lot of time on the road and I think about this a lot. I was on the teaching vibe in college so I would probably go to that, high school history.

12. Is being a traveling sales rep a glamorous job? What are some of the upsides and downsides? It is pretty fun. Not sure glamourous is the right word, but it is pretty cool if one can make it work. Upside is I get to work with kick ass people and sell cool products. I get insight and input in to development of products and I like to think I am helping support the industry. Downside, I do have to be on the road a fair amount. IT can put a toll on the family life sometimes. I have learned that it takes a lot of planning and foresight to make it work well.

13. How do you spend your downtime? Where, what and with who do you relax and get away from it all? Well first and foremost I snowboard. If I can’ t snowboard I start getting grumpy. Outside of that, I enjoy my time with my wife and kids. They are pretty cool and they seem to like me. They are my number one priority. Lucky for me, they like to do a lot of the things I like to do so we get along swimmingly.. I also like to ride my motorcycle, homebrew beer and enjoy time with a group of close friends I have here in town. I also love to travel without having to work. A one or two week travel vacation outside of the territory is required every year!