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 !