Friday, December 23, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
By Marty Basch
Power tools can be a girl's best friend.
Just ask Suzanne Anderson.
The Jackson, N.H.-raised strawberry blonde moved to Park City, Utah in 2010 for a job that never materialized. Scrambling for work she landed at RAMP Sports, a fledgling ski and snowboard manufacturer, hired to build office furniture for CEO Mike Kilchenstein.
"Whilst using power tools and paint brushes in the warehouse, I could overhear business conversations and quickly learned a lot about the company," she explained. "I informed Mike that I have an international business degree and could also be useful to him doing more than just construction."
Today, Anderson's the Eastern Demo Coordinator for RAMP, traveling among ski areas putting prospective customers on the company's boards.
Jackson Jaunt
Growing up in Jackson, Anderson, 25, raced for the Kennett Nordic Team in junior high before skiing competitively at Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. She attempted to walk on to the University of Denver Nordic squad at college but fell short and traded her skinny skis for fatter boards to ply the front and side country of Colorado's storied Front Range.
At RAMP, she wears many hats and coordinates their East Coast events and promotions like film festivals, urban rail jams, concerts and on-snow demo days. She has a hand in marketing strategy and oversees a group of reps too. Anderson contacts colleges, ski teams, boarding schools and other such organizations to see if their ski-related clubs are looking for sponsors or partners. Additionally, she tries to place RAMP boards in resort ski shops as their "boutique" brand.
RAMP is an acronym for Riders Artists Musicians Project. Their website says they bring expert handmade gear to skiers and snowboarders at factory direct prices.
On The Road Again
Her ski season is busy, filled with lots of miles for days at a time in the demo truck.
"Life on the road is not as thrilling as it used to be for me," she commented. "Most people who knew me would remember me as someone constantly in the car driving to the next job or the next event, up and down the valley, back and forth across the country, and around the world. I thrived on motion and meeting new people."
She now relishes her down time, a routine of home-cooked meals, reading, exercise, peace and tranquility.
But life on the road exposes her to incredible people and opportunity. She meets all industry types from snowmakers to ski shop employees to resort presidents and big fish investors.
"When everyone is bundled up with large hooded coats and goggles, it's hard to know who you're talking to so I always act like I could be talking to the most important person of the day and treat everyone the same," she explained.
Road life requires and instills street smarts, independence, self-reliance and other traits during long days, late nights and ever-changing weather. To pass the time while driving, she listens to Prairie Home Companion re-runs, learning Swedish CDs, and blares Euro-pop at times.
And she's still using power tools. After all, she's also responsible for keeping the demo fleet in top shape by waxing, edging and detuning.