Job Title
Sole Technology Institute (STI) Laboratory Manager.
Hometown
Newport Beach, California.
Education
B.S. in Engineering Science from Iowa State University (1996-2000).
M.S. in Exercise Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2000-2003).
Background
Founding member of the Sole Technology Institute in 2003 along with Scott Cox, John Hagy and Ned Frederick. While I was in grad school, I worked on a number of biomechanical and physical testing projects for New Balance, Timberland, Foot Joy, AND1, Saucony and the United States Army.
Job description
I oversee the day-to-day operations of the STI Lab, which means I have to keep track of all the biomechanical, physical, fit and wear testing projects going on and then convey those results to our designers and developers. Luckily, I have a good staff that helps me out with that. I also interact with our consultants and keep tabs on their work, as well. Then there are the little things like balancing budgets, contacting vendors and suppliers of some of the testing machines we use, working with the other departments here at Sole Technology to keep them informed on the progress the Lab is making, conducting interviews with TV, film, and print media, etc...
What have you accomplished at the Sole Technology Institute so far?
One of our biggest accomplishments and success stories on the technology side has been System G2™ and related products System G2O2™ and System G2 Full Impact™. I read some of the blogs and message boards and hear from our team riders all the time about how much they love it because it actually helps prevent heel bruising. The fact that it is the first patented cushioning system in the action sports industry is also really cool. We’ve also heard a lot of positive feedback with our STI Foam™ insoles and how they’ve made our shoes a lot more comfortable.
On the biomechanical research side of things, we keep learning and finding out new things all the time, and our research is starting to be recognized and embraced on an international level by top scientists around the world. In 2006, I was invited to give a talk at the World Congress of Biomechanics in Munich, Germany, which was a huge honor. Another accomplishment was the research paper we published in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics, which was the first skateboarding scientific sports research paper published in over 20 years! We’ve also had a few big-name media outlets take notice of our work, with stories on the Lab showing up in Wired magazine and on the Discovery Channel.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
We’re just at the tip of the iceberg with what we’ve been doing since the start of the Lab in 2003. Other companies started studying the biomechanics of sports like running and basketball in the late-’70s and continue even today, so we’ve still got a lot to learn and a lot of work to do for action sports. We’re always striving to make the best skateboarding shoes and snowboarding boots possible. We’ve made some good progress in some areas, but there is more work to be done concerning durability, ankle stability, fit, flexibility, weight, etc.
What do you like about working at the Sole Technology Institute?
The freedom and the people. We use our own discretion as far as what we study, so in a lot of ways, it’s like we always have a blank canvas to work with. We have some bright people here in the Lab, too, so it’s cool bouncing ideas off each other and testing out and trying new solutions. As a whole, the company is really fun to work for. There are a lot of young and talented people here. It’s not like other footwear companies where things are corporate and formal. It’s nice coming to work in shorts, a t-shirt and sandals.
Do you participate in any action sports?
I can skateboard from point A to B pretty well, and Sole Technology owner Pierre André has me working on my Ollies. I just started snowboarding, too, after pretty much skiing my whole life.
What do you enjoy doing in your time off?
Resting and relaxing with friends on the beach is always fun. I love to travel a lot and experience new and different things, too. Luckily, I get to travel to some cool places with work. I also play ice hockey and softball a couple of times a week to keep active. I’m really into live music, so I’ll hit a lot of shows when I get the chance.
Do you have any personal future goals?
Just to keep growing and learning, both personally and with work. I’d love to grow into an upper management position in the footwear industry 10-20 years down the road.
