Job Title
STI Assistant Lab Manager.
Hometown
Las Vegas, Nevada (pronounced ne-VADD-a, not ne-VODD-a).
Education
High school diploma with two years of college (including art school) and 22 years on “board”–skateboarding and 15 years of snowboarding, also.
Background
Eight-plus years working in the skateboard and snowboard industry, doing in-house sales / customer service / credit, as well as involvement with R&D for the testing of hardgoods equipment like boards, trucks, bearings, griptape, helmets, etc. And it all started from doing shipping and receiving in a skate shop!
Job description
Assisting with any and all biomechanics testing, including participating as an actual test subject when needed. Conducting the physical testing for all of our footwear and the materials used to make them to verify they’ll hold up to the everyday rigors they’re put through, as well as test new materials for use. Managing the wear-testing of shoes (including sandals and snowboard boots) to validate their quality or evaluate any new technologies we’re working on, and overseeing the fit-testing of our footwear to make the best and most comfortable fitting shoes in the industry.
What have you accomplished at the Sole Technology Institute so far?
Testing, evaluating and qualifying the different STI technologies that have come to market in our footwear, including the new STI Foam™insoles, the full-length System G2 Full Impact™ for complete protection of one’s feet, the latest incarnation of System G2O2™, which is being used in Andrew Reynolds’ latest Emerica pro model shoe, The Boss, and the System Flo2™ breathable tongue, which is currently featured in Rick McCrank’s latest éS pro model shoe, The Norton. In addition, I’ve helped to film, narrate and assist in the making of the STI Tech DVDs for our sales staff and our retail accounts and customers to help “sell the tech!”.
What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
To give the retailers and consumers a better understanding of what it is we do here in the STI Lab and how it will benefit all skateboarders and snowboarders who use our footwear, as well as encourage our team riders to use the technologies we’ve tested and approved, as it will only benefit them in the long run.
