Last Day of Work

Today marks my last day of work at Black Diamond.  

I started at BD back in the summer of 2009 as an intern in the RnD department while I was still in school.  At the time, I had been building skis from scratch in my garage and I realized that a job designing and building skiing equipment would be way more fun than designing HVAC systems or manufacturing heat exchangers in a company with tens of thousands of employees.  That realization set me free and I focused all my time and energy into getting a job at BD.  My brother was working with Andrew McLean at the time and he was able to give me contact info for a few folks at BD.  I sent dozens and dozens of emails and made a bunch of phone calls before I finally convinced the head of design to join me for lunch one day. I was just a young, dumb kid, bursting with enthusiasm and stuffing my face with a burrito, but I must've done something right because I eventually got my foot in the door.

After college, BD offered me a full time job making next-to-nothing, and I accepted it without a second thought.  I moved from the rolling hills of central PA to the booming metropolis of Salt Lake City and I was in heaven.  Having the Wasatch in my backyard was delightful and I skied every morning I could.  I was surrounded by folks that did the same and my stoke level was high.  I worked in Quality Assurance for a little more than a year, testing skis and boots and living the life I had always dreamed of.  

Eventually, I was offered a role setting up a brand new ski factory in China.  I knew it would mean more time away from home, but I was stoked on the new responsibility and I dove into it with reckless abandon.  It turned out to be a tremendously challenging project, but I had an incredible amount of support from a very talented, hardworking group of engineers and we got the factory up and running by the winter of 12-13.  I learned a ton and grew a lot as a person during that phase of my life and though it was really stressful, I wouldn't trade it for the world.  During that year and a half I lived in China, I was wholly dedicated to my work and because I had little time for play, I was able to save up a lot of money.  

I eventually came back to the states in early 2013 and I worked as a designer/developer for a couple different products.  I enjoyed the work, but it didn't have the same element of responsibility and learning that I had grown accustomed to in China.  I realized that I was at a point within my career where I could either buckle down again and do my best to climb through the ranks, or I could take some time off and go on an adventure for a while.  During my time in China, I had become fascinated with sailing and I decided that's what I wanted to do.  I started some intensive planning and, in October, I gave BD my two and a half months notice.  

I decided to time my departure such that I wouldn't be leaving at a bad time for BD and they would have plenty of time to find a replacement for me.  BD has taught me a tremendous amount over the course of the past five years and I'm really grateful for that.  I'm planning to come back to BD at the end of this adventure (if I don't wreck my boat on some desert island) and I hope that there is a position available for me at that point.  I'll certainly miss this place.