Industry Profile: CMC Student and Intern Cody Clark

Job Title: CMC student/intern
Employer: I have interned for Never Summer Industries and Spacecraft Clothing
Years on snow: 11
Days on snow: 70-80
Currently Riding: 158 Salomon drift and 07-08 union contacts
currently I am: just living the dream

Shay: Tell us a little bit about yourself
Cody: Well my name is Cody Clark, I grew up in Arvada co, right outside of Denver. I go to school in steamboat at CMC getting my ski and snowboard business degree, besides snowboarding I like to fish, longboard, mtn bike and sip “sport sodas” with the friends.

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Shay: How has snowboarding changed your life?
Cody: Well it has definitely made me who I am, it’s just a relaxing lifestyle that revolves around snowboarding that’s why I’m going to school for it!! I would rather have a job that doesn’t have a good pay, and I love, then be making money, but hate every day I work

Shay: How did you get your start in the industry, who or what opened up more opportunities for you?
Cody: Never Summer definitely was the start, I just emailed them one day asking if they had any openings, the next day they offered me an internship, so I worked there the rest of the summer helping around the warehouse!!

And Spacecraft happened threw the ski and snowboard business program at cmc, they all recommended that we all apply for internships with companies for SIA. All my friends heard back within a few weeks, a week before SIA I received a call from Ryan Davis the marketing director for Spacecraft Clothing, he asked if I was still looking for an internship and of course I still was, he gave me a list of things I would do, and where to meet and what day, at a specific time. That’s how spacecraft happened.

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Shay: How has your previous education or work experience helped you in your current job?
Cody: Shoot, I’m still getting my ski and snowboard degree, but internships are where it’s at for me at the moment, I’m gaining so much knowledge and experience, that when I get my degree it shouldn’t be too hard to get a job at either one of the company’s I have interned for or a new company

Shay: Tell us about your role as an intern and a description of the work you do?
Cody: Well as an intern you pretty much do whatever is needed, at Never Summer I helped grip longboards,make longboards complete and help ship them.

At spacecraft I did a lot from setting up the booth, to running to the 16th street mall and buying cases of water, making copies, I was pretty much the runner.

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Shay: What’s an average day like at work for you?
Cody: Well when I was an Never Summer I would get there at 9 in the a.m., we would then grip long boards, I would then run them threw an oven to make the grip “tacky” then we would go back peel the protective film, scrap the edges, pop trucks wheels bearings onto it, put it in a bag there ya go, we would do that most of the time, when it was slow I would help with whatever someone was behind in, putting warranty stickers on snowboards etc…

At Spacecraft It started two days before SIA started, I went at 8:30 at night and met Ryan Davis, Kevin O Brien, and Aaron Manganero, and I then helped set the booth up, the next day I went in around 10 a.m. Helped with the specific things, putting product in a cubby, cleaning,the small details,the first day of SIA showed up at 8:30 a.m. sharp and so it began, 4 days of running and getting water,copy’s of brochures and sales forms,helping set appointments at the booth,going around in the Bunny head,looking at other booths and seeing what was innovative, then the last day tearing the booth back down,it was a lot of running around and hard work, but it was the most fun week of my life!!

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Shay: What are some memorable experiences from working in the industry?
Cody: Well at Never Summer there was a lot, from working in one of the few U.S. made snowboard companies, Meeting Donny, and Jose who are good friends I made, getting hooked up through Skullcandy at warped tour.I met a lot of great people threw Never Summer.

At Spacecraft, jeez SIA you can only put into so many words, you just kind of have to be there, But the most memorable part was just meeting all the different people, and at one point i went back to the spacecraft booth and ryan was standing there talking to david, better known as DCP and ryan introduced us to each other and we all just chatted away.  That was a truly awesome moment.

Shay: What do you think are the biggest challenges that the snowboard industry faces and what changes would you like to see for the future?
Cody: I think that the biggest challenge for snowboarding ahead will be progression. The tricks are already so crazy that I feel the way it will be you either land the trick, or you die.  It’s ridiculous the stuff that is going down now, I can’t even imagine how’s it’s going to be in ten years.

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Shay: Educations vs. Experience…which do you think is more important?
Cody: Hmmmm I feel like you should have a good education, but when it comes down to it experience is more important.  It also depends on what aspect of the company you want to be involved with, like you don’t want an accountant that has never done accounting before ya know?

Shay: What advice would you give to people wanting to work in the industry?
Cody: Just put yourself out there, being an intern isn’t a glamorous job, but if you show that you will do what it takes, you move your way up the “ladder” you got to work hard and just be friendly and patient and you will be in the mix of it before you know it!!