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| GARY WINBERG // |
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I came into this world on May 15th, 1974. Born and bred in my favorite city of Seattle, Washington. Growing up I was into sports and being social more than being an academic. I went hiking, played soccer, skied as much as humanly possible, joined clubs like Cub Scouts and Marketing Club, and just enjoyed my youth. Good friends, family, and sports were what life was all about.
My parents are very supportive and active themselves. My Dad is a competitive sailor and my Mom goes hiking or cross-country skiing every week. They exercise regularly which inspires me to try and keep up. Both were big downhill skiers when they were younger and thankfully got me started at a young age.
When it was time for college, I ended up getting out of Seattle and attending Montana State University. Bridger Bowl was 15 minutes from campus and Big Sky was 45 minutes away. My cousin Karl was running the National Avalanche Forecast Service out of Bozeman, so I figured between the three, I could ski a whole lot while getting an education. They even offered avalanche safety and skiing classes for core credit.
In the beginning I was taken back by the social scene and cruising Main Street to pick up chicks. I thought that only happened in old movies. This drove me to the Greek System and joining the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. The Greek System in backwoods Bozeman was much different from what I had experienced rushing at the University of Washington. It had a much more diverse group of people. Here I had a great time making life long friends as well as learning some leadership qualities as Social Chairman for two terms, then Vice President, and as a member of the 'silent six'.
In school I excelled in business courses and struggled in the core curriculum. I went so far as to join the Marketing Club where we did market research for local area businesses and put on a few music concerts. Then in my final year, I joined Advertising Club for one of my most beneficial learning experiences. We put on a boxing event to raise money for the National Advertising Competition. The competition is where a group of students do an Integrated Marketing Campaign for a corporate sponsor. Our project was to launch the Toyota Echo to the marketplace. It was extremely beneficial to apply all my marketing education to one project and work with fellow students in the business and graphic arts department.
Finally after six years of skiing, clubs, and getting an education it was time to find a career. I moved back to Seattle and as luck would have it, found my dream job. I got hired at Helly Hansen where a good friend of mine designed the winter apparel. It was fun and fulfilling to market what he was creating. I was fortunate enough to work my way up within the company to an International level and have amazing mentors along the way.
I was doing exactly what I learned about in college. I was creating integrated marketing campaigns and watching them executed on a global level. All at the same time getting to meet and become friends with the people I idolized. I traveled around the world on ski and snowboard photo shoots, worked with professional photographers, got to go helicopter skiing in Alaska, went on film tours, met rock stars, and in turn started to feel like a rock star. My parents thought it was funny that I got paid to travel around the world, put on events, party, and go skiing. It was almost like I was bred for the job.
I learned the most during my last three years working at Helly Hansen. I had the best boss and mentor anyone could wish for, I got to work with an incredible agency with amazingly creative people at Cinco Design, I produced two movies, and had the opportunity to assist in re-branding a global company.
I learned the importance of being passionate about ones' work, being respectful of different cultures, and that people are the most important element in business and life. I also learned that the most important personal characteristic to have is integrity. Do what you say you will and stand by your word. Much of the success I experienced at Helly Hansen I have to attribute to being surrounded by great people. The time I spent at Helly Hansen was some of the best years of my life.
I left this great career and lifestyle in the beginning of June to spend more time in Seattle and try to reconnect with old friends. Although Helly Hansen was a great job, it became more than that, it was my life. That's why this 'About' page is mostly about working. I needed to find a little more balance. This summer I've been taking a little time off to recharge the batteries, get back in shape, and decide the next steps of my life. I'm now ready to start the next chapter and am excited to see what comes next.
As I'm getting older I'm starting to enjoy new things. I'm a huge fan of all music but country. I'm into art, photography, and kind of a graphic design geek even though I'm not a graphic designer. I'm still playing soccer, skiing as much as possible, wakeboarding, mountain biking, running, and now doing yoga and pilates. One thing I will never get tired of doing is entertaining. I love to throw events and parties. It's just too much fun.
My life so far has turned out better than I ever could have dreamt. I have to state none of it would have been possible if my parents were not as supportive as they have been. They are an inspiration and lesson in tolerance, hope, and patience. Above all else, I hope to make them proud.
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