When companies reshuffle their athlete rosters, the rumor mill inevitably begins turning.
Newschoolers: What was the state of 4FRNT when you bought the company?
JLev:4FRNT was out of business.
Basically, it had maxed out its potential… it was running out of money and it wasnt profitable.
It wouldnt have been able to continue on as it was financially.
Basically, it would have gone out of business.
This is just the reality of a small company being ahead of its time.
You lose a ton of money.
Then you get investors, and people to loan you money.
Next thing you know, youre in a pretty big hole 15 years later.
Its just a numbers thing.
Accessibility is something that 4FRNT has always stood strongly behind, getting more access to more terrain for example.
you’re able to buy two pairs of skis for $1,000 instead of one pair.
So, just access to more progressive and more product, and the skis you want.
Were passing the savings on to the customers.
Were skiers, for skiers, by skiers.
NS: Kye Petersen and Wiley Miller are no longer skiing for 4FRNT, correct?
Tell us about that.
[Kye Petersens and Wiley Millers] contracts ended.
We continue to work with [Hoji] in incredible detail.
Ive never seen a company work so hand-in-hand [with a skier].
Sometimes hes literally in the White Room building his own prototypes.
We have Thayne Rich, whos just really next-generation, throwing tricks in the backcountry.
Thayne is the guy who builds all of the White Room skis in the summer.
In the winter hes out there skiing.
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/885780/Keeping-up-with-Hoji
If you go on the website… We havent even gotten deep yet.
You know how I do things.
And we havent even had a chance to put out all of the content.
Thats been a big challenge with 4FRNT, just telling the story.
That is something Im going to be doing more now than ever before.
So you understand what really goes on behind the scenes.
Once you see that, Its pretty mind-blowing, for myself as well.
You dont see athletes that integrated into the process.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BXta8I7lmJA/?taken-by=4frnt_skis
NS: What will the 4FRNT team look like going forward?
JLev:Are we going to have as many athletes that are the same athletes?
Athletes are definitely the heart and soul of this brand.
They always have been, and always will be.
They may be different athletes than youve seen the last 10 years, but everything changes.
You have to change.
If it was working perfectly, then we wouldnt be having this call.
You have to give me a little time.
I only bought the company four months ago.
Its actually considered impossible.
If it couldve been done, it would have.
Were going to be supporting more athletes.
Theyre not Kye [Petersen], but they’re very relatable.
Its not going to be like oh my god, did you see that trick?
Everyone else is in that game.
Thats not what 4FRNT is about.
You feel like you were there with them.
Thats where were going.
Thats a direction more in tune with… who 4FRNT customers are today.
Today’s 4FRNT customer isnt looking to go to the X Games.
Its just a different strategy, and thats what it is.
The position of the brand stays more true.
Walk the talk, thats who [Sterbenz] is.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZnDaPMhfUX/?taken-by=mattsterbenz
NS: What is Matt Sterbenzs role now and moving forward?
JLev:[Sterbenz] is the brains behind all of the product, thats for sure.
He works in the White Room out in Utah.
Him and Thayne develop new prototypes.
[Sterbenz] is also heavily involved in all of our branding and marketing messaging.
The whole strategy behind the brand.
He works with the factories to build the product to check that it gets here.
No [hes not going anywhere], theres just too much to do.
Im not going to just suddenly do it all.
What Im good at, Im going to do.
What hes good at, hes going to do.
If neither of us are good at it, someone else is going to do it.
Everyone chips in and does what they do best.
We have other people here in Burlington working on the brand.
