A little over a year ago, I was working in the outdoor industry for a fairly large company. The job had some perks, but it was so massive, the allure faded after 9 long years. One slow day at the office I was browsing through the Touch of Modern newsletter and came across Tentsile. I fell in love with their product immediately!
Along with my nine to five gig, I am a working artist. One major focus of my art is using outdoor materials like tent poles to show the connection between the outdoor industry’s design aspects and its similarities to the history of art. I could go into an art history lesson, but no one wants to read that. To keep it short, I’ve been creating these playful little tent sculptures. I felt a connection was very apparent between my art and Tentsile’s product after browsing the newsletter. So I had to reach out to them. I sent over some images of a public art piece I had just completed; called, The Kiesel Ave. Project. It is located in Ogden, UT. Some begging was involved, but I convinced them to send me a Tentsile so we could collaborate on a new tent design.
After I finished up another project in Park City, UT, I finally had some free time to work on the tent. I reached out to check in about the collaboration and found out that Tentsile was about to open up a location in Ogden. You could imagine my excitement. All I could think about was the opportunity to have a career where I could combine both of my passions; art and the outdoors.
A jolly fella named Syd was trying to find a place to live in Ogden; so I offered up my help. Naturally, I asked if they were hiring and sent over my CV right away. The whole Tentsile team was heading to Utah from London for the Outdoor Retailer show. I was heading to the show anyway, so I made some time and we arranged to meet up. Just after a few minutes of chatting with Alex… a job offer! Before signing on, I had the pleasure of working side by side with both Kirk and Alex modifying a prototype. That pretty much sealed the deal for me. These guys are passionate and treated me as though I was already part of the team/family. So I accepted the job.
Tentsile isn't just another job. It's a small group of passionate, eager and caring individuals that are essentially a family. The people involved care about the welfare of the business, but most importantly each other. I may have only been here for three months thus far, but I feel like I belong and I am part of something bigger. You better put on your shades, because the future is bright for Tentsile and I am just thrilled that I get to be a part of it.
