Donald Trump is a burden

Donna Carpenter, 55, sits in a great mood in her chair. Because it is a good Winter in Europe. Finland, Switzerland, Bavaria – wherever she goes in these weeks, is a lot of snow. Since the beginning of the year she lives with her husband Jake Burton Carpenter in Zurich. On new year’s day in 1981, the two had met in a Bar in the South of Vermont, in 1983 they were married. Jake Carpenter has invented the Snowboard in 1977 in a barn in the company Burton founded. Donna Carpenter is a rose, worked initially in production. Today, Burton is the world market leader and has worldwide more than 1000 employees. The company is one hundred percent Jake and Donna Carpenter, both are still avid Snowboarder. As her husband Jake in 2016 ill be very difficult, took over Donna Carpenter Chairman of the Board.

Mrs. Carpenter, her husband Jake and they moved to Switzerland, their company has its headquarters in the United States. They are fleeing from Donald Trump?
Donna Carpenter: Yes, Donald Trump is a burden. We are only drawn once a year to Europe, we’re now living in Zurich and traveling a lot. Burton is a global company with headquarters in the United States, but we must not be too centered on the United States. Europe has recently lost, we want to get back to the business.

Trump somehow does not fit to a company like Burton, which has loose snowboarders as a customer. You have made even a private Anti-Trump-Snowboard, with a special imprint.
(laughs) that’s Right, and we have saved money for the non-profit environmental organization “Protect our winters”. But I think Donald Trump is somehow a gift from God.

A gift?
His election to the presidency has woken us up. The “Me too”movement against the sexual harassment of women would not have become without Donald Trump, so great, the debate on the privacy or civil rights has won, therefore, travel. If we are to survive Donald Trump, we will be in better shape.

And? Survive the United States of Trump?
An important Banker once told me, we can survive four years of Trump, but not eight years. And I don’t think he will get a second term, there are many good presidential candidates. Many in the United States, meanwhile, have also recognized how racist and sexist our country is. Only Donald Trump has made us the clear.

“America first” policy Trumps, it is good for US companies.
no, this is not good. There is the globalization, whether we like it or not, and it is too late to change the rules, you can’t turn the time back. We no longer produce in the USA, but worldwide, our largest factory is in Austria.

Now that you are here, what is the difference between Europe and the USA?
We have already used once, from 1985 to 1990, in Innsbruck, Austria. Here, everything is slower, lighter, and more sustainable. Sometimes it feels as if the USA were a Teenager, and Europe is already grown up.

If it is in the Winter, in the Alps, you can’t have the impression, that Snowboards are in fashion?
But. I even have new energy for this sport, which is currently primarily in the US and in Asia. But clearly, the market is more Mature, in the 90s, we grew by hundreds of percent in a year. But there are still a lot of room. I’m not retired, if 50 percent of all winter athletes snowboarders.

This will take a long time.
Well, in the USA, we are already 35 percent, in Finland or Sweden, at 40 per cent. In Japan and Korea, the snowboarders are already in the majority. But clear: In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the percentage is much lower.

And even tend to decline. Why?
In the 80s and 90s all Snowboards have loved. We have somehow lost the contact to our Fans, we need to convince you that you inspire your families from this Sport. 20 or 30 years ago, the cool kids went to the snowboarding, other skiing. Today it is different: There are a Freerider, there are snow parks, the young people jump with the skis – but they have the same setting as in the time of the Snowboarder. You can also buy all our jumpers, hats, T-Shirts, Jackets. We bring Lifestyle to the people.

you Will expand sometime in the Skiing?
no, we make Snowboards that this is also the philosophy of Jake. Of course, is right: Either you grow or you die standing Still is not an Option. You need a promise for the future. We have therefore made mistakes, we are Surfing many years ago in the areas of Skateboarding is expanding, have bought many companies and had no success. At the end we had 13 brands. When I was twelve years ago, Madam President, we have given up everything and re-focused.

Burton invented the Snowboard, which has given the entire industry a boost. When is the next big thing?
Well, the ski industry is generally not very innovative. It was like that when we 1977 and founded our company. Even then, there was no passion any more, the people wore suits and looked at your tables of Figures, it was about the money and stocks. And so the last of the innovations came primarily from our Segment, some of the Skis look almost like Snowboards.

What’s next for you?
We have developed a completely new binding, in which the Snowboarder to quickly and very easily can get on. We want to make it easier and more people for this Sport inspire. The skiers don’t have to wait for the snowboarders to have a seat.

How to be more attractive for young customers?
We are very focused on female customers, we have many female leaders, and develop their own products. If you are for women and mothers to be attractive, that’s good. Because the “Moms” decide where they are on holiday. There have been successes: In the US, more children to learn snowboarding than skiing, for the first Time ever.

This will not happen, for example, in Austria, Germany or Switzerland, the skiers countries.
We are fighting against this traditional Alpine-mentality. There is a lack of Snowboard schools. We need to be close to our customers, the contact to the people out there not to lose. My husband Jake is a hundred days in the year on the slopes, I’ll get it in about seventy days.

What is your major market?
all are equally important, our global market share of 50 percent is close. The fastest way to China but grows, there will be up to the Olympic winter games in 2022 in Beijing 300 million winter sports enthusiasts, many of which are snowboarders. We are currently working on a joint venture with a Chinese Partner.

three years Ago, her husband suddenly fell ill with difficult auto-immune disease, in the meantime, he will be well again. That was a turning point?
those were dark times. But we have noticed how happy we actually are, and that Burton is a big family. Indeed, it is easy to be a family, if all goes well. But in hard times you realize what an incredible community we are.

what’s next?
We are the first people to grow old with this Sport. Someone had referred to me as a grandmother of Snowboarding. But this is no Old-people Sport, I hope to grace. (laughs)

you have three sons. Will take on Burton at some point?
I know That, but I hope it of course. Two of studying in California, taught in Peru. If you start a company like Burton, they make up for the first time about the future no thought, now this is different. We certainly do not want to sell or go public. To have a private company, is a big advantage, we can long-term and sustainable investing.

Many sporting goods companies belong to large groups. Can you compete with that?
We are the largest Snowboard company in the world. We remain independent, we never had long-term debt. Burton actually need no banks. We have our own culture and invest where we want, and we have no pressure through the quarter. If we had a bad year, do we just continue.

How important is it to make mistakes?
This is very important, because the only way to learn. Of course, sometimes it’s not cheap, but very expensive – ouch! But we were often pioneers in our field, therefore we have been forgiven.

What is your next big error?
Good question, no idea. (Editorial Tamedia)

Created: 24.02.2019, 20:19 PM