Q1

How did Ski Pro get started?

A: It was 1980, and I was working in Tempe, where I met my business partner. After two years, I left, and we started Ski Pro in Mesa. We opened three stores within three years. My partner retired in 2020. We’ve been fortunate that we have 10-15 people who have stayed with us between 20 and 30 years. Susan and I work every day and maybe take 10 days off during the year. This is reflective of the state of the ski industry for small business owners – owners have to be present to keep the business going.

Q2

Ski Pro has multiple locations – when did you grow and how best did you scale?  

A: Things come and go and we tried a lot of things through the years. When we started in 1980, there were 11 different ski shops in town and there were distribution agreements which dictated where a shop could be located. There were two major chains that eventually ran themselves into the ground. At Ski Pro, we sell 22 lines of skis, 25 lines of snowboards, and 15 different brands of outerwear. The key is to sell something the customers want, and it has worked out okay.

Sometimes, the younger people working in the store are not 100 percent confident when dealing with customers. Of the 150 employees we have, 80 percent are under the age of 25. If a retailer is hiring a lot of young people, you have to turn up the sensitivity and treat them as equals. I have found that many of my young employees were customers first.

Q3

What’s the best investment you’ve made in technology in the past few years?

A: Internet advertising - we must be able to advertise to people outside of our market. If a retailer has a store, it has to be able to sell on the internet, despite its challenges. There is not much margin in online sales as 10 or 12 ski stores can populate a search and dynamic pricing is going on while the customer is online. Retailers also must get online purchases out the door within 24 hours because customers aren’t patient even if it is months before they need the product. The software and purchase policies make it possible for them to cancel the orders.

Q4

What can we do to get more people skiing? Do you have a lot of first-timers come in, and if so, what do you do to help them have a good first ski experience?

A: First, we have to get people to want to be in the snow. In Phoenix, people are enthralled with the idea of being in the snow!

Retailers should not make assumptions. For example, don’t assume a customer knows how to step into the binding. Consider if they know what it takes to stay warm and dry. Help them decide if they already have something that will work without buying something.