Have you ever been curious about what it’s like behind the scenes at one of your favorite companies? As a content writing intern I spend most of my day sitting at my desk in front of a computer screen reading and researching descriptions about products and brands. I can only learn so much about a product and the mission statement behind the brand from reading catalogs and browsing dealer websites; the opportunity for interface with the product–getting to touch, feel and maybe even sneak a little whiff–is unfortunately a bit more rare. The opportunity to not only be in the same room with the product but to also discuss the ideas and goals with the people behind our favorite brands is a rewarding and intriguing experience that every evo employee looks forward to. Lucky for us there are so many industries located here in Seattle and the greater Pacific Northwest that these opportunities can start to surface more. One such company in particular is K2 sports, with its headquarters subtly tucked away amongst the warehouses and freight cars in our very own SODO.
On August 4th evo’s team of content interns (yours truly included) embarked on a much-anticipated field trip to K2 headquarters. The trip downtown to 6th Avenue S took a little longer than we anticipated (no names will be mentioned to take the blame for poor navigation skills) but we finally arrived and were promptly greeted by our host, Erin Forest. After signing in, we walked in and were hit with a brick wall of awesomeness. Just the artwork on the walls was enough to captivate us. From creative vintage K2 posters to seriously unique photos of Glen Plake on the hood of a car arms stretched out to embrace the oncoming desert, from the brightest and most extravagant skis, boards, bindings, inline skates (yes, K2 makes inline skates) to huge posters of gigantic mountains with one tiny rider pulling a mind-blowing line, the decorations alone made our trip exciting. Every employee in customer service, production, and graphic design had amazing cubicles and offices artfully littered with swag, and they even had an epic little private bar for afternoon drinks. However, once we set foot in the warehouse area and had all the machines explained to us, I think I saw everyone go a little weak in the knees. It was almost straight out of an episode of “How It’s Made.” K2 moved its primary production off of Vashon Island in site to China in 2001 so all the machines here in Seattle are used to make prototypes, or maybe just for the occasional moment where one employee decides that he or she’d like to play around and design a new ski.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to snap very many photos of the technology in the warehouse due to the lack of patents on some their machines, and we are not about to let any of K2’s ski and board construction and manufacturing secrets out. That also means I can’t divulge any of the technical information we learned, but we can assure you that the folks over at K2 are working hard to bring you high performance equipment, eye-popping graphics, and should you find yourself in the position to work for them, a fun, friendly, and enthusiastic team of people committed to K2 and the passion and innovation behind winter sports. And we did get a few shots to give you a bare-minimum look at what we got to see, as well as a shot of their sweet sunglasses-clad ski boot car from the Red Bull Soap Box Derby held right here in Fremont. Thanks to everyone at K2 for the awesome and informative tour. Keep up the good work and pray for snow this coming season!
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The post Behind the scenes @ K2’s headquarters | the interns take a field trip appeared first on evo Culture, Community, Cause.
