TPM Episode 122: Joel Gomez, Sessions Founder
The Powell Movement
Mike Powell
4.8 • 824 Ratings
🗓️ 20 May 2019
⏱️ 60 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Joel Gomez opened the first snowboard shop in the US when Sessions opened it's doors in Sunnyvale, CA in 1983. The shop spawned an outerwear line, a record label, and the careers of some of the most influential athletes in the action sports space. On the podcast he takes us through the history of Sessions, the legendary talent that happens to be his friends and what he is up to now. The show closes out with some 'Inappropriate Questions' with Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament.
Joel Gomez Show Notes:
1:30: Putting on his first show with Willie Nelson
3:30: Moving a lot and younger life, becoming a product of Santa Cruz, and sports
6:00: Image, skateboarding, and college
9:30: Music, Caballero shows him snowboarding, and Tom Simms
17 :00: Starting Sessions Snowboard Shop, raising money for the shop, and
20:30: Stanley: Get 30% off site wide with the code powell30
Evo: The best online experience in action sports with retail to back it up
RESQWATER (enter the code resqwatertpm for a 20% discount on a 12 pack)
23:00: Working at Sears, growing the shop, and mail order
28:00: Maximizing dollars, Sessions Clothing happens, and athletes
35:00: Getting heat for putting skiers on Sessions,
38:15: Spy Optic: Get 20% off on their site Spyoptic.com using the code TPM20
10 Barrel Brewery: Buy their beers, they support action sports more than anyone
39:45: Sessions records, Sessions firsts, and athlete loyalty
46:00: The financial crisis force forces with Samsung, getting out of that deal, and selling Sessions
53:00 : Inappropriate Questions with Jeff Ament
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Look no further. |
| 0:01.7 | This is the Powell Movement. |
| 0:11.5 | Welcome to the Powell Movement. |
| 0:14.7 | I'm your host, Mike Powell, |
| 0:16.5 | and this week my guest on the show is the guy who started the first snowboard shop in the United States. |
| 0:22.5 | But more importantly, he started a movement around skate, snow, and music in the Bay Area and took that thing globally. |
| 0:29.8 | I'm talking about Joel Gomez, the founder of Sessions Clothing and Session's Snowboard Shop. |
| 0:35.4 | And man, this is an interesting business podcast. |
| 0:38.6 | It's a story about a punk rock dude who had a vision for a life that would revolve around his passions, and he made it happen. |
| 0:45.5 | Along the way, he's become tight with music and sports royalty, and he stayed true to what he's always been about. |
| 0:51.9 | Before I get into the show, I want to ask you to follow me on Instagram at the Powell |
| 0:56.4 | Movement, tell your friends about the show, and use the codes and the sponsor ads to save |
| 1:01.4 | some money on things that you're already going to buy. |
| 1:04.3 | And while I'm at it, I also need to thank those sponsors. |
| 1:07.0 | They are Evo, Rescue Water, Stanley, Spy Optic, and the 10 Barrel Brewery. |
| 1:13.1 | Now, let's talk to Joel Gomez. |
| 1:17.1 | Hello there. |
| 1:18.6 | How's it going, man? |
| 1:20.0 | It's going well. |
| 1:21.2 | I can't complain, to be honest. |
| 1:23.5 | We were going to do this last week, but it sounded like you had something going on with Willie Nelson. And anytime someone says they have something going on with Willie Nelson, |
| 1:31.2 | which is never in my life, it's totally cool to reschedule. |
... |
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