TPM Episode 287: Mike Adams, Industry Legend
The Powell Movement
Mike Powell
4.9 • 860 Ratings
🗓️ 18 July 2022
⏱️ 74 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Mike Adams's legendary 45-year career in snow business has come to an end. I was able to catch up with the man responsible for some of the most iconic products of our time during his last week in the industry. It's a history lesson of the business from the man responsible for bringing the shaped ski to North America. The podcast talks about all things Moog, Molnar, Elan, Salomon, and Atomic. It's another don't miss business episode with a true snow sports legend.
Mike Adams Show Notes:
3:30: Salomon inline skates, his childhood and skiing racing
12:30: Pranks at Holderness; how does he get his Moog and Molnar jobs, Geze, president of Elan and the Montauk sales group
18:15: Stanley: Get 30% off sitewide with the code drinkfast
Peter Glenn Ski and Sports: Over 60 years of getting you out there
10 Barrel Brewery: Buy their beers; they support action sports more than anyone
27:15: Sidecut Extreme, bringing it to the US, the SCX takes over and pitching Salomon on the SCX
31:00: The X-Scream, the Snow-Blade, and the 1080
39:00: Rollerblade: Ski season may be over, but that feeling lasts all year with inline skating
Elan Skis: Over 75 years of innovation that makes you better
40:30: Salomon Snowboards, the Amer purchase, and bringing Atomic back to life
56:00: Overseeing Atomic and Salomon at the same time, new ownership, and going away from a portfolio management system the day Mike leaves
65:00: Inappropriate Questions
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Have a seat on your porcelain throne. |
| 0:02.3 | It's time to talk some shit on the Powell Movement. |
| 0:13.5 | Welcome to the Powell Movement. |
| 0:16.9 | I'm your host, Mike Powell, |
| 0:18.1 | and I'm recording this intro well ahead of the drop of this podcast. As most of you know, I'm out on an Alaskan cruise. While you are listening to this, I should have just arrived back at my house and I will most likely have my first bout with COVID. Hopefully for me, it's not too bad and I don't die. But if I'm dead or dying, which is highly unlikely, I'm leaving |
| 0:38.3 | you with one of my favorite business episodes of all time. I caught up with Mike Adams a week |
| 0:43.0 | before his retirement from the Solomon and Atomic groups. Over Mike's 45-year career in snow |
| 0:48.2 | business, he's been behind some of the most important innovations in skiing, the shape ski being |
| 0:53.1 | the most important. Mike spent his the shape ski being the most important. |
| 0:59.3 | Mike spent his career in leadership positions and the groups he led were always defined by unprecedented growth. From the SEX to the X-Sream to the Bent Chetler and everything in |
| 1:04.9 | between, Mike Adams has made a huge difference in snow, and it was a true honor to have him on |
| 1:09.6 | the show as he was one of the |
| 1:11.1 | first high test executives I had the opportunity to meet very early on in my career. And now I'm |
| 1:16.9 | able to catch him during his last days in the game. Before we get into it, I want to ask you to |
| 1:21.6 | post any episode that you really liked on social media and tag me in it. Whoever has the best |
| 1:26.8 | posts this week will be sent to |
| 1:28.3 | Beanie and something that I get from Alaska and it won't be COVID-infested. I'm looking for ways to |
| 1:33.5 | grow the show and this is one of them having you posts so please do it, especially if you're a |
| 1:38.1 | regular listener that has social media. I mean, I really don't ask for much, but what I do ask you |
| 1:43.3 | every week and I'm going to ask you again, is to support my amazing sponsors. |
| 1:46.9 | And they are Stanley, the 10 Barrel Brewery, Peter Glenn Skiensports, Elon Skies, and Rollerblade. |
| 1:53.0 | Now, let's talk with an industry legend, Mike Adams. |
... |
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