BallOfSpray Interview - Adam Cord (Marketing Manager @ O’BRIEN)

[Horton]

Adam Cord is the Marketing Manager at O’Brien so if you have ever had questions about the inner workings of the water ski industry go ahead and ask. I happen to know that Adam is an engineer so if you have questions about ski design or manufacturing are great also. 

I want you guys to drive these interviews so get me some good questions.

 

Just a reminder. We are going to collect a bunch of questions here and then I will conduct the actual interview off line.

 

[Director Darwin]

1..Would O'Brien consider sponsoring some 34mph Big Dawg skiers as opposed to/in addition to professional skiers?  Or, would O'Brien consider putting product with specific 34mph skiers at a discount to get their product greater exposure with that group of skiers?

2.  How does input from their sponsored skiers eventually find its way into the designs of their skis?  How do competitive products affect their design- are they analyzed and tested by O'brien personnel / skiers?

[skidawg]

I second the thought on the 34mph, we purchase the most skis, accessories, boats, etc.  I second joes first question

[DaveD]

Is RTM going to be used more often for making skis?

Does the RTM process produce a more consistent, better quality ski?

[disland]

Do you view the high end ski market as a profitable segment. Or do you use the high end to create a brand to sell more of the low end high volume higher margin equipment.

 How do you view the introduction of the Warp 8. Obviously at $3000 they have set a whole new price point. Is there really more to gain by going to top end materials and construction, or is it a gimic?

[HO 410]

Does resin transfer molding yield a significant reduction in the amount of rejected skis that must be scrapped? Would that decease in waste eventually bring down the price of the product?

(and the one question that I would never expect to be answered)

What is the material of a Sixaam or Elite?

[Thomas Wayne]

Why in the world would you ever ask a question that you didn't expect to be answered?

Oh, wait... I think I know.   My first wife was hard of hearing, so every night I'd ask: "So do you wanna go to sleep, or what...?

And she'd say: "What?" 

http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n293/ThomasWayne_2006/EarHorn.jpg

 

TW 

[Horton]

Ok TW,

Fair comment but cut me some slack. We are going to gather questions, I am going to edit, add some of my own and see what we get. Some questions may not get answered but across the intervews I hope to extract some answers that are unexpected.

This thread is about the Adam Cord interview. I will delete the future comments about the interview process. Feel free to talk about it in the thread titled  BallOfSpray Interviews http://ballofspray.com/vanillaforum/comments.php?DiscussionID=806&page=1#Item_10

I am trying to do something interesting here .... Ask MS.... I will delete . . . .

[Old MS Accout]

Obama made it all the way to the highest office without being asked questions you wouldnt expect answered but should be asked anyway.

[Horton]

Adam wrote a darn book! take a look. go to the new site www.BallOfSpray.com