Academy Snowboards’ Founder and President Jeff Baughn has been keeping the dream alive on both ends, running the company since day-1 and continuing to thrash the mountains on the products he creates. No suits-and-ties behind the curtains, Jeff Baughn is a business owner who bleeds snowboarding while trying to give back to the snowboard community. He can also put a 10-consecutive-trick combo together in the skatepark and still surfs and gets barrels. Check back for evidence of both. Pura Vida!
Name:
Jeff “JB” Baughn
Position:
President/Founder/Head Janitor
Resides:
Auburn, California
Where do you ride:
Boreal and Sugar Bowl
What’s your history in the snowboarding industry:
Retail clerk at Skates Plus 1987-1988. Sales Rep for Human Skateboards and Thruster Snowboards 1991-1992. Sales Manager at Plow Snowboarding Mag from 1993-1995, Marketing Director at Random Snowboards where Blotto, Ethan Fortier and MaxJenke were team riders.
What’s your vision for Academy Snowboards:
A Company built around friendships and the love for snowboarding with a focus to “Learn Something NEW” everyday in life on or off the hill. Also a place for our riders to work after they stop their PRO shred careers.
How do you give back to the snowboard community:
Our camps and scholarships help spread the love back to our supporters. So please buy more of our boards so we can give back some more $. We are the Robin Hoods of the snowboarding companies and always try to help out the “underdog”. We also try to do fundraisers for our local snowboard teams and put on contests for the local shreds.
What do you think defines a ‘true’ snowboarding company:
I believe a True company is made of people that have similar goals and aspirations and want to reach that by not stepping on toes and talking trash on another company to build yourself up. Also, a true company stays “TRUE” to their path and does not let GREED determine the direction or worry about people trash talking. We do this because we do what we love and love what we do. We genuinely love snowboarding.
Any goals for the future:
To be the richest man in happiness, and maybe get a company RV that we could road trip with.
Rock Riding at Donnor Ski Ranch
Nosepressing at Sugar Bowl
Handplant wallride at the Auburn Skate Park!
