The concept behind the "Employee of the Week" idea was pretty straightforward; there are tons of great people in the BMX industry who kill themselves year in and year out with little to no recognition, so we're giving them the spotlight. Case in point; the ABA's Shannon Gillette. Shannon's been involved in the BMX racing scene for probably a good 25 years now and is one of the lucky few who's gotten to live his dream because of it. Spend five minutes talking with the guy and you'll quickly find out that he's as passionate about BMX and the direction it's headed in as anyone. We got Shannon to fill us in on his background and explain a bit about what it's like working for the ABA.
How did you get hooked up with the ABA and how long have you been there?
Well let's see...I've been at ABA now about nine years. I am/was a long time racer and got to know a lot of the ABA staff over the years. I remember when Clayton use to sell Goldline Gear and was a first turn official. Anyway, I had heard there was a few opening at the ABA offices. I gave Clayton a call and told him I was planning on moving to Phoenix, AZ. anyway. One thing led to another and I was hired on. The rest is history.
This is the guy in charge of the ABA's advertising and sponsorship... Be afraid...be very afraid... |
What's it like working there? For instance, does everybody have a say in how things run? Working at ABA is awesome! I get to meet a lot of great people, and do a lot of new and exciting things. All my friends from High School think I have the coolest job ever because I get to do something I did growing up. I have to admit, I feel the same way; I'm very lucky to be where I am. Clayton still calls all the shots, but he seems to ask our opinion of things a lot more the last few years. He takes our .02 into consideration and makes his decisions from there.
Do you remember your first day there? If so, what did you do?
I definitelyu remember my first day. It was quite an experience. I had no idea that much actually went on at the ABA office. I was pretty blown away!
What's your "official title?"
Most people call me an all around cool guy. But, my main focus is Advertising/Sponsorship.
Have you always held that title or did you start doing something different?
Yeah, I've always been a cool guy. Oh, you mean at the office. I started out running the shipping, recieving, and the warehouse. That was a lot of fun. Then I was moved to track directors department. Threw all my years of racing I had gotten to know a lot of different track opertors all over the country. It was definately a great experience to get to work with the track operators at this level. Then I started helping out in a few other areas. Like setting up at the nationals and helping build the tracks. I guess they noticed I seemed to mesh well with a lot of the "industry types". They gave me a shot and I took the ball and ran with it. I haven't looked back since. It's been great!
What are you responsible for?
I hope you have enough space on your server for this one. In the ABA office my main focus is dealing with ABA's sponsors and advertisers. Sounds pretty easy, but a lot goes into dealing with those guys. It's takes alot of phone and email work to get all those guys handled. I pretty much live on my cell phone. I take care of all the awards that come from ABA. District, NAG, State, ROC, RLC plates, jackets, backbacks, NAG 5 prizes, Pro prizes. All that kinda stuff. I also deal with all the vendors and scheduling them for the events. I do website up dates. By the way, be sure to check our new version of ababmx.com we just launched. I think everybody will really like it. There are lot's of other things I do but I won't bore you with all that.
At the ABA Nationals I attend. I deal with the sponsors, vendors, manufacturers, and teams. I do all the set-up for those guys. I say who goes where and how big their display is. That can be a little hectic at times, but all in all everybody is great to work with. I also deal with them all weekend to make sure things are going smooth. It also gives me a chance to talk with them and put some potential deals together. I also handled the placing of banners around the track. I make sure all the sponsors are getting there plugs and are being seen by all the people at the event. I can do pretty much every aspect of our events and often fill where needed at the events. Like I said earlier, everybody wears ten hats.
How much imput do you have on the magazine?
I'm in charge of the ads. Dan Mooney is the man when it comes to the BMXer mag. I help every once in a while with a special little story here and there. I also have done a couple of bike test. I might add a comment or two about something, but for the most part it's all Dan and Cheryl putting that one together.
Any formal education for what you're doing now? If so, has it helped?
I went to the school of hard knocks. Does that count? But seriously, I never went to college. I was that little kid that dreamed of working in the BMX industry. I worked hard and had some opportunities open up for me. I've tried to make the best of them.
Tell us a little about some of people working there - who's the most outgoing? Who slacks the hardest? Who's most likely to have a triple bypass?
Wow! Excellent question. I think a lot of people have a preconceived idea of everybody at ABA. I think we are actually a lot different than what people think. I'll just touch on a few things people might not know about us:
Bill Morris and Dan Mooney are excellent wakeboarders. Bill has a nice boat so we get to go a lot on our days off.
Cheryl has been at ABA for 22 years, She's our art director. Cheryl never really gets a lot of credit for the things she does. Pretty much everything that comes out of ABA is a product of Cheryl.
I'm into hotrod cars. I have a sweeeet '64 El Camino that rips! I ride a lot of motocross. And I'm a huge motocross/bmx history buff. I also still ride on a weekly basis out at Chandler BMX.
John David is an excellent motocross rider/racer. I guess growing up as Kevin Windam's best friend doesn't hurt.
Brad Hallin is our computer wiz. He also races stock cars on a pretty regular basis. One thing I can say about Mr. Hallin is this. He is one of the most competitive people I have ever met. No matter what we are doing Brad is 110%. Brad's motto is rubbin' is racin'.
Our newest employee is Bill Curtin. He owns vintagebmx.com. He's also a walking talking BMX encyclopedia! Ask him a question about anything back in the day and I can guarantee he knows the answer. He kinda like Cliff Claven on CHEERS. He always seems to know a little bit about everything.
B.A. Anderson is one of the funniest guys you will ever meet. He keeps everybody rolling at the ABA office. B.A. is a great guy.
Clayton is the kinda guy you could talk to for hours. He's way into sports. He spends all his free time with his family and grand kids. I have all the respect in the world for Clayton. He wouldn't ask us to do anything he wouldn't do himself. Clayton is a first class guy.
Name some of the benefits about working there (good benefits? 401K? free entry fees?)
We do have good benifits and an excellent 401K. And there is always the hook up on the entry fees if we want to hit the circuit. They treat us pretty well.
What are the best/worst things about working there?
I would say the best things are the people I get to meet and work with. The friendships you build. The worst would be all the haters that are out there trying to tear the sport down.
Rate Clayton John as a boss on a scale of 1-to-10.
I would give him a 9.
How many weekends do you get to spend at home each year?
I go to about 14 events a year. I do get to have a live every once in a while.
What are the hardest parts of your job?
Just getting everything dialed in at the events. It's never the same thing twice. Everything changes from event to event.
When you look at various manufacturers in the industry, who comes to mind as a brand that's doing things right?
A few come to mind on this one: I think Redline has done a great job to bring the total package. They make a great product, they have the top Pro, they do advertising, and they sponsor races. They have all the bases covered. I think Ray Hudson and Terry Baisley at Fly Racing have made HUGE strides in BMX. They put out a product and have really stepped things up for the Pros and teams they sponsor. They're really aggressive with their marketing. I think it's really paid off for them. I have to respect Chris Moeller at S&M also. Chris is a genius at what he does. There isn't a rider/racer out there that doesn't know what S&M is. I think Joey Licata is doing a great job too. He's put together several great teams over the years and also has the product to back it up. I wish him all the best now that he is the owner of Answer BMX. I would say Travis Chipres and the gang have done a awesome job at turning the GT, Mongoose, and Schwinn brands around. They are definately going the right direction. I could go on and on. There are several out there that are doing it right.
As far as other "industry professionals" go, is there anyone who impresses you? Anyone you look up to?
I've always liked working with Terry Baisley. He gets things done and makes things happen. I like his style. Doug Butcher at industrialrideshop.com is the same way. He makes it happen. I like working with people like that.
Name three professional goals you'd like to accomplish this year.
TV, more for the Pros, and more for the teams. My goal everyday is to try to make the sport better. If everybody did that, it would be. That is my goal!
Where do you see the BMX industry in general headed?
It seems like BMX racing is getting a big buzz again. I know ABA membership has been up and things seem to heading in the right direction. I see big things in the future.