Ascension Snowboards Post Falls

John Minor had a business epiphany watching kids and parents bicker over snowboards a few years back.

A lot of times, parents wouldn’t buy junior his or her chosen board, even if the price was right, because they considered the graphics offensive, he said.

“People buy boards based on graphics,” said Minor, 34. At the time, about 70 percent of boards bore images that he considered inappropriate for kids: A red devil flipping you off, for example, or bloody weapons and grotesque creatures.

That’s when he started brainstorming about opening Ascension Snowboards, a manufacturing company that will enable customers to buy boards bearing their original designs or to create a using designs chosen from Ascension Snowboard’s Web site.

Most ‘boarders are computer savvy and have already dreamed up original designs, said Minor, who’s chief financial officer and president of the fledgling firm. “They’re just sitting around waiting for someone to do this,” he said.

This summer, the former construction company owner sought help polishing his pitch to potential investors through Connect Northwest.

“We don’t fit the typical mold for them. We’re not high-tech or biotech. But they didn’t say ‘This guy is a snowboarder who smokes pot out in the trees,’ ” he said with a wry smile.

“For them to show an interest in this industry really shocked me. It’s pretty cool. Connect Northwest helped me develop relationships with key people in business who could help me see things more clearly.”

Reeling from having to close his failed construction company, Minor thrived on the professional support and encouragement he found at Connect Northwest.

“They coached me on presenting to investors and I made good financial connections,” Minor added. “We’ve got financing for next year and are seeking other investors.”

Today, Ascension Snowboards employs five full-time workers who are helping Minor ramp up a production facility in a Post Falls warehouse.

“We just started selling about a month ago and already have orders for 1,200 boards that will be promotional items for Kokanee beer,” he said. “We’ll launch the custom-made stuff in November.”

Boards will retail for about $495, he said. His target market is 18-to-34-year-olds, although the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. market is the over-35 group.

Minor hopes to pump out 14,000 snowboards in 2007. At full capacity, the plant could make up to 30,000 boards a year.

“There’s not a lot of people making snowboards,” said Minor, “and up to 60 million people in South Korea and China are predicted to take up snowboarding over the next five years.”

Ascension will offer 36 designs – from butterflies to abstract art — by Inland Northwest graphic artists when the company launches a viral marketing campaign for its custom business in coming weeks. Ascension’s management team includes Minor’s dad, who is chief operating officer and an executive vice president, and Jon Rock, vice president of sales and marketing. Minor expects to hire a vice president of production soon.