Phenomenal acumen and a zeal for bringing possibilities to life have helped Christopher pioneer four companies in the fields of marketing, retail, e-commerce and facility management. It's no wonder that he’s been named Small Business Person of the Year.
Perfect Landing
I began Skaters Landing in my parents’ basement in North Haven, Connecticut, in the fall of 1993. I'd just returned home from 12 years away between training in Colorado for 6 years, opening a rink in Austria, and touring with Disney On Ice for 5 years.
At that time, figure skaters had to travel to either New Jersey or Greater Boston to get a proper skate blade sharpening. So I went back to Colorado, learned the art from my former coach, and returned to CT with my first skate sharpening machine.
After 5 years in the business, the volume had become too much for my parents’ basement, so I took the initiative and launched the first store in Sept 1998. From that point, I grew Skaters Landing way beyond sharpenings, to include every service and product line in the industry and into 4 brick-and-mortar locations. Through ecommerce and social media I developed partnerships and seized opportunities across every aspect of the industry. It was my first time growing something from the seed of an idea to the million dollar-level. It challenged me in absolutely every way imaginable. It made me stronger, smarter and a better businessman.
Rink Management Solutions grew out of the service end of Skaters Landing. I joined forces with a friend of mine who is a talented rink operations manager. We began operating and overseeing city-owned rinks in 2005, running every single aspect of the facilities from maintenance, programing, staffing and marketing. We did it all. It became yet another opportunity to grow, offering a chance to develop a different skill set. I was at the helm of vision and execution at RMS and supported by a tremendous onsite General Manager, who happened to be a lifelong friend. We experienced stellar continued growth year after year.
New Creative Direction
In 2008, I co-founded GEM Advertising. What began as a small film production company with a handful of employees blossomed into a full-service, international, award-winning communications and marketing agency with nine departments across four offices in North America. Here I have a chance to work closely with a team who shares my passion, creativity and desire for growth, and we continue to evolve both personally and professionally on a daily basis.
Now it’s my turn to give back even more. What can I do to encourage and guide your journey?