Kris Kuster
CEO, Mammut North America
The Basics
Company Name: Mammut Sports Group
Location: Denver, CO
Founded: 1862
Full-Time Employees: 55
Products: Outdoor Equipment
Social: Instagram
Claim to Fame: First certified UIAA Climbing Rope, First iteration of the modern-day beacon for Swiss Army
The Culture
The best thing about working at Mammut is:
Working alongside people that have been impacted so profoundly by their outdoor experiences, that they chose a career and commitment to giving others that same experience safely.
When we’re not working, we’re:
Cracking a beer (and contesting one another’s top craft choices) after a hike, climb, tour, or bike, telling dad jokes, working on our climbing knots.
What we’re reading:
Brand Hijack by Alex Wipperfurth, There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene, Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Fifty Places to Camp Before you Die, Fifty Places to Fly Fish Before you Die, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
What we’re listening to:
Joseph, “How I Built This” Guy Raz Podcast, “Channel Mastery” Kristen Carpenter Podcast, “Born to Run” Christopher Mcdougall, “Up First” NPR News Podcast, Houndmouth Spotify Radio Playlist, The Archibald Podcast, “The Sharpe End” Ashley Saupe Podcast
If they made a movie about our workplace, it would be called:
Brick by Brick- Finding Might in the Little Steps.
Inclusion in the outdoors matters because:
Every person should feel safe experiencing the outdoors, whether that is on the top of a mountain or out their back door.
Five years down the line, it’s our hope that:
Mammut makes the outdoors an inclusive, accessible, and safe environment for everyone. The work we do now creates meaningful and lasting change that will directly pave a path of inclusiveness + inspire a new generation of outdoor enthusiasts that moves our industry and world forward in a positive way.
Hiring Process:
We will make sure that all of our hires and recruitment efforts maximize our potential to produce a diverse cohort of coworkers. This process will begin by implementing a system to reach a larger group of underrepresented populations. By creating equal access and opportunity for new positions at our company and educating our current employees, we hope to create a better representation of all diverse groups within Mammut NA.
Marketing Campaigns:
We will continue to produce campaigns and assets that feature people who break the mold of the white, non-disabled athlete. We hope to portray the message of safety for all people while pursuing outdoor activities by creating representative marketing and advertising campaigns.
Athlete and Ambassador Team:
We are currently in the process of restructuring our athlete and ambassador teams. As we move forward, we will strive to add athletes and influential members of the outdoor community who represent diverse groups. We will be featuring people who break the mold of the “typical” outdoor enthusiast. This newly formed group will not only be used for marketing campaigns but will be vital for pushing inclusivity and diversity at events.