Featured image: Matt Power
After building one of the original freeskiing brands from the ground up, Matt Sterbenz, founder and current brand director of 4FRNT, will be stepping down on Monday, August 6, after 16 years. Sterbenz will be moving on to serve as general manager of wintersports for Checkerspot, an advanced materials company.
“I’m proud to have worked with everyone on our talented team over all these years and couldn’t be more stoked for where the brand is today,” said Sterbenz in a recent press release. “4FRNT is financially stronger and more stable in all aspects of business than ever before. Knowing it’s in good hands and seeing a bright future for the brand, I finally feel comfortable walking away to focus on furthering my professional growth beyond the business I started 16 years ago.”
Effective immediately, Dan Cardon will replace Sterbenz as brand manager.
“Dan has done an amazing job as marketing manager overseeing our intense re-brand and high-paced digital marketing campaigns over the past year,” said Jason Levinthal, founder of LINE skis, J Skis and owner of 4FRNT in that same press release. “These initiatives were key ingredients in our ability to literally triple our direct to consumer sales in only six months.”
Although bittersweet, Levinthal is excited for Sterbenz’s next career move, seeing as he himself resigned from LINE skis–the brand he founded–after 17 years and acquired 4FRNT from Sterbenz about a year ago.
“I have immense respect for the 16 years of hard work and determination Matt put into building this great brand,” said Levinthal. “It was a blast working together over the past year, setting 4FRNT on a new and improved course that will provide it with unprecedented stability, and a successful future.”
With a shift in management, Levinthal is optimistic the brand Sterbenz worked so hard to build will maintain the same DNA regardless of the team executing the work.
“It goes without saying Dan’s a very strong skier with great respect for our athletes’ roles in developing and promoting the products that enable us all to continue to progress the sport,” Levinthal said. “I’m confident he will foster 4FRNT’s future growth by reinforcing the brand’s unique position in the market, as demonstrated by this week’s launch of our new, cutting edge, direct to consumer website, 4FRNT.COM.”
It goes without saying Sterbenz will be missed at 4FRNT and the freeskiing community, but we are excited to watch his next chapter unfold.
