http://garinfons.com/shots daily 0.75 2013-12-18 http://garinfons.com/life daily 0.75 2018-05-04 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/5aec7c0d562fa78284f5ae49/1525447347728/ LIFE - My Lovely Wife I get to call this lovely lady my wife. We got hitched in September 2013 in the Texas Hill Country. She is amazing. She graduated from the University of Texas School of Social Work in 2015 and has been working as a therapist ever since. She currently sees clients at the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City. One of these days, we're gonna grab a bit of land, plant a big garden, and spend a lot more time cooking, reading, and maybe raising some little ones. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/52645740e4b089d24c28838c/51f73490e4b08d2bdb8a0531/1525447347728/IMG_4482.JPG LIFE - My Lovely Wife I get to call this lovely lady my wife. We got hitched in September 2013 in the Texas Hill Country. She is amazing. She graduated from the University of Texas School of Social Work in 2015 and has been working as a therapist ever since. She currently sees clients at the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City. One of these days, we're gonna grab a bit of land, plant a big garden, and spend a lot more time cooking, reading, and maybe raising some little ones. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/52645740e4b089d24c28838c/575322be1d07c0b6830ec3d3/1525447381971/IMG_2383.JPG LIFE - Tilly This is the other love of my life. Tilly. She's really good at fetching tennis balls and is an incredible trail dog for mountain bike rides and hikes. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/52645740e4b089d24c28838c/5429b770e4b0b1d2713914f1/1525447474833/IMG_6794.JPG LIFE - Race Face Since moving to Texas and now Utah, I've made it a priority to spend as much time on a bike as possible. Nearly every day in Austin, you'd find me riding through City Park, the Greenbelt or any number of the great trails around Austin. In Utah, I spend my time a bit more time in the alpine terrain of Park City, but also venture out into the world class trails of Moab and St. George when I can. In Texas, I raced Cat 1 / Open singlespeed mountain bikes in the Texas XC mountain bike circuit. I was Cat 2 State Champion for the 2015 XC season. This photo is from an epic 225 mile Durango to Moab trip done in July 2014. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/52645740e4b089d24c28838c/51ae4c5ae4b08b4c6c9aa7e6/1525447671999/photo+%281%29.JPG LIFE - The Jardineros In Austin, I played baseball on a sandlot team called the East Austin Jardineros Baseball Club. We used all wood bats, kept the competition serious, but also did do our best to keep it cordial - in part by enjoying the cases of beer that our incredible sponsor, Hops & Grain, provided to us each game. The Sandlot league has grown to nearly 10 teams over the past three years, with teams like the Texas Playboys, The Cobras, The Senators and the Grackles. Check out a game sometime and enjoy the live music, dogs and true community that’s sprung up around this pastime. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/52645740e4b089d24c28838c/52649097e4b0002d16186c47/1525447693519/IMG_2306.JPG LIFE - I Like To Cook. I'm convinced that some of the best things in life happen when friends come together around food. That's part of the reason we have a great big garden and a dining room table that seats 10. There's also the weekend baking projects, the spring pickling, the winter roasts and so much in between. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/52645740e4b089d24c28838c/520081f0e4b0dae23ff8f5d2/1430543262284/IMG_2161+copy.JPG LIFE - The Leaders & The Best My classmates and friends at the University of Michigan's School of Information lived up to the University's motto. In the four or so years I spent in Ann Arbor, I studied Community Informatics and Information Policy and worked with good friends, faculty, and staff to develop an Open Education initiative, called Open.Michigan. While in Ann Arbor, I also helped start and operate a Friday morning breakfast salon called Selma Cafe. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/52645740e4b089d24c28838c/51f73365e4b03ad18b91bbde/1430543267740/IMG_1322+copy.JPG LIFE - Viva Mi Patria Bolivia Latin America is a place I am happy to have had the good fortune of spending quite a bit of time: Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba. I'm not done yet. Travel is pretty important to me. And, to have already seen so much of this planet amazes me - Europe, Latin America, North America, China. While it's great to get away, I value the opportunity to interact with new people in new places. Rarely do I return not feeling humbled by how lucky I have it. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/52645740e4b089d24c28838c/520081d5e4b09bc7c9f95210/1430543263902/IMG_2256.JPG LIFE - Go Anywhere I like small planes. I also like the idea that someday soon we might be able to realize the potential of affordable, small scale regional air transportation. Not sure how, just yet. http://garinfons.com/events daily 0.75 2013-04-01 http://garinfons.com/events/134fb95rkmlfdt2bm8xep20930tj4e monthly 0.5 2013-04-01 http://garinfons.com/schedule daily 0.75 2013-06-04 http://garinfons.com/schedule/2013/6/4/june-15-2013-benefit-game monthly 0.5 2013-06-04 http://garinfons.com/work daily 0.75 2018-07-26 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/5aec786f03ce6424bfa1318b/1525446796125/cc+bc+logos.001.jpeg WORK https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/5b59de821ae6cfe5dcd53890/1532616942771/TRUE-red-01.png WORK - TRUE Communications Currently, I am Account Director at TRUE Communications, a full-service communications and marketing agency based in Sausalito, CA. We work with many of the most prominent brands in the cycling and outdoor industry. My main role is media strategy and relations, while also providing counsel on brand marketing strategy and campaign planning. Learn more at www.truecommunications.com https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/5aec78d170a6ad7408502076/1525447162600/cc+bc+logos.001.jpeg WORK - Backcountry.com Brand Manager of Portfolio Brands, Backcountry.com. In this role, I managed the marketing activities of the Backcountry.com portfolio brands, including Competitive Cyclist, Basin + Range, Steep & Cheap, and Whiskey Militia (closed 2018). Competitive Cyclist, however, quickly became the focus given the desire to build a meaningful brand architecture and rebuild a meaningful customer relationship with passionate cyclists. As the Brand Manger of Competitive Cyclist, I oversaw nearly all aspects of marketing on site and in our off site activations. I collaborated across nearly every business unit to craft more than 300 marketing messages and brand campaigns each year. Using marketing analytics and performance metrics as a baseline, I created and managed a robust marketing calendar to ensure YOY performance and growth. Furthermore, I played a pivotal role in developing both brand strategy and the business value proposition, guiding the organization with a cohesive and compelling brand narrative. A small sampling of the work I completed can be see here: Brand Campaigns 2018 Road Bike Buyer's Guide 2017 Andiamo! Campaign Trail to Tribe with Yeti Cycles Spoils of Victory with 7Mesh Vendor Campaigns Gore Wear - Shakedry Stretch Castelli - The Maglia Rosa Shimano - New Dura Ace 9170 Enve - New M-Series Wheels Machines for Freedom Alchemy Bikes Guides Power Meter & Computer Guide Collections Helmet Collection Bike Launches Yeti SB100 Factor O2 Disc Santa Cruz Hightower LT https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/57531f974d088e51d62cd03b/1525447175074/MJ_logo.jpg WORK - Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop Marketing Manager of Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop. In this role, I oversaw direct marketing efforts of our online store, managed digital marketing and paid advertisements, developed our email marketing campaigns and helped plan in-store and various community events. It was a position in which I was also able to put my Information Science hat on and begin to utilize analytics data to inform marketing strategy, enhance the brand experience and better connect with customers. I left this position to join the team at Backcountry.com and Competitive Cyclist. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/5319de4ae4b0ebfb9ed57e2a/1525446187816/County+road+image+2.001.jpg WORK - County Road Consulting Lead Consultant, County Road Ltd. Co. As the Lead Consultant with County Road Consulting, I worked with a wide range of restaurants, ranchers and artisan food processors to assess business goals and product development operations. I worked with management to develop operational procedures, business plans, and customized record keeping programs that met federal, state and municipal safety regulations. I also focused on developing HACCP plans for specific preparation techniques like Reduced Oxygen Packaging and SousVide as well as all forms of added-value meat processing, including voluntary and conventional slaughter, sausage making, smoked products, charcuterie and salami. I would never have guessed that what started as a hobby to learn how to make bacon in Ann Arbor, MI would turn into a viable and entertaining consulting career in the food safety business. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/5515946ee4b04d5c31972a5a/1525446213262/worldbank-logo.jpg WORK - The World Bank & MSU Global Consultant, The World Bank & Michigan State University In the spring and summer of 2014, I was part of a Global Food Safety Partnership working group of the World Bank, co-authoring a policy paper on Open Business Models. In this paper, we called for the continued development and sharing of food safety training resources to help increase the possibility of expanding and generating production markets in developing country settings. I also recently worked with the Michigan State University Global program on a partner project with OERAfrica called AgShare, which promotes the sharing of agricultural knowledge and resource to fill critical gaps in agricultural education in Africa. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/5227c371e4b0e8fb2cf9a9aa/1525446241571/Screen+Shot+2013-10-20+at+4.28.37+PM.png WORK - The University of Texas at Austin Product Manager, University of Texas at Austin. From the Spring of 2013 - Spring of 2014 I worked as a Project / Product Manager at the Center for Open Educational Resources and Language Learning (COERLL) at the University of Texas at Austin. The office works directly with faculty and other university staff to create high quality Open Educational Resources (OER) and learning materials for less commonly taught languages - like textbooks, online modules, and publications. My main role was related to outreach on campus and in the wider foreign language educational community, promoting and understanding open pedagogy and teaching practices that incorporated the use of OER. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/52643db3e4b02130644f642d/1525446308055/IMG_1469.JPG WORK - Underground Meats Managing Partner / Owner, Underground Meats Before leaving for Texas, I helped start and ran an artisan charcuterie and salami company, Underground Meats. To this day, Underground Meats works with some of the country's finest farmers and producers to source heritage breed animals, which results in some of the best cured meats, charcuterie, and fresh meat around. Products are available both on a wholesale and retail basis throughout Wisconsin. In addition to overseeing the operation, I also taught classes on everything from whole animal breakdown to making bacon and sausages at home and worked on plans for the retail meat storefront, the Underground Butcher. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/5200763fe4b08f2e358eed3f/1525446293754/UFC+Logo+-+small.png WORK - The Underground Food Collective Managing Partner / Owner, Underground Food Collective In the Spring of 2010 I joined the Underground Food Collective in Madison, WI to pursue my dream of curing meats and bringing people together around food. I catered numerous weddings and parties as a part of Underground Catering and ran the artisan meat operation, Underground Meats. I helped open the Underground Kitchen - a beautiful bar & restaurant that burned down only 9 months after we opened it. In 2012, we replaced it with the acclaimed bar & restaurant Forequarter and Underground Butcher. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/52643dd8e4b02130644f649f/1525446338972/Open_michigan_sticker-v2.jpg WORK - The University of Michigan Medical School Business Systems Analyst, University of Michigan Medical School In the winter of 2007, I graduated early from the University of Michigan's School of Information to co-found Open.Michigan - an initiative that supports university researchers, learners, and instructors to maximize the impact and reach of their scholarly work through the sharing of these resources under open (Creative Commons) licenses. Based out of the Office of Enabling Technologies at the University of Michigan's Medical School, we worked with a talented group of developers and visionaries to develop innovative software and processes for clearing copyrighted educational materials and sharing them with the world as Open Educational Resources. We were funded with grants from UMMS and the Hewlett Foundation and built lasting collaborations with medical schools in Ghana and South Africa. While in Ann Arbor, I also helped start and operate a Friday morning breakfast salon called Selma Cafe, which is what led to my direct interest in curing meats. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51f203e1e4b08fce1a8b429c/52b1209ce4b095758ab2cc5d/1525446370209/1-idrc_logo.GIF WORK - The International Development Research Centre Community Manager, International Development Research Centre In the summer between grad school, I landed a pretty amazing internship with the folks at the Canadian based International Development Research Centre (IDRC). At the time, I worked at the Community Manager for a project called telecentre.org, where I helped to build awareness and solicit contributions to a wiki on telecentre management and best practices. I lived and worked from La Paz, Bolivia and New York City. http://garinfons.com/thoughts daily 0.75 2016-07-27 http://garinfons.com/thoughts/2014/10/7/durango-moab monthly 0.5 2014-10-07 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/5434185ee4b08c886778b8cc/1412700272210/snowday THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Day 1 climb to 12,500 ft https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/543418f7e4b08c886778ba10/1412700410909/JohnOn.jpg THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab John on the mile of a 12 mile climb. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341a01e4b0802bfd4873b2/1412700679917/cabin THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab The Reward https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341bc2e4b0bc91614900b7/1412701126236/paradox THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab A welcome respite in the desert: The Paradox Cafe https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341c33e4b0d30e83007c2d/1412701242046/Kokopelli THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Arriving on the edge of Moab Day 7 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341ae0e4b0935ee57909b9/1412700917578/barren THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Set change. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/543418cce4b0dd88e4757c51/1412700367890/Downhill+Day+2.jpg THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Downhill Day 2 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341a31e4b0802bfd487422/1412700730446/BlackMesa THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Black Mesa https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/543418a1e4b0a5b8e87a44de/1412700327291/Jason.jpg THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Epic decent on the East Fork Trail https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341b6be4b03db789e28077/1412701041731/clear+nights THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Looking toward the next climb https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341bfce4b0129e5fb34464/1412701184718/biersball THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Biersball is born on Day 6: Drink it, crush it, toss it, catch it. I think they play it in New Zealand. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341c5ee4b0d30e83007c9f/1412701292950/RimTrail THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Porcupine Rim trail https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341a7fe4b0adbccfc64e52/1412700803305/Uphill THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab Day 3 Out of the San Juans https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/54341b39e4b0a24c4d56c34a/1412701002839/DryValleys THOUGHTS - Durango --> Moab dry valley views http://garinfons.com/thoughts/2013/11/4/wine-dine-disney monthly 0.5 2013-12-18 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/52b1d856e4b0be0865274c91/1430543262384/photo+%287%29.JPG THOUGHTS - Wine, Dine & Disney https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/52b1d848e4b0be0865274c84/1387386956987/photo+%2810%29.JPG THOUGHTS - Wine, Dine & Disney http://garinfons.com/thoughts/2013/11/4/on-the-way-to-open-ed monthly 0.5 2013-11-04 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/5278217be4b0d495e4b96c45/1383604605172/BaconBloody.JPG THOUGHTS - On the Way to Open Ed Bacon Bloody Mary - A-Basin http://garinfons.com/thoughts/2014/4/16/spring-training monthly 0.5 2014-04-16 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/534eb230e4b06683005dca27/1397666357184/jardhats.jpg THOUGHTS - Spring Training Jard Hats. http://garinfons.com/thoughts/2014/2/4/backinthesaddle monthly 0.5 2014-04-16 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/52f1b01fe4b0706b2aa2876d/1391570976843/29er.JPG THOUGHTS - Back in the Saddle the 29er http://garinfons.com/thoughts/bigideas monthly 0.5 2014-04-16 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/52b1d7afe4b08e03871d4ed5/1387386801428/photo+%288%29.JPG THOUGHTS - Puttin' on the Ritz https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/52b1d7e2e4b08fef4cfc7fb0/1387386862149/photo+%289%29.JPG THOUGHTS - Puttin' on the Ritz http://garinfons.com/home daily 1.0 2018-07-26 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/t/5b59de696d2a73767553773e/1532616297710/ HOME - me. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm originally from the great state of Minnesota. I spend most days dreaming about riding bikes and driving a Land Rover toward a trout stream I once fished in southern Chile. My current work is in Public Relations and Brand Marketing. Connect with me on social to talk more. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51ae475ee4b08b4c6c9a9ced/51ae475fe4b08b4c6c9a9cfe/5429b4b2e4b09bba3e2f67c7/1532616297710/IMG_6794.JPG HOME - me. I live in Salt Lake City, Utah. I'm originally from the great state of Minnesota. I spend most days dreaming about riding bikes and driving a Land Rover toward a trout stream I once fished in southern Chile. My current work is in Public Relations and Brand Marketing. Connect with me on social to talk more. http://garinfons.com/grad-school-projects daily 0.75 2014-02-13 http://garinfons.com/work-projects daily 0.75 2014-02-13 http://garinfons.com/free-time-projects daily 0.75 2014-02-13 http://garinfons.com/projects daily 0.75 2018-05-04