ROSS Evans
The Evans Family
Simon Pearce
Career Highlights:
Director of Marketing(current), Marketing & PR Manger Oversight of Simon Pearce web properties, including www.simonpearce.com, social platforms and wholesale partner sites.
Community Involvement:
Quechee Village Steering Committee: representative from Simon Pearce exploring how to better position the town post-Irene. Randolph Economic Development Planning Group, Volunteer, Randolph, VT (through Sept 2011) Cystic Fibrosis Lifestyle Foundation, Committee Member/Volunteer, Burlington, VT (2008-Present) Hunger Task Force, Food Bank Volunteer, Milwaukee, WI (2009) Groundwork Lawrence, Volunteer, Lawrence, MA (2009) PBS/WGBH, Fund Drive Volunteer, Boston, MA (2005-2007) Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, Volunteer, Boston, MA (2004) Junior Achievement of Western Massachusetts, Volunteer, Springfield, MA (2000) Special Olympics of Vermont, Coach, Northfield, VT (1998) Vermont Business Expo, 777 Panel, Speaker/Presenter, Burlington, VT (2011).
Favorite part of job?
My favorite part of my work at Simon Pearce is having the opportunity to tell the rich history and authentic story of our brand every day. Our ability to be completely transparent with the customer – particularly when communicating how, where and by whom our products are made - is incredibly refreshing and in my opinion defines our authenticity.
Most inspiring mentor?
My parents are two people that I have always looked up to and been inspired by. Now that I have kids and work is obviously a huge part of my life, I’m amazed at how easy my parents made it seem raising three kids and working pretty demanding jobs. I know it wasn’t, but not sure I really fully appreciated just how hard balancing it all can be. They continue to do really amazing things, including being very active in their community, volunteering, teaching and pursuing many other interests. We’re in very different lines of work but the way my parents work and the way they stay involved in various communities is definitely an inspiration to me.
Who is your living hero?
One of my living heroes is Geoffrey Canada. Mr. Canada started and continues to lead Harlem Children Zone – a progressive educational and support program for poverty-stricken children and families in Harlem. It’s amazing what he was able to start with so little. Harlem Children Zone initially served only a few blocks in Harlem, now encompasses over 100 blocks, will serve 10,000 children by the end of this year and has been used as a model by President Barack Obama.
Favorite downtime activity?
Five years ago I would have said playing golf, exercising or some other solitary pursuit like that. But now there’s really nothing better than spending time with my wife and my kids. You realize when you have kids, just how valuable downtime is. I love watching my kids play and learn – there’s so much about that time that I’ve been able to learn and bring into my work life. Patience, persistence, sharing. It’s all good stuff, but you don’t get to that point without having downtime.
Favorite Vermont Escape?
My house. It sounds boring, but it’s true. I’m kind of a homebody. There’s also an antique shop in Johnson, VT – Hogback Vintage Antiques, that I love going. It’s out of the way for me, but it’s worth the trip and there’s enough there to spend the day and not see the same thing twice.
Favorite social network?
It varies – they are all so different that it’s sometimes hard to compare them. Personally, I love Facebook for keeping-up with friends and family, Twitter is great for information sharing and conversing with a broader group. When I moved back to Vermont after being in Massachusetts for almost 10 years, Twitter made it really easy to build a network and meet people working for other brands in the state. On a professional level, for the Simon Pearce brand, Facebook is definitely my favorite.
Favorite website?
Wow, of all the websites? Hard to say…outside of SimonPearce.com, I probably spend the most time on Facebook or Twitter. It’s a way for me to learn from our customers and learn from our competition and also for me to learn from other brands completely unrelated to what we do at Simon Pearce. Facebook gives you a look at a brands personality and I probably visit a company’s Facebook page before I visit their website. Also it’s important to recognize as a marketing or business person where our customers get their news and information from and most of them get it from Facebook and Twitter.
Vermont Business Person you would most want to network with?
Jake Burton Carpenter. As a kid growing-up in Vermont snowboarding was a huge part of my life. Burton was one of the first brands I remember being obsessed with. Jake created and continues to define an industry which is a pretty unique achievement in business
VBM's Publisher John Boutin, Ross Evans and Lt. Governor Phil Scott