Owen Foster
Intro
Owen was employee number 2 at OneUp, being a Chef it took some thinking outside of the box to bring him on board, but then again thinking inside the box wouldn’t really suit OneUp. It’s easy to see he’s brought so much to OneUp as well as the community in Squamish and beyond.
Images by Jake Paddon, AJ Barlas, Peter Wojnar and Margus Riga
Describe yourself:
I'm a rural Ontario pedal pusher who started moving westward to climb mountains as a teenager. I found cooking, trained and became a Chef for a long spell. Eventually, I made it to the coast, started building trails and kicked off a new career in bikes as the second employee of OneUp Components in 2016.
How did you end up in Squamish?
After outright burnout had me resign my last position as an Executive Chef in Whistler in 2012, I found myself commuting all the way to North Van for consulting work developing Salamis. I'd ride in Squamish a bit on the way through, and it quickly grew on me. The trail network was very different then, but already fantastic. I joined-in at a few trail days and started to feel at home right away. I'm really not a city person and Squamish seemed to be a great option for a place to live while I took on more work in the city.
Image by Jake Paddon
Right, so you were out of the kitchen but working creatively in food still. How long did that go on?
I ended up commuting to the city for four years. About three years in, the project that brought me there had been just about realized and I had the itch to find meaningful work without a commute. I wanted a big change. I would be driving up and down the highway contemplating the next move; trail-building, brewing, bartending, kitchen consulting, private cheffing, becoming a tree feller... I had a tonne of ideas but none that really seemed to inspire a change. It was scary too.
So how did you find yourself at OneUp?
Mainly I got sick of driving 40 hours/month, just so truly over it that I was ready to jump ship. I saw OneUp were hiring what was essentially a stock-room assistant / helper. Without much thought about it being possible, let alone a good move, I fired off a hail mary cover letter along with my -totally irrelevant- C.V. Chris Heynen got back to me with 'that is the best cover letter I've ever read' and I got an interview.
Image by AJ Barlas
Who do you think they were looking for when they posted the position?
Not me! haha. They told me as much. I’d say they were after a bike shop kid, perhaps a high school summer student that knew bikes and could do a great whip.
How did you stack up then?
I think I was the leftfield callback. The one that recruiters have come in and interview, knowing with 90% confidence that they are not getting the job. They had questions I couldn’t answer, so I just admitted to having loads to learn and pitched my ability to get where they needed me to be, fast. I really had to lay out what I could do in the future as my selling point. I think they all empathised with how motivating needing to kill a commute can be.... They had all quit their stable, professional, salaried jobs in order to start OneUp pretty recently and they saw the same slowly dying soul in me haha. I was keen, capable, and flexible. I’d put those three qualities down as great in any potential hire.
And they took the bait?
Yeah! They offered it to me. I signed on to my first job ever that wouldn’t leave me smelling like onions at the end of the day. It was a trip, I’d wake up at 4:45am only to remember I didn’t have to race down to a 4-degree meat packing room in the city.
What were you hired to do at the start?
I was hired to help write support emails and ship orders out of the 871 square foot, one-bedroom apartment that was the OneUp world headquarters. I lived in the same building back then so my commute went to zero. I was so fired up, it was great.
Image by Jake Paddon
Coming to work at OneUp as an outsider to the bike industry, what was that like?
Taking up twenty percent of the air in the room back then put me in some seminal conversations, early days decisions, and product brainstorming... it was all I could do to keep up. It was a massive learning curve to move from food into bikes.
And how did the engineers do with training a chef - turned sausage maker?
It was a bit awkward at times, mainly for me I hope. I learned a lot of new words real quick. I sponged off everyone in a big way. The positive effects of working directly with founders in an engineering start-up can’t be overstated. It really helped me understand how to describe our products clearly and learn exactitude in service advice.
Was making lunch written into your job description?
No no, they respected that I was not there to cook. Actually, they very awkwardly asked me if I would be interested in taking on making the food for a SORCA event we sponsored in my first month. No pressure though. I was happy to do it and found it really fun! It was a Social Ride afterparty in the Staples’ backyard. Many kegs, pulled pork sandwiches for like 200 riders, two birthdays, a DJ and system, the cops came... it was a memorable Wednesday night!
Image by Jake Paddon
It sounds like a fun time, what was OneUp making at that point?
At that point; expander sprockets systems, chainrings, and guides. Later that year however, the novelty of the cards up sleeves was made apparent. They were scheming amazing new ideas. By April 2017, we were roadtripping production EDC Tools, pumps and steerer tapping parts to California in hopes of making a big splash at Sea Otter 2017. It worked. That spring-boarded loads of innovations down the line. We've grown so much... back then hardly anyone had heard of us and now if you look closely at nice bikes anywhere on earth I bet something from OneUp is on there. It's wild.
As the product line grew and gained traction worldwide how did you find things change inside the company?
Well, we kept the simple parts simple. There were 3 focuses; designing improvements for our bikes, getting the word out, and getting those parts to the people with great aftercare. The owner/engineers Jon Staples, Sam Richards and Chris Heynen, and employee number one, Jon Hadfield, and I were wearing many hats each, for a long time. Near the end of 2018 it was clear we needed an expansion so that everyone could focus on all they were doing as well as upgrades in admin, finance, and purchasing. I was tasked with leading that expansion.
So OneUp started needing more space and more people...
Big time. In those final months, before we got our first warehouse space we'd have little corridors through rat-maze-like stacks of boxes in the office. We'd find a spot for everything and then, boom, another pallet would get dropped off in the dirt driveway and everyone would hand bomb them in, shoving cases of dropper posts under desks or anywhere left they could go. It was getting silly. Picture the boxes of money scene from the movie Blow...not unlike that.
Images by Jake Paddon
Everyone must have been happy not to be tripping over stock anymore, but how was it for them to let go and have you grow out the new space?
One amazing thing about working for these three is their comfort with delegating those things that are not inherently in their wheelhouse. The early days had us all learning things outside our scope, at a quick clip. Eventually, hiring and bringing up a team of customer service and warehouse folks, evolving our logistics and some company H.R. were some things I've been happy to take on and they have been thrilled to let go of. There is a lot of trust here, I don’t want to let it down.
And bringing on new staff to a very tight team, how was that?
I’d hired over 100 people in my previous career. Thinking back on team dynamics in large kitchen teams, then growing a handmade product line operation from start-up to scale, the HR pitfalls stung the memory. I'd say I came to OneUp knowing what NOT to do. My main focus for hiring has been; putting serious effort, absolutely everything I afford, into making sure every hire is a great fit. It's critical. Dig in, take the time and make sure. If you don't give hiring enough effort, you just waste everyone's time or miss a better fit for the role. We were definitely cautious not to grow too fast and we needed people who would be ready for a non-stop change environment. There was real weight behind the cliche job posting bullet point must thrive in a dynamic environment. Corey and Fraser, who we brought on first, have had to move shop basically every year since they started! Change is constant and people need to be flexible.
So, it was 2019, OneUp was now in two facilities and hiring...
Exactly, it was a big change. Five years into business we were still just five people! Then in the last three years, we've evolved the team a lot. Across both Squamish sites we've brought on over a dozen really high capacity, passionate people, who are all in it 100% They’ve brought with them a wide set of experience. Collectively we now have work experience from most continents, multiple creative degrees, decades of bike shop time, a world cup mechanic, even a couple of masters degrees. It's really exciting. I think the early days' crew find it especially fulfilling to have such momentum on our side, people-wise.
Image by Marcus Riga
And how did you approach growing the team?
It will sound like vapid platitudes... but the high-level approach is;
What if we put the same effort developing our team as we do developing our product line?
What if we put the same effort into understanding our teams' needs that we do into understanding our customers' needs?
This informs both a very personal screening/interview process and continuous soliciting of input from the team toward improvements from within. Communications aptitude can be interviewed for, so we do. We aim to be the best employer possible and to listen to the whole team when directions need to be chosen, this requires a certain level of openness and conscientiousness from our people. Those two personality traits go a long way.
So a lot of focus in the hiring process, what about once someone starts?
Our strength is always being collaborative. Create time to think out a problem with the team and try many things before getting firm on one way of doing things. It’s early days, we're learning and building the systems of this business. Everyone has to be a builder.
Images by Peter Wojnar
What's the biggest hurdle you face now?
Being spread out across two spaces has been really hard on the group. Last year we committed to buying a building though. We're a few months away from moving into our new purpose-built space for the whole team and operations. It can't come quick enough.
So moving everyone under one roof is that big a driver?
It's huge! The bulk of the difficulties we currently have stem from either inadequate space to work and collaborate or too much space between each persons' day-to-day. That's my read anyway. We definitely want to stay in Squamish. In order to stay and grow, we needed a proper spot, so we’re making that a reality.
Image by Margus Riga
With so much focus on the team staying in Squamish, how are you navigating the popularity and so-called liveability crisis?
It's tricky. Housing is the biggest stressor for a lot of people here. It's fairly high on the list everywhere these days really. The two parts to helping with this from OneUp are; we compensate very well and we actively work to make Squamish an even better/more worth it place to live. If rent and mortgages are high in all the rad places, we'd better be in the raddest place, and pay really well. We’re the top cash contributor to the trails here, every year. We’ve been building what will be a cornerstone trail for Squamish, for three full years as a team. We ride and mission together. There's good banter while getting the work done. We’re building a workplace we’re comfortable in and want to be. That's both the goal and what needs to happen to keep it rad.
What are you most excited about at work today?
I'm excited by a lot of things at work today! Releasing new OneUp parts I want on my bike is huge for my work-stoke. I’m really jazzed to hire more great people this year. Our philanthropic efforts globally as well as in our backyard are a major point of pride at work for me. I’m excited about our environmental impact assessment which will be actioned this year. Oh, and of course, running party trains down our finished trail with the whole team will be the best.
Images by Margus Riga
What unexpected or controversial unsolicited advice would you offer people?
Commit to bigger things than you think you should, earlier in life than you think you can.
What do we need more of?
Empathy, honest consideration of other people’s spot.
Image by Jake Paddon
What do we need less of?
It's not what you know, it's who you know... that trope is toxic and unhelpful. That and the use of cologne... seriously dudes, full stop.
At OneUp how have you navigated the bike boom and what have you forecast and/or banked on for the future?
In the spring of 2020, in order to weather the storm of manufacturing lead times soaring, we basically needed superpowers in purchase planning. We diverted a lot of energy there as a team, brought on a full-time purchaser, and paid very close attention to everything from our home offices, struggling through facetime meetings as needed. Now, watching the market steady out, we are taking time to examine and refine our systems and develop more new products. 2020 and most of 2021 were a bit wild in the bike industry. Ideally, we want to operate in a more measured and proactive way.
Outside of the workspace what's been your involvement with slinging shovels?
For ten years I've enjoyed doing trail improvement work all over the territory of the Squamish Nation. I've helped maintain; Home Sweet Home (R.I.P) Upper Ditch Pig, Gravitas, Fir Child, Whet Yer Blade, My Little Loamy, Glue Factory, Nose Beers, Riparian, Duffy the Vampire Slayer, Prior Art, Camber Alert, Side Hustle, Honeymoon Squeezer, Petrichor, FastView, Thumb Gun, DipLoama, and helped in the construction of PowerHood & Airplane Mode.
Images by Marcus Riga
What have you witnessed change in the Squamish Valley in the covid influenced era?
The pandemic really pulled into focus the value of place and how it relates to the sense of home. People seem to either want to be here more than ever or want to leave more than ever now. Realizing you live in a vacation town is polarizing and everyone who has been here more than a few years is grappling with that reality. Townhouses selling in bidding wars for $1M+ and rental rates that just about make Whistler a cheaper option are the new stingers for sure. On the plus side, about 500% more trail than normal got built in the last couple of years. It also should be said that newer trailbuilders to this network are adding some of the best work.
Do you have any goals or aspirations for the future utilizing your position at OneUp?
I’ve worked at a company that went from 25 to 100 people fairly fast. It became unrecognisable in some sense. A lot of the magic of a tight team can be lost. With that in mind, I'm keen to help scale our company culture as we grow. We have a really special thing going, keeping that alive will not be effortless. As we grow, I hope that our team will reflect the growth of the whole bike scene here. We're no longer 5 guys in a room but still far from a cold corporate network where co-workers are strangers on the same payroll. Cementing in the great bits while evolving is the task. Lunch rides can never die.
