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Store Manager & Merchandise Manager

Top Management

I am an ambitious, passionate and hard working individual in Breckenridge, Colorado. Currently, I work for Vail Resorts as both the Store Manager & Merchandise Manager at the Columbia Store on Main Street in Breckenridge. A unique, hybrid position in the company only held by few individuals.

Previously, I spent 5 years as the owner & operator of retail boutique, Blacklist, specializing in Skateboarding, Snowboarding, Apparel & Footwear. During that time, I also spearheaded the opening of a unique, neighboring bar & restaurant concept called, The Crvsh Room. I served as the Managing Partner for 2 years. 

Upon selling both establishments, I spent a year working as US Sales Rep for companyBE, a cloud-based software solution for small/medium size brands & retailers. I visited over 100+ retail stores, prospecting leads, generating sales of software and website solutions, and consulting with business owners and managers.

In 2015, I joined up and coming Snowboard brand, United Shapes, as the Director of Sales. I traveled the country, visiting snowboard shops and building our distribution from the ground up. Today, United Shapes is represented in legacy accounts Worldwide with YOY sales growth in the 200th+ percentile. 

Next, I aligned with locally owned, Breckenridge Ski Enterprises and moved to Breckenridge. My role was Store Manager of the 2-floor, Columbia store. A unique, $1M+ location serving as the only independently owned Columbia in the country. Quickly, I turned an under performing store into a growing and highly competitive store in the local market, awhile taking on additional responsibilities including preseason and in-season inventory buys, retail marketing, social media, event planning & IT.

In October 2017, Vail Resorts acquired the Breckenridge Ski Enterprises stores and I accepted a position within Vail Resorts Retail to manage the newly acquired, Columbia Branded store.




- Exceeded winter sales & profitability budget while maintaining 98% managerial audit score
- Developed  a staff with a high level of guest service & received mystery shopper scores of 100%
- Executed preseason inventory purchases and managed in-season inventory levels


UNITED SHAPES is an independent collective dedicated to developing progressive, high performance snowboard designs for the next Golden Age of snowboarding.

- Responsible for acting as the main Sales Rep for all US territories and achieving sales goals
- Coordinate tradeshow schedule, retailer marketing, and production with all company divisions
- Developed distribution strategy including acquisition of Key Accounts and order management


Director of Sales

Columbia Breckenridge is the only of its kind, independently & operated serving as a premier 2-floor storefront in one of the largest and most influential outdoor regions in the country.

- Generated a 50% Sales growth to $1.5 annual revenue, while lowering inventory 22% & increasing profit margin by 6%
- Received One Breckenridge 'Annual Customer Service Champion' for 2016.
- Recruited and developed a full-time, year round staff in a Resort town traditionally characterized by Seasonal employment and high turnover.
- Collaborated with Columbia Corporate team on full fixture & store remodel to elevate in-store & brand experience.
- Worked closely with Store Owners and Columbia Corporate to develop pre-season events and marketing initiatives resulting in new customer acquisition and store/brand exposure.
- Responsible for working with owners to achieve specific predetermined financial goals and sales growth, determining and initiating seasonal inventory ordering needs.

Store Manager

- Prospect, generate, qualify and call on client leads to establish new accounts in national arena
- Attended quarterly trade shows and visited 100+ accounts  nationwide in year one
- Acquired company’s largest client to date and grew existing client base by 10% in year one

Independent Sales Representative

- Maintained annual sales growth of 10% each year by implementing constant marketing efforts
- Grew profit margins by 45% from year 1 to year 5 with concise P&L management
- Secured product & marketing collaborations with industry leaders Vans, Huf, Spitfire, Skullcandy & New Era
- Hosted Annual "Summer Slam Skatepark Contest Series" with support from various companies

Independent Business Owner

- Developed and implemented a business model driven by social & guerrilla marketing
- Received Top 3 "Best Local Bars" award in Greeley Tribune's Best of Greeley 2013
- Grew sales of Pabst Blue Ribbon to #1 Account in Northern Colorado in first year of business
- Spearheaded First Friday Art Walk and worked with DDA to create First Friday marketing plan

Managing Partner

- Booked & promoted a sold out Pretty Lights Music show
- Drove Tuesday night and Saturday night sales by 150% through ongoing weekly events
- Grew social media presence into an active live music and nightlife community

Digital Marketing Coordinator

- Assisted in setup and take down of the Burton Mountain Festival stop at Keystone resort. 
- Responsible for product knowledge and communication to customers.
- Setup snowboards suitable to customer wants and specifications.

Demo Staff

Worked various event for Skullcandy the Summer of 2011.

- Journey's Backyard BBQ Tour at Flatirons Mall
- Zumiez Couch Tour in Littleton, CO
- DJ at BC Surf & Sport BBQ Tour at Broomfield Skatepark

Marketing / Event Staff

- Founded "College Battle" event and worked various events for Echo Mountain just outside of Evergreen, CO.
- Organized inaugural "College Battle" event which brought in $2000+ in sponsorship dollars and drew 150+ competitors from 6 different schools stretching from Crested Butte to Fort Collins.
- Event setup and contest judge for events: Liptricks not Lipstick, Last Park Standing & Intergalactic Pond Skim

Event Staff

I worked with Blacklist to develop & implement marketing initiatives and events to grow revenue and generate more brand recognition. In addition, I was in charge of production for all branded clothing, accessories & promotional products.

- Go Skateboarding Day Event
- Blacklist "Block Party"
- Crimson Skateboards demo

Marketing Coordinator

Independent Marketing representative for the 2008 Winter X-Games.

- Hosted weekly grassroots promotional events
- Developed co-operative marketing efforts with local businesses
- Executed various guerilla marketing initiatives
- Distributed promotional materials
- Generated weekly marketing reports for account representative

Independent Marketing Representative

Nate Giska is a Store Manager & Merchandise Manager at Vail Resorts Retail in Breckenridge, CO.

Nate Giska

Nate Giska

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University of Northern Colorado