ABSF Board Candidate: Thomas Rossmeissl

Hometown:
Madison, WI

Years of ABSF Membership:
1

Occupation:
Chief Marketing Officer at Eat Just Inc

Why are you interested in being a member of the ABSF Board of Directors? 

I love the Birkie, and I believe I can help it continue to thrive.

I’m an avid (but not very accomplished!) trail runner, cyclist and nordic skier, and I’ve been lucky to ski five Birkie’s in Wisconsin, along with the original Norwegian race last year. I’m lucky to have grown up in Wisconsin, and I’m proud that one of the world’s greatest races is right in my backyard.

I also recognize how much more the Birkie is than just a course and a clock. It’s a culture, community and a source of revenue and joy for the region throughout the year.

I also want to give back. I’ve been lucky to work remotely and travel for much of the last five years. I’ve lived in mountain towns and trained at various nordic centers across the U.S. and in Europe. I’ve been fortunate to use what others have put so much effort into, and I want to now contribute my time and talent to help here in Wisconsin.

What knowledge and skills do you possess that can benefit the organization?

I have deep experience in marketing, policy, and politics. I’m currently the Chief Marketing Officer at Eat Just Inc, a food technology company based in Alameda, California with facilities in Minnesota and Ohio. I’ve built the world’s largest plant-based egg brand, Just Egg, and I recently launched our Just One protein brand. I know how to leverage athlete talent, build digital campaigns, raise awareness, and generate earned media.

Before Eat Just, I was a Partner at the political media firm Trippi Norton Rossmeissl, where I executed non-profit and political media campaigns around the country. While it’s important the ski community and ABSF stay out of partisan politics, I can help ABSF build a stronger operation to achieve its policy goals around trail access and maintaining recreational areas for silent sports.

How do you see yourself helping to fulfill the ABSF vision, mission and values? 

I understand ABSF’s vision because I have lived it. Like most people, I’ve gone through my own ups-and-downs in life, and I’ve always found renewal and joy outside and through athletics.

In terms of the ABSF mission, I can help further it in a variety of ways. I am a marketer, and I know how to build brands, engage communities, and inspire action. I would work with your staff to build on what is already a successful and effective communications operation. Some areas of opportunity I would explore:

• How could we better leverage athlete talent and their social followings?
• What other organizations or causes with significant followings could we work with to generate more awareness and action?
• How do we provide excellent value for our brand sponsors to help continue to drive revenue for ABSF?
• How do we maximize the interest and excitement from participants immediately after races?
• How do we organize our supporters and participants to ensure fair trail access for Nordic skiing and other silent sports? 

I believe I would live up to the ABSF’s values. The Birkie has become a cherished institution because it hasn’t sacrificed its values. It’s why so many people sign-up year-after-year, and it’s why the entire community volunteers to help. Like I have throughout my career, I would strive to bring joy, positivity, inclusiveness and respect to the board.

Finally, I recognize that there is a healthy tension for the organization: it’s critical ABSF innovates, improves, and constantly challenges its own assumptions. Complacency and inertia are how organizations die. But it’s equally critical the race doesn’t lose the culture, tradition and soul that makes it so special.

My own Birkie results have never been great. I’ve cursed a bit on Lake Hayward over the years. But I’ve always been smiling with a cold beer chatting with a stranger on Main Street, after. It’s that culture which draws so many skiers, runners and cyclists to the area every year. And it leads me to enthusiastically apply for a board position.

Thank you for your consideration.