When reentering the workforce after serving in the Navy, employers were most interested in his ability to carry projects through to completion.
“In the Navy, we were never trained how not to get to the target,” Maloney said. While traditional longboard skate markets range in age from nine to 24 and are predominantly male, KOTA Longboards attracts a market ranging in age from 25 to 70 that is roughly 40 percent female. Since then, Maloney has reshaped the market demographic for longboards. Maloney had to take a step back to realize it wasn’t a concern for safety that kept middle-aged adults from skating so much as having little in common with the rebellious teenage male skate culture stereotype.
Put something in motion and see what happens,” Maloney said.Ĭhanging the paradigm was critical when founding KOTA Longboards. In the same way, when you find yourself stuck, just change something. “In a dog fight, when you change something, you force your opponent to react, giving you the advantage. When you feel stuck, change the paradigm. “As many times as I’ve changed career paths, I think today’s students will reinvent themselves at twice the rate,” Maloney said. Perhaps the best evidence that it’s never too late to try something new is Maloney’s career path. Longboarding Betties, a KOTA Longboards club, taught 75 women how to longboard during the summer of 2018. He and his team offer complimentary lessons to locals who purchase a KOTA longboard. Maloney also advocates for others to try new things. “I’m generally a rough and tumble athlete, but when I carve on a KOTA, I feel calm and relaxed while making sharp, powerful turns.” “The beautiful artwork gives me a sense of grace when I carve,” said Spartan Race World Champion Kevin Donoghue. This enabled him to incorporate artwork on the tops of his boards, meaning he could reach entirely new markets. Maloney also decided to try something new when he and his team developed a clear grip technology to replace traditional grip tape. Now, the company he started in his driveway fits an 8,000-square-foot factory. Maloney tried longboarding for the first time when he founded KOTA Longboards as a middle-aged adult. It’s never too late to try something new. “Why not empower yourself to do powerful things?” 2. “You determine the challenges you accept,” Maloney said. By the end of one’s life, the wax tablet becomes a reflection of the person’s character. Maloney explains that when a person is born, his or her wax tablet is clean, but with every experience, another notch is carved. Carving refers to the way a longboarder skates from side to side, but it also refers to Plato’s wax tablet. “It’s your life – carve it,” is the KOTA Longboards challenge to customers. “There’s not a minute of my career I regret,” Maloney said. He chose the Navy because he believed the cost of living with regrets was higher than what he might lose while serving. Following his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at CU Boulder, he was faced with either joining the Navy or accepting a traditional career path and wondering what his life would have been like had he chosen to fly jets in the Navy. Throughout life, Maloney chose to take risks. Maloney’s personal and professional experiences showcase seven critical life lessons. He spent eight years as an F-14 Tomcat pilot in the United States Navy, four years as an Intelligence Analyst for the Office of Naval Intelligence, seven years founding and managing a financial services firm, 10 years as a United Airlines captain, four years managing technology investment and IP portfolios and four years rolling out a clean coal technology company. Mike Maloney completed his undergraduate studies in mechanical engineering at CU Boulder. This first appeared in The Havok Journal on April 30, 2019. Written by Oksana Schuppan and shared from the University of Colorado at Boulder. By Mike Maloney, Founder of KOTA Longboards
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