Meet the OnwardUP Team
With our current combined experience in the outdoor industry, our OnwardUP team numbers continue to grow! We thought it would be a great time to (re)introduce ourselves to all of you. We are OnwardUP, but who are the faces behind the name?
You all know we forge connections and partnerships that enable elevated outdoor experiences. With focus on character, entrepreneurialism and a high-level of experience, in a variety of outdoor and business environments, our team is able to focus on the fine details of servicing our dealers and creating growth for our vendors. We are a dedicated crew, with compassionate hearts.
…but how cold is too cold? Where did we grow-up? What music makes us rock-out and what makes us laugh the most? What the heck did we do before we joined the OnwardUP team?
Up next on the docket, on the Meet the OnwardUP Team, is Rebecca (bexx) Ferri. We asked Bexx similar questions as we have asked the entire team, and here’s what they had to say!
Read more below and enjoy!
—
Any fun nicknames?
“Oh, dear. I’ve had a lot. Bexx, Bexxi, Sexy-Bexxi, Tranosaurus-Bexx, Latasarus-Bexx, Shorty, Little-one, Peansy-Bum… I could go on? .”
Where do you reside?
“Canmore, AB”
What is your job title at OnwardUP?
“Lead Campus Outreach Coordinator”
How would you describe your role at OnwardUP?
“A mish-mosh of tasks + community engagement + pro sales + product education + activism = me.”
How long have you been a team member?
“About 7.5 years. Time flies!”
Share with us how you got into the outdoor industry?
“I’ve always been athletic and outdoorsy. Spending time outside has been a constant (and important to me). I grew-up on a farm so I was outside a lot. I was involved in track and field and played on a lot of team sports; but I got my first taste of the outdoor industry when I moved from Oakville, Ontario to Whistler, BC, in the early 2000s and found myself absorbed in the ski and snowboard world and DH mtn biking. I was hooked. I started working at the local climbing gym in Whistler – the Whistler Core (shout-out to Bob Allison, JF and all my early 2000s crew!) and then Escape Route in Whistler and helped open the Squamish Escape Route! Got into SUP instruction with Norm Han (one of the first SUP instructors in Western Canada!), and the rest is kinda history… good times, great memories..”
Do you have a mentor?
“I have many! My late gramps, my close friends, a few artists, and of course my mom!.”
What’s one of the hardest challenges you’ve overcome?
“I’ve had a number of very challenging times over the 42 years of my life on this planet. The hardest? It’s probably tied: Surviving some major health issues when I was young and overcoming some abusive relationship trauma over 10 years ago… and damn, I’ve arrived at where I am way stronger!”
What’s your ideal work-life balance?
“I have found it – OnwardUP has worked hard to make sure we find that balance. We work hard, while making sure we take the time to take care of our personal well-being: overall physical and mental health.”
What can always make you feel better after a bad day?
“There are many things; but chatting with my mom, time with friends, fly fishing, tending to my many plants (#plantmom), swimming, mtn biking, climbing… but mostly? Silence in the mtns helps a lot. “
What makes you laugh the most?
“Simpsons 😉 …but also a few of my funny friends and my partner Jake!”
How do you like to spend your free time?
“Mostly I spend it outdoors, but I also really enjoy creating art.”
What are you most proud of yourself for?
“I am so proud of myself for so many things in my life. A few that stand out (in no particular order); my uni degree, my ACMG certifications, being on the ACMG Board of Directors, overcoming relationship trauma, emceeing at the BMFF for 6 years, having my photo art collection at the BMFF in 2019, my sleeve tattoo, my achievements in the sports I do, my community of friends (whom are my family) in Canmore… and the list could go on.”
What is your biggest irrational fear?
“Confined spaces (which is rational I guess)… maybe my irrational fear is fog. I hate being in fog.”
What do you feel most passionate about?
“Social and Environmental Justice…. and plants. Oh and dogs.”
Do you live by any words of wisdom?
“You just gotta trust the process” – which is extremely challenging when you have a hard time trusting…!”
Book / podcast recommendations?
“I am not much of a podcast listener, believe it or not. I’ve currently got about 7 books that are half read and a number of unread books in my house. I recommend reading more.”
One thing you have learnt in the mountains that you wish everyone knew?
“B*tch, be humble.”
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
“Early bird gets the worm!”
What type of music are you into?
“A colourful smorgasbord mixed tape; but I love indie electronica, mathcore, modern metal, some screamo, and whatever ‘Tourist’ is categorized as.”
What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?
“Pretending to sleep in, making a delicious coffee, day-dreaming about traveling the world while I water my plants, finally get outside and ride my mtn bike hard, craft up a momentous dinner, while enjoying a glass of crisp Pino and settling in to watch a movie or play PS5 with Jake.”
Name a non-profit in your community that is doing amazing work/or that you’re affiliated with?
“The Resilience Institute.”
Upcoming adventure plans, you’d like to share?
“I’m headed to Japan in February, to slay the pow with my Jake, and I CANNOT WAIT to go back to that beautiful country.”
Do you have a favourite qoute?
“I actually don’t have one that comes to mind, but I just googled ‘popular inspiring quotes’ and this one caught my eye: “Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” –Albert Einstein. I like that.”
What’s the best concert you have ever been to!?
“Oooooooo geez. Hard to pick-one, but I just saw an insane mental show and it was so incredibly energizing (Northlane, Invent Animate).”
What’s the one item of clothing you couldn’t live without?
“Probably my bike, does that count?”
A value you feel you align with, with OnwardUP’s values
“I align well with Advocacy, Relationships and Education & Experiences.”
Do you have a hero? Who?
“my late gramps, my gram, my mom.”
What keeps you going?
“Some days I don’t actually know, but I guess when I think about birds and trees and my plants and my friends. The determination to have purpose in this world, that keeps me striving too.”
Favourite place within walking distance of your house?
“The Bow River – the fly fishing can be incredible and going-off, or incredibly hard and frustrating. It’s also a busy place for nature; from Elk crossing to Birds and fish – it’s always a lovely place to sit and watch.”
Activity of choice?
“Tough question – it’s a tie between mtn biking and climbing.”
How did you get into [said activity]?
“I started climbing when I was 18, at Rattlesnake Point in Ontario! My climbing passion has ebbed and flowed over the years, but it’s always been a part of my life. My Mountain Biking journey really began when I moved out West and cut my teeth on the North Shore, and then the Whistler Bike Park and Squamish trails in the early 2000s. HOOKED. ADDICTED. I still go way too fast on my bike and probably always will.”
A Highlight from last year?
“There are a few memories that are worth highlighting! To name a few; Working in Whitehorse (falling in love with it all), a very fun climbing trip to Red Rocks and spending the month of December in Scotland with family.”
What’s one piece of gear that is always in your backpack and why?
“My Zoleo, because communication is important folks.”
How cold is too cold?
“If you ask my hands: -5 but if you ask any other part of my body …. -40? Layers are important!”
If you weren’t working for OnwadUP, what would you be doing?
“Probably teaching climbing and art still, and/or traveling the world extensively, and/or working for a non-profit being an activist for the plant and its people … and/or maybe something in consulting and human resources….”
