This past March, Planet Granite posted a job announcement on their website (and CBJ) looking for a new head setter for their three bay-area climbing gyms. It did not take long for Renee DeAngelis, CEO, and Stephanie Pound, Sr. Director of Bay Area & Marketing, to see their inbox filling up with applications.
Landing a job at one of the US’s premier climbing gyms would be a dream come true for one lucky setter. But it wasn’t luck that ultimately won the day. It was skill and professionalism.
After a long search the interview team whittled down a very talented pool of setters to five people for a second round of interviews. This second round included four US and one international candidate. But it was Bret Johnston, a 25 year old National Chief Setter from Seattle, Washington that got the job.
Ever since his Dad opened the first climbing gym in America, Vertical World, Johnston has been immersed in the business and the culture of climbing gyms. Johnston has been climbing, competing, coaching and setting longer than most setters have been turning wrenches.
For the last few years Johnston has been quickly moving up the ranks of USAC pro-setters to become the youngest National Chief in USAC history. So it’s no surprise that he has been tapped to lead the Planet Granite route setting program.
When asked about why Johnston was selected, Pound said, “He absolutely impressed us with his initiative and insight.”
The Background
Before the position was even announced, PG management went to the setting crew and asked them what they wanted in someone who would lead setting operations at all of their locations.
“We asked our setting crew what they wanted, what they were looking for in terms of guidance and structure for their setting process,” said Pound. “We took what they said and made that the foundation for what we would look for in this new role as Director of Setting.”
In the past, numerous setters have filled the position of Head Setter, but it was not a salaried position or part of the official management team. By creating the Director of Setting position, PG is elevating the role of setting within their facilities.
With three San Francisco area gyms and another to open later this year in Portland, Oregon, the PG company is growing fast. When their Portland location comes online they will be the 4th largest gym developer in the US based on the total climbing wall area in operation, with 94,284 square feet of climbing surface (they will be tied for 4th with five other companies based on the number of locations).
They also recently attempted to open their first location in the Los Angeles area but ran into problems with the former ice rink they hoped to convert; the facility had a small but vocal support group that objected to the project and dug up some arcane zoning documents at the city that essentially killed the deal for PG.
With all this development DeAngelis and her crew knew they needed to “put more structure to [the setting program] as we’ve grown,” said Pound.
The Hiring Process
PG put their candidates through a very rigorous process that, for Johnston, included multiple phone and Skype interviews. Then after checking his references they flew him out to San Francisco for two days of setting and working with the PG crew. This also included both an in-person formal and informal interview. Then to finish off the process, Johnston had a Skype interview with Micky Lloyd, owner of Planet Granite.
For Johnston, the rigorous interview process seemed warranted. “I think this process was so in depth because they wanted to make the right decision,” Johnston told CBJ. “I was always impressed by their professionalism throughout the process.”
From PG’s perspective, the interviews allowed them to find the best fit from a group of very qualified candidates. By the end, they felt confident that Johnston was the right candidate. “During the whole process Bret rose to the top … with his personality … and with what he brought to the table in terms of his initiative,” said Pound in an interview with CBJ.
“It is a really fine balance in the setting world to find someone who is creative and excited about the process but can also manage the business side of things. That was something he really acutely understood. His understanding of that at a mature level was really important to us.”
The Candidates
Johnston was up against some of the best setters in the country including several National level route setters. For Pound the process of narrowing down the initial pool of about ten applicants was challenging simply because of the diversity of resumes.
“Really every person was very different,” she said. “It wasn’t like taking three people that were exactly the same and one rose above. It was multiple people with a wide variety of backgrounds and finding what would be the best fit for the team.”
The applicants were from all over the country, and had a variety of backgrounds. “We had competitive setting experience, competitive climbing experience, and commercial setting experience. We had head setters, non head setters … all brought unique perspectives to the table. We really wanted to give our team someone that they would both respect and be motivated by, challenged by and grow under,” Pound said.
New Development Program
PG is not just hiring a new Director of Setting, they are also creating a program to bring new setters into the fold and to develop their existing routesetters. Long time PG setter and National setter, Max Zolotukhin, will jump into the role of Head of Setter Development and Training.
According to Zolotukhin, in this new role he will be “overseeing route setter development and mentorship, helping to train new setting hires and people we enroll in our apprenticeship program, as well as overall quality control with what is being put on the wall.”
This new apprenticeship program will be a first for PG and is still in the development stages; only one person has gone through the program so far.
“Basically [we] take a pool of qualified candidates from the front desk who are interested in setting but have no experience, and pick the most qualified one through interviews/light setting tryouts (unpaid),” said Zolotukhin. “This person is then trained (paid) once every week or two by myself or assistant head setter over the course of a few months. If they are then deemed qualified to join the crew, they come on for one day a week as a setter.”
With PG’s current and planned facilities, it’s certain that both Johnston and Zolotukhin will stay busy.
Climbing Business Journal is an independent news outlet dedicated to covering the indoor climbing industry. Here you will find the latest coverage of climbing industry news, gym developments, industry best practices, risk management, climbing competitions, youth coaching and routesetting. Have an article idea? CBJ loves to hear from readers like you!
