MBA transformers: Charlie Berg

Once: pro skier, the Rockies, Alps, Sierra Nevadas, Cascades

Now: associate product line merchandiser, Eddie Bauer

Charlie Berg (MBA 2011) downplays his characterization as a former professional skier. “Aspiring,” he qualifies.

Sure, he worked seasonal jobs and as a mortgage broker to pay the bills. But for eight years he lived to ski, in the mountains of Washington, Colorado, California and Switzerland. He notched several first descents in the Cascades, competed in extreme skiing competitions across North America, was featured in several skiing films.

But the dream was unsustainable. Berg needed a career, preferably within a business that shared his passions. Entering the Foster MBA Program, he identified outdoor apparel as a potential target.

“Foster is a jumping off point,” he says. “It gives you time to plan, puts you in a great position to try new things. And the internships are totally designed for that purpose.”

Berg fit right in at Eddie Bauer, an apparel company reconnecting with its roots as an outfitter for extreme endeavors. He manages the firm’s technical product line, deciding what clothes and accessories to make and how to market them to people like him.

Good work. And he still skis, “every chance I get.”

Find out about the other alumni who transformed their careers via the MBA Program.