Meet Catherine Coulon | Skatepark Contractor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Catherine Coulon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Catherine, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
There is no business without risk taking and there is no reward without risk. As an entrepreneur you are inherently an outsider /outlier and by not conforming to the corporate world or a secure job you are taking inherent risks. Because our business is a creative pursuit, and we are constantly trying to innovative and push the boundaries of what is possible within our industry we are always taking what could be seen as ‘risks’ although they are very calculated. The only way to become a leader in your field is to take risks your competitors are unwilling to take. You have to become comfortable with uncertainty, and essentially become comfortable with being uncomfortable. But what comes with great risk is great reward.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Our company is a design/build skatepark building company. We focus on making beautiful, user friendly skateparks that are timeless and enhance their natural surroundings. We have developed a new unique style of skateparks that provide for an ‘endless ride’ and allow the user to maintain speed and momentum with minimal to no pushing. We are extremely proud of the contributions we’ve made to communities all over the world by creating places for people to go and have fun, be active, and build community. It has been extremely difficult to get to where we are but also extremely rewarding. Simply put, desperation and grit is what got us here. Dusting ourselves off and learning from our failures- and there have been many failures and let downs but also many triumphs. Some lessons that stick out are- it doesn’t pay. to be cheap. Being cheap and trying to save a buck will almost always cost you more in the long run. Another lesson that has perhaps been the hardest is that everyone is different and everyone is motivated by different things. Managing a team is extremely difficult and unpredictable and you’ll never master human psychology. We started our company because we thought we had something different and better to offer the world that wasn’t already being created. We also wanted to provide work for other like minded individuals.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Depends what city….. we have a house in Montana and also Portland, Oregon.

Let’s take Montana. I would take them on a tour of Evergreen parks- there are 5 within an hour or so of our home. Stevensville, Hamilton, Darby, Alberton, Superior. Maybe a quick hike and then a swim at Lake Como followed by a bbq and drinks on the porch of our farmhouse.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We would like to thank Jeff Ament of Montana Pool Service (and a little band called Pearl Jam) for believing in us and giving us creative freedom on so many amazing collaboration projects in the state of Montana. Also our hardworking staff who help all of these projects come to life to such a high level of quality.

Website: evergreenskateparks.com

Instagram: evergreenskateparks

Image Credits
Bryce Kanights Photography