Get to Know Tyler McPherson
Butora has pretty amazing people. Our account managers spend months on the road each year meeting awesome retailers and customers. We’re introducing to you our account manager of the Pacific territory, Tyler McPherson.
Where are you from?
Oregon.
Where do you call home?
Salem, Oregon.
Where is your territory?
Pacific—Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Western Idaho, Alaska, Hawaii.
Who is the person you take advice from and why?
I take advice from my parents because they’ve been on this earth much longer than I have and raised me into the person I’ve become. I also take advice from my closest friends as they are those I trust most in life and hold that reservation of best friends for a reason. They’ve earned my respect and trust, and I consistently seek guidance from those closest to me.
The people who know you best, know these 3 things about you…
- I am determined, adventurous, strong-willed, and passionate.
- I have a dog named “Beans”.
- I brew beer and prior to HMH Outdoors I had aspirations to open a taphouse/brewery.
What shoes did you climb in before Butora?
Five Ten.
Ropes or Boulders and why?
Ropes. I enjoy getting several pitches off the ground. I tend to push myself harder when rope climbing.
How did you get involved with HMH?
My climbing partner from my three years in Korea and President of HMH Outdoors, Bryan Hylenski, asked for a Skype call while he was still living in Korea and I had returned stateside, where he proposed my joining our company and eventual path to where we are today. At the time I was running a construction business of my own in Bend, Oregon and was finding little time to climb and truly enjoy life. This call was followed by a box of climbing shoes showing up at my door a couple weeks later and a note from Bryan saying, “If you don’t like them, believe in them, or want to continue pursuing your current gig, I understand”. I immediately took them to Smith Rocks and instantly fell in love with the shoes. I continued to work construction as we started HMH and worked to get Butora into gyms and retailers around the country. I launched out on a 3-month road trip around the West Coast and tirelessly visited with every retailer and gym I could in that time, conducting demos every night. Flash forward to several months later and I became financially invested, part owner, and turned my full time towards building HMH Outdoors and managing our Pacific Region.
How has climbing benefited the rest of your life?
I began climbing at the age of 12 and as soon as I got my first car at age of 16 I was climbing as often as I could. Learning the skills, challenges, and establishing the friendships over my 20 years of climbing has firmly rooted my personality and drive in my climbing pursuits and life. Climbing has taken me all around the world which has enriched my character.
What is a story from the road that you have that you think could drag a person away from their cubicle to join you?
The best part of my job is the travel I get to do while on the road conducting demos and supporting events. I get to manage the entire west coast which contains some of the country’s best climbing areas, national parks, and vistas. Being able to drive through the desert or over the mountains is some of the rewarding elements to my travels.
What is the contribution that you have made to the climbing community that you are most proud of?
I was really proud of the work that we did in South Korea as part of KOTRI rebolting and enhancing several of the crags over there. Being able to give back to our foreign climbing community while living in another country for an extended time was really rewarding.
What is your favorite shoe, rope and chalk bag, and why?
Narsha – comfortable, precise, stiff, and aggressive for technical face climbing. Pam – she’s my climbing babe. Maxim Pinnacle 9.5mm – perfect ratio of weight, to burliness and diameter I look for in a rope.
Where is your favorite place to climb, and why?
Since I was 19 and first time I climbed in Yosemite, it’s been an awe-inspiring and motivational place for me to revere and enjoy. I now make at least one annual trip to Yosemite and each time I drive into the park is just as awakening as the first.
What is your spirit animal?
Dog
Get to know another one of our account managers, Nick Puff.
