Snowboard maker gets boost from Microsoft

A partnership with Microsoft potentially could give a big boost in sales to a small Reno-based snowboard maker.

Sentury Snowboards contracted with Microsoft to manufacture a line of snowboards branded with Microsoft's Bing search engine logo on the top- and bottom-sheet graphics.

The deal could double or even triple Sentury's sales heading into next fall's snowboard season, says Alex de Roulet, marketing and sales manager for Sentury Snowboards.

Locally, Microsoft is offering employees a snowboard demo day at Mt. Rose with the Bing-branded boards, and the Redmond, Wash.-based company has offered the boards for sale to employees on its company Web site, says de Roulet.

"For Microsoft to really stretch out and offer us a chance to participate in their Grow Share program really is a win for us," de Roulet says. "Their employees are really receptive to idea.

"The full-time employees are getting wholesale pricing, and they are really gobbling it up. For next year, I see a tremendous amount of growth opportunities and expect to do several hundred, maybe even upwards of 1,000 boards for them alone."

The partnership came about through a friendship with Sentury Snowboards founder Ben Harmon and Ken Skogerson, supply chain program manager for Microsoft Licensing in Reno.

Skogerson says the partnership also benefits Microsoft by promoting awareness of its search engine, which has been making slow inroads into a market dominated by Google.

"Microsoft is able to use the Bing-branded snowboards as a vehicle to drive local awareness of our new search engine," Skogerson says."Additionally, Microsoft has an opportunity to connect with our communities and grow share through the active lifestyles and sports we pursue and the ability to connect with a younger demographic crowd."

The increased sales will provide additional working capital to help Sentury expand production capabilities at its small shop on Sutro Street near Hug High School, de Roulet says.