aSkyRideGuy

Matt, Thanks for understanding what I am trying to do here. If I am not knowledgeable about a particular item, I will simply tell you, or I will attempt to attain relevant information from someone here who is knowledgeable about the item. Of course, I will not be able to respond to every post here --- I simply don’t have time. So, if I do not respond to something, it is not because I am trying to avoid an issue. It is simply that, due to my limited time, I have to prioritize and balance my work responsibilities with time spent responding to bulletin board messages. I will try to respond to all reasonable, non-abrasive private messages. This is because it is easier for me to answer private messages since I can easily go straight to them without reading a host of other messages that are not specifically addressed to me. However, if I respond to a private message, please feel free to post my response on this thread --- I am not trying to hide anything. I noticed that someone suggested I fill out more information in my profile. Since the profile information is primarily about skydiving, I really don’t have much to put in a profile. I am not a skydiver, and I am not trying to represent myself as one. I have been open about being a 1800SkyRide employee, and I will continue to be open and honest. Again, Matt, I appreciate your reasonable, measured response. Rest assured that, as I learn more, I will post details about specific items mentioned on this board and in my private messages. Thanks, Matt, and have a great day, aSkyRideGuy

Good-day all. I’m new to this board, and I work for 1800SkyRide. I noticed on the board, someone referencing a recent 1800SkyRide/Travelocity press release and wanting to know who Jeff Golden was. Well, that would be me. I am Jeff Golden, and I wrote the press release. In order to operate in a professional manner, I forwarded the press release to Travelocity for their approval. After obtaining their approval, I then submitted the press release. 1800SkyRide believes our burgeoning relationship with Travelocity will help usher new people into the sport of skydiving. And building a strong future for the sport is one of our primary objectives. We have also invested in national ad campaigns like the Sky Mall ad mentioned on this board. We believe our national campaigns will also direct new people into the skydiving world, thus strengthening the sport. One of our goals is to direct new people from untapped markets into the skydiving world. And, in order to realize this goal, we will continue developing more national relationships and launching new national campaigns in the future. Many of the complaints residing in this board’s messages seem to have been resolved by 1800Skyride prior to my joining the company. And, in a good faith effort, the company seems to be working with its vendors to address any remaining issues needing attention. I think several of the posts on this board center around Ben and Cary, whom I have met a few times, but who are not actively involved with 1800SkyRide’s day-to-day operations on a regular basis. Several other people around here provide more active day-to-day guidance. It seems there are personal vendettas targeted at Ben and Cary, which are also affecting 1800SkyRide’s image. Based on my observations, I don’t think this crusade against 1800SkyRide is justified. There are plenty of people who work here – people like you and me. These people have families, children, good times, and bad times. Like people everywhere these days, many of the 1800SkyRide employees have personal and money challenges in their lives. They are thankful when things go right, and they hurt when things do not go as expected. In short, they are just real people working for a real company in a real world. Again, these are just my personal observations. I see there are some on this board who seem to passionately believe the items posted here are true. I would like to provide my first-hand input so you don’t have to rely on second-hand information. 1800SkyRide’s leadership is committed to helping the skydiving industry continue to grow, committed to the continuing success of the company, and committed to the well being of all the employees who work hard and long to find new ways to promote the adventure sports industry. Listen, I am just an individual working for a company. I have tried to honestly communicate my opinion of the company. I am not writing this to attempt to engage in the heated personal debates of this message board thread. I just wanted to provide this forum with my viewpoint. I am a source that can communicate first-hand observations. I have had the pleasure of speaking to several of our vendors from the skydiving community. Some of these vendors have expressed their belief that many 1800SkyRide supporters are intimidated by the heated postings on this board; therefore, many of our supporters do not post here. These supporters neglect to make positive statements about 1800SkyRide on such a board as this. They hesitate to praise their healthy partnerships with 1800SkyRide because they do not want to put themselves in the position of being criticized by people posting here. If you have an honest concern about 1800SkyRide that you would like to discuss personally with me, I will be happy to entertain your concerns. I don’t pretend to have all the answers; however, I am in a position to ascertain the truth about things here. So, please send me any valid concerns you have about 1800SkyRide. Feel free to private message me here. Thank you so much for your time. Sincerely, Jeff Golden