Jake Burton Carpenter: Career, Death & Net Worth
Do you want to know about Jake Burton Carpenter? If yes, you have come to the right place!
Jake Burton Carpenter, an American snowboarder, and businessman, was the pioneer of modern snowboard inventions.
He innovated snowboard into business and shaped it into Olympic height.
The world respects him as the godfather of snowboarding.
Jake is the founder of Burton Snowboards. He was the one who gave burton new height and fame.
Burton company is now a global snowboard, accessory, and apparel company.
It has sponsored international competitions and top athletes such as three-time Winter Olympic gold medalist Shaun White.
Despite his outstanding contribution, he rested in peace in 2019 at the University of Vermont Medical Center.
Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts about his life before we start:
| Full Name | Jake Burton Carpenter |
| Nick Name | Jake Burton |
| Date of Birth | 29-April-1959 |
| Date of Death | November 20, 2019 |
| Residence | Stowe, Vermont |
| Place of Birth | Manhattan, New York City, U.S |
| Religion | Not Available |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Education | Bachelors in Economics |
| School | Marvel wood School(High school), Brooks School |
| University | New York University, The University of Colorado |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
| Father’s name | Edward Carpenter |
| Mother’s name | Edward Carpenter |
| Siblings | Brother; George Wright Sisters; Katherine McCallum and Carolyn Wright |
| Age | 65 years (at the time of Death) |
| Height | Not Available |
| Weight | Not Available |
| Hair color | Dark blonde |
| Eye color | Dark |
| Body Type | Macho |
| Body Measurements | Not Available |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Relationship Status | Married |
| Spouse | Donna Gaston |
| Hobbies | snowboarding |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, Snowboarder |
| Organization founded | Burton Snowboards |
| Active Years | 1977-2016 |
| Net worth | $300 million |
| Social media | |
| Snowboard Equipment | Snowboard Boots, Helmet, Ski Goggles |
| Last Update | April 2024 |
Jake Burton Carpenter: Early Life, Siblings, Ethnicity, Nationality & Education
Jake Burton Carpenter was born on April 29, 1954, in New York City. He grew up in Stowe, Vermont. And his day of birth was Saturday.
Moreover, his father, Edward Carpenter, was an investment banker.
In addition, he had two sisters, Katherine McCallum and Carolyn Wright. Jake was the youngest kid among four siblings.
His older brother was killed when he was 14 years old during Marine Corps service in Vietnam.
His mother, Katherine Carpenter, died because of cancer after five years.
Correspondingly, he belonged to a white ethnic group.
Similarly, Carpenter’s ancestry isn’t disclosed yet!
In terms of nationality, he was an American.
He started his high school education at Brooks School in North Andover, Massachusetts.
Similarly, it was the same school where his father and brother completed their high school level.
Further, he studied at The Marvel wood School in Cornwall, Connecticut.
Lastly, he went to the University of Colorado at Boulder for further study.
Burton admitted that his intention of joining the university was to join the university’s ski team, which was the reigning NCAA champions.
At that time, he suffered from an automobile accident.
Therefore, his skiing career ended. Later, he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in economics from New York University in 1977.
After that, he briefly worked for an investment firm in Manhattan.
It was owned by his sister’s friend, Victor Niederhoffer. It was before starting his own company.
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Jake Burton Carpenter: Height, Weight, Physical Appearance, and Horoscope
Jake was 65 years old when he died. In addition, he had dark eyes and dark blonde hair color.
Apart from this, Jane’s birthday month falls under Taurus’s horoscope.
This horoscope possesses an intelligent, dependable, hardworking, dedicated, and stubborn personality.
Jake’s personality is identical to the zodiac sign.
He has intellectual ability, but he also looks like a macho man from his physical appearance.
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Jake Burton Carpenter: Career
Early Entrepreneurship Days
Jake was energetic from a young age.
As an illustration, his hardworking ability can be seen in his high school life.
Burton finished his schooling at age 15.
He even started a landscaping business at 23 years old.
His dream to become a snowboarder stopped when he broke his collar bone twice.
But he never stayed away from the snowboard.
In contrast, he worked as a horse groomer, tennis teacher, and bartender.
Further, he also worked as an assistant in an agency. It helped him learn, teach and grow small businesses on a large scale.
Later, his learning experience impacted and added value to become a successful entrepreneur in middle age.
Burton Startup and Struggle Period
In 1977, he started Burton Boards out of a barn in a house while working in Vermont. He named the company from his middle name.
In the beginning year, he was able to sell only 300 snowboards.
He soon realized he was targeting the wrong demographic group.
His hardworking and persistent ability brought new heights.
As a result, the following year, he sold 700 snowboards. And, sales continued to double annually for the next few years.
In 1979, Jake Burton won the Open Division and a $300 prize at the National Surfing Contest in Muskegon, Michigan.
Similarly, 1982 was the golden year for him because he met his future wife, Donna.
She was a lucky charm for him as she was his best advisor for his business.
Next year, he persuaded the Stratton Mountain ski resort in Vermont to open its slopes to snowboarders.
Burton Growing Market
By 1984, Burton signed with Keil Skit to manufacture the first snowboards with ski construction, steel edges, and a P-Tex base.
In the same year, Burton Snowboards had become a significant brand. As an outcome, sales reached one million dollars.
Hence, Burton was famous for developing economic and eco-friendly snowboarding as a lifestyle, sport, and culture and as a quality board manufacturer.
In 1985, he expanded globally and started Burton Europe in Innsbruck, Austria.
Further, in 1994, he became the first to go after women’s snowboarding apparel. Then, he also added children’s apparel.
For that, Burton sponsored a women’s demo tour.
Burton enlisted the help of elite riders such as Olympian Shannon Dunn and Victoria Jealouse to drive women’s interest in this sport.
By 1995, his company was ultimately worth more than $100 million.
Thus, Burton’s brand is explored as a modern sports brand.
Burton’s Popularity in Olympic Games
Burton sponsored famous faces such as Chloe Kim at age ten and the Flying Tomato, Shaun White, at age nine.
Accordingly, ESPN launched the Winter X Games in 1997.
It highlighted competitive snowboarding for the first time on a major sports network.
Due to this reason, snowboarding has become internationally famous.
Further, International Olympic Committee Executive Board also understood its value.
He decided to add snowboarding to the Olympic games because of its rapidly increasing popularity of snowboarding.
Burton debuted snowboarding at the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, Japan.
Jake continuously started hosting elite snowboarding championships.
Burton Portfolio Strategy
In 1999, it was an excellent year for celebration and a successful year for burton.
Burton’s sales reached $300 million, controlling about 40 percent of the snowboarding market.
However, the company faced massive competition from its competitors.
For example, some companies copied its features, such as Salomon, RIDE, and Arbor Snowboards.
Meanwhile, In 2004, Burton started diversifying its portfolio by acquiring a few smaller snowboarding companies.
For example, he bought skateboarding, surfing, and even apparel companies that made T-shirts, shorts, and bathing suits. Until 2008, Burton acquired 12 brands.
In 2009, the world economy suffered from a financial crisis.
Identically, Burton Snowboards also endured huge losses.
In other words, J.P. Morgan charged the company $4 million because it failed to maintain a certain ratio of earnings to debt as part of its loan deal.
So that, he and his wife stopped taking salaries, and other employees were also cut off.
Donna as CEO
He took a CEO role after Laurent Potdevin resigned from the CEO role in 2010.
Furthermore, after he arrived, the estimated annual sales were $500 million in 2015.
The company was able to sell at 30 flagship shops in America and around two dozen more across Europe and Asia.
In 2016, Jake appointed Donna as Burton’s new CEO.
Further, she created the company’s first consumer insights and strategy department and cared about product marketing.
In her time, the company became a certified B Corporation.
In 2019, the company had 1,050 employees at its headquarters and 64 freestanding stores.
He was a visionary leader in shaping snowboarding into a world-class sport and organizing U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships.
He also launched Learn To Ride and family-oriented instructional programs.
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Documentary
In 2013, a documentary was released titled We Ride: The Story of Snowboarding.
Likewise, the documentary shows archival footage with legends like Jake Burton, Tom Sims, Craig Kelly, etc.
Moreover, Pas Parasmand is the producer of the feature-length documentary.
Similarly, recently in 2021, Dear Rider was released, which is a documentary based on Jake Burton.
Additionally, it is directed by Fernando Villena and produced by Red Bull Media House.
Furthermore, Dear Rider is rated 7.6 by IMDb.
Jake Burton Carpenter: Personal Life
Jake lived in Stowe, Vermont, with his wife and children.
He married Donna Gaston on May 21, 1983, who later held top executive roles at Burton Snowboards.
The couple’s wedding took place at Donna’s parents’ home in Greenwich, Conn. He was in marital status for more than thirty years.
Jake met her at The Mill Tavern in Londonderry, Vermont. It was just after midnight on New Year’s Eve in 1981.
Further, he was 28 years old, and Donna was 18 years old.
Donna attended Columbia University in NYC. But, she came to Vermont on weekends.
She hung out and helped him in the factory.
In addition, the couple has three sons named George, Taylor, and Timi.
Jake Burton Carpenter: Net Worth
He had an estimated net worth of $300 million in 2019. Burton’s family and company revenue altogether was approximately $700 million.
In 2019, the company had an estimated $400 million in revenue and a 32% share of the global snowboarding market.
Apart from his business, Jake was also known for his generous heart and social work. The couple started the Chill Foundation in 1995.
For instance, Chill served more than 25,000 young people in 24 cities in 10 countries.
The charity works with social service and mental health agencies and juvenile justice programs and supports and selects sports candidates from local schools.
In summary, The foundation helps about 3,000 individuals each year.
Jake Burton Carpenter: Social Media
He was actively connected through social media with his fans and well-wisher until his last breath.
During his time alive, he had over 80K followers on Instagram.
Jake Burton Carpenter: Cause of Death
On December 11, 2014, Jake Burton left the company because of a health issue on his knees.
After knee replacement, the ambulance brought him to Copley hospital in Vermont.
The report found the first signs of Miller Fisher syndrome in his body, a rare Guillain-Barre syndrome.
The disease caused him to paralyze for several weeks. He was unable to move his body except for his hands.
Further, Carpenter suffered from knee injuries, testicular cancer, pulmonary embolism, and a rare and severe neurological disorder.
He died at age 65 on November 20, 2019.
Even BBC released an obituary that the godfather of snowboarding had died.
Similarly, the Burton Snowboards company also Tweeted, expressing their deepest condolences.
Jake Burton Carpenter: Quotes
- “You must build your character before the age of 40 because there is a destiny you must discover at the age of 40.”
- “As human beings, we are on a continuous journey of self-discovery and experience.”
Jake Burton Carpenter: Awards and Achievements
Hw was one of six honorees for the Tribeca Film Festival Disruptive Innovation Awards on March 27, 2015.
Jake Burton Carpenter was a member of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame.
Jake Burton Carpenter: FAQs
What was the cause of Jake Carpenter Burton’s Death?
Jake Carpenter Burton died because of the complications of testicular cancer.
Who is the inventor of modern-day snowboarding?
Jake Burton was the first to create an alternative to skis, as he invented the snowboard.
Furthermore, he is credited alongside Tom Sims for creating the snowboard used today.
