There Is No Finish Line Podcast

Founding Member

Oregon Sports Angels

Nancy Monsarrat and Pat Hellberg joined Nike at roughly the same time in the late 80s. The Swoosh was on the upswing, and they quickly felt the amazing power of a brand that spoke to human potential. Nancy and Pat recount their journey to Nike, speak to the energy of the company at that time, and share the lessons they learned along the way. Between them, they contributed an incredible body of Nike work in advertising, marketing, and design, but for us and so many of our guests, their mentorship is what will be their lasting legacy.

Oregon Sports Angels

PERIOD.

Pat The Wine Guy

When Ellen Schmidt-Devlin chose the University of Oregon for her collegiate track and field career, little did she know that Bill Bowerman would personally send her on a 25-year career at Nike. She had no clue that she would become a tester of his prototypes, help expand his product testing program, move to Exeter, New Hampshire, and eventually move around the world to support the growth of a fledgling company that was taking flight. That path of becoming a Duck would take her to places she never imagined. Later in her career she would provide her alma mater with a plan for a graduate program that would help a new generation of students learn what she did at Nike.

University of Oregon Sports Product Management Program

Kyna Williams brought her tenacity and work ethic from her background as a collegiate runner to her experience as leader within the Brand Marketing organization at Nike. Her knowledge of the sport and her understanding of the athlete’s mindset brought a much-needed refresh to how the category spoke to the consumer and reinvigorated their grassroots approach to running. Her insatiable desire for knowledge and understanding new innovative ways of marketing led her to mentors within the company that helped build her ethos and approach for how to empathetically lead others. In an effort to refocus on the needs and well-being of their family, a new adventure in Montana began, and Kyna’s role in leading Revel Real Estate has brought her a whole new perspective on the importance of finding happiness in whatever you do.

Revel Real Estate

Craig Lyon learned the importance of storytelling early in his high school experience through play-by-play broadcasting, and it carried through to his major in Telecommunications at Indiana University. As an intern starting out at Nike, he quickly learned the importance of putting in the time to absorb the category and how they were speaking to their consumer. This strong work ethic led to a lengthy career within Nike Basketball Brand Marketing, culminating in a role as Senior Director of Marketing for North America. Craig has begun a new chapter of his career at Connected Cannabis, where he will bring his exceptional strengths as a storyteller and brand marketer to an upstart brand in a rapidly growing industry.

Connected Cannabis

Aric Rist followed his gut and the map on the Nike shoebox to relocate from the east coast to Portland, OR. A contract position evolved into a full-time Nike role responsible for supporting production at the burgeoning Brand Photography studio. Following the Nike Maxim, “Do The Right Thing”, Aric’s leadership and vision grew the capabilities of the team and created groundbreaking work in partnership with ambitious creative teams and powerhouse photographers. His experiences at Nike helped prepare him for his new role as Creative Director for Groundworks Industries, where he and his team are blazing new trails in a wide-open landscape with unlimited possibilities.

Groundworks Industries

There is a maxim at Nike:

“Listen to the voice of the athlete”

In a company founded by athletes, Dick Oldfield follows in the footsteps of many that brought his own experience as an elite runner to his role in footwear development. His competitive insights helped inform foundational Nike footwear like the Air Max and iconic executions like Michael Johnson’s gold shoe. Newly retired, Dick reflects with us on his 36 years with the Swoosh and imparts some wisdom to those who are just getting started.

Dick Oldfield

Rudy Manival was born and raised in France, was entranced by Le Tour, and found a way to combine his insights of Tour riders and his love of Nike into a role that would set the course for a 23-year career. Obsessing over product and what the consumer demanded, he merged the why with the how and helped create some of Nike’s most iconic products.

Rudy Manival

Vice President of Marketing

Les Green found his way to Nike through Battlegrounds. The legendary blacktop basketball battle exposed him to the power of Nike grassroots marketing and solidified a growing desire to work at the company that could put that kind of spectacle together. When faced with the choice of working at its main competitor or at its agency of record, Les chose the Nike path and embarked on a more than 10-year journey that would take his family around the world.

Spring

Consultant

In our first conversation with Mark, he reminisced on his 30-year career and his part in helping to create Nike advertising. John and I knew we were just scraping the surface, so we had to have Mark back on. So begins our first installment of Thomashow Tales. Mark’s stories about the incredible talent that contributed to the iconic Nike advertising we’ve all come to know and love.

Chief Marketing Officer

Tesa Aragones was raised in Detroit, and she embodies that same hardworking and humble spirit that the city is known for. Her early love of storytelling merged with a curiosity for a nascent digital form of communication that brands were just starting to integrate into their marketing plans. Tesa’s groundbreaking work at Volkswagen and Nike paved the way for how those brands became vanguards in the digital landscape, and has brought her to a new challenge leading Discord through a period of incredible growth and transformation.

Tesa Aragones

Discord