Who Are the Dads Behind Bending Branches’ Paddles?
10-minute read
Many on the Bending Branches’ team in our Wisconsin headquarters are parents. During Father’s Day month, we wanted to introduce the dads on our leadership team—what it means to be a father and how our company helps support them.
Cory, Jason and Mark—three dads of Bending Branches
These dads include Jason Eccles (President and co-owner), Mark Eskro (Controller) and Cory Novinska (VP of Operations and co-owner).
Coincidentally, while we attempted to get all three together at the same time for a live interview, these men were taking time for a family vacation, which made that harder—and yet emphasizes the points we make here! They take the role as Dad seriously.
(Instead, they sent their answers to these questions via email when they had the time.)
Keep reading for fun insights into the family and work lives of these dads:
What’s one of your favorite memories paddling with your kids?
JASON: I have a daughter (15) and son (13). Every year, Branches shuts down the factory for a day in August and takes the entire company on a paddling trip. Employees are encouraged to invite their families to join.
My most memorable experiences come from having my two kids join that adventure every year. Particularly when they were little, sitting on their toddler lawn chairs in the middle of the canoe. Now they get their own kayaks.
Jason Eccles’ two kids on a Branches’ paddling trip
MARK: I've been blessed with five daughters—Stella (15), Violet (14), Hazel (12), Beatrice (10) and Norah (8). We also have my lovely wife Bethany, and two dogs and a cat—all of which are girls. I'm definitely on an island at home!
My favorite memories paddling with them are our company paddle trips each summer. We shut down the factory for ½ a day and have a picnic lunch, then paddle the St. Croix.
I remember starting at Branches 13 years ago and having my daughters fall asleep on my lap as I paddled. The warm sunshine, full bellies and gentle rhythm of paddling would lull them right to sleep. It wasn't too long before they outgrew that, and before I knew it, they hopped in their own kayaks and paddled down and back up the river to me.
Mark Eskro with his five daughters
Nowadays, I'll paddle a canoe to hold snacks and coolers and they will race down the river in kayaks, then paddle upstream back to me for refreshments.
CORY: About once a month, my wife and I take each of our kids individually on a date. One of my favorite paddling memories was last month when my oldest son, Huck (5), wanted to go paddling on our date. I was excited to hear that and gave him three options he could pick from, where we could go.
He picked one that was close to the house, but when we got there, he wanted to go the opposite direction, as we had gone in the past. It was across a busy road and looked to be very choked out with weeds. However, I reluctantly agreed.
It was a fantastic choice by my son. It was a narrow passage, tightly winding through tall cattails and swamp grasses. Around every corner, we saw new wildlife. Ducks, geese, swans, blue herons, redwing black birds, turtles, dragonflies and more.
On top of Huck's excitement over the wildlife, he was excited that he had the whole front seat to sit on, instead of having to share with his mom or sibling. He helped paddle more than I expected and was a big help when we had to paddle upstream. We enjoyed our time getting together and for me, it was far more than just a paddle outing.
Cory Novinska with his son
What do your kids think of Bending Branches and the paddles?
JASON: Being that our factory processes wood, I come home every day smelling like a woodworking shop. My kids often tell me how good I "smell" when I come home. Regarding paddles, they get quite excited to see and paddle the prototypes that don't make it to the consumer market.
MARK: My kids think Bending Branches is pretty cool. They love getting sneak peeks at new designs and giving me all sorts of input on colors. When Violet was in third grade, her teacher asked what I did at Branches, and her response was “computering.” To this day, I joke that's all I do—just some computering.
CORY: My wife, Cris, and I have three wonderful children. Huck (5), Hallie (2), and Nash (5 months). Obviously, each thinks differently. However, one commonality is that Huck and Hallie think of the people who work at Branches as an extension of our family.
For example, I took a video of Huck going off a rope swing we hung in a tree in our front yard. After I showed him the video, he said, “You'll have to show your coworkers!" Hallie will ask when we can go to where I work again, as once in a while, they’ll stop by to see everyone. I think they just like the treats they get when they come, but it’s fun to hear they want to come visit where Dad works.
Why is getting your kids outdoors important for you?
JASON: Spending time in the outdoors and connecting with nature is good for the spirit and the soul. Teaching my kids the value of this connection while disconnecting with our ever-evolving digital world is important for their development as healthy and productive humans.
Jason with his wife and children
MARK: Getting my kids outdoors has always been important to my wife and I. Especially in today's day and age where we’re all glued to screens. Disconnecting from the internet and reconnecting with each other is so easy once we're outdoors.
I also like the timelessness of the outdoors. Sure, gear changes and evolves, but when you break it down to the basics, when my girls and I paddle a canoe down a river, we are doing the exact same thing countless generations have done before us.
I also believe getting outdoors doesn't mean you have to own thousands of dollars of gear or travel hundreds of miles. It can be as simple as playing in the backyard, having a campfire, running in the rain, or seeing how many times you can skip a rock across a pond.
CORY: I was extremely fortunate to have a great mother and father growing up. My dad introduced me to the outdoors very early on in life, and he and I still spend time together in that manner to this day.
Time together in the outdoors gave my dad, brother and me countless memories that shaped me as a young man and hold us together to this day. It gave me an avenue to disconnect from the modern-day busyness of the world. A way to recharge my personal batteries and see the beauty God created.
I feel that if I don't make the time to show my kids the outdoors, I’m setting them up to miss out on memories and life-giving beauty that can recharge what the current world pulls from them.
How do you balance work life and being an involved dad?
JASON: I committed many years ago to give my kids a different parental experience than what I had as a child. I will not put my work or company responsibilities in front of my responsibilities as a parent.
Because of this commitment, I find it very easy to maintain a balance between my responsibilities to the business and those of a parent. I must give credit to my wife in this regard, as she was instrumental in helping me understand and acknowledge the importance of my role as a father.
MARK: I know this is a Father's Day post, but the real honest answer here is my lovely wife, Bethany. We're a team and take turns covering for each other when work occasionally extends beyond the normal 9-to-5.
Mark with his wife and daughters
I'm lucky in that our team at Branches works really hard during normal hours, and it’s very rare that work life conflicts with my home life. As my girls have gotten older, it's actually been fun to talk with them about work. Sometimes they approach a topic in a different way that gives me a new perspective.
CORY: I have an LPL (Life Priority List) that I look at once a quarter and grade myself on how I did—living up to what I set as most important. This keeps me in check and helps to ensure the scale isn't tipping too far one way. “Being a great dad” and “work” land at 3 and 6 on the LPL. I'll let you guess in what order.
Cory’s mother with his daughter
How does Bending Branches help with that?
JASON: Branches has developed a culture that emphasizes the human element of our business. This culture acknowledges the importance of a strong, healthy family and its impact on one's quality of life, both at work and at home.
The team will support one another and pick up after each other when there’s a personal family situation demanding someone's time and attention. It's our culture within the company that grants each of us permission to prioritize life's responsibilities appropriately.
MARK: Branches has one of the best cultures for work-life balance I've ever seen. I'm highly encouraged to take some time to go chaperone a field trip or leave a few minutes early to get to a concert or basketball game.
A lot of folks at Branches are parents, and we all understand it's a 24/7 job. It's also totally acceptable to bring your child to work for a few hours if you have a scheduling conflict.
CORY: Branches is extremely flexible in allowing this to happen. We take our products seriously, but not ourselves. We understand being our best means taking care of ourselves, mentally and physically. We encourage each other to spend time outdoors, getting fresh air and making memories with those closest to us.
What’s your proudest moment as a dad (on or off the water)?
JASON: This is a tough question, as I have so many. As I think deeply about this question, my proudest moments are the accumulation of small instances that most people might not recognize.
Jason with his kids
I'm most proud when my kids hold the door for someone, say thank you, or pick up garbage on a trail that someone else has left behind. They’re exemplary little humans that would make any parent proud.
MARK: It's hard to pick just one moment. All five of my girls are amazing and each one of them has their own unique traits that make me so proud.
I think what I'm really proud of is that even as they’re growing into their own personalities, they still want to spend time with me. As they get older, they have jobs, friends, sports, and all sorts of fun things vying for their time. And yet through all of that, they ask what I have going on and if they can tag along.
Mark with his family
CORY: Any time one of my children shows up as kind, respectful or grateful without prompting. I feel proud of the work my wife and I are putting in daily.
Cory’s wife and their daughter
BONUS: What’s your favorite Dad Joke?
JASON: Two guys walked into a bar, the third guy ducked.
MARK: Why did the barber win the race? He took a shortcut!
[NOTE: Bending Branches has many amazing team members in varying stages of life and parenthood. In this blog post, we've chosen to highlight a few of them. We hope this has been an uplifting read and empowers you no matter where you may be in your parenting journey!]
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or bbinfo@bendingbranches.com, or choose our online chat option.
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