Who We Are
The BoardSport Technologies Enterprise is passionate about board sports. Almost everyone in the enterprise hits the slopes, the water, or skates and the excitement that is generated while riding translates directly to every project that BST creates. This is the excitement and energy that make BST a successful enterprise at Michigan Tech, and without a doubt that BST will be successful for many years to come. If you are passionate about boardsports or interested in the BoardSport Technologies Enterprise, feel free to stop by a meeting!
Our History
BST got its start in the fall of 2005, almost on a whim. After hanging out in Nate Thomas’s room for a few too many hours, Nate suggested the idea for the enterprise. Andrew Brinks encouraged him and wouldn’t let the idea die. After checking out the requirements for starting a new enterprise and finding how many people were willing to be members, the BoardSport Technologies Enterprise was created. A proposal was written and weekly meetings were held, and after hashing out many details the idea was proposed to the enterprise board by Nate and Andrew. The board accepted the proposal unanimously, and the new enterprise was official! As is indicated in the picture, each of the initial members has had an interest in building boards. The picture shows Josh Ball sanding on a wake-skate created during the summer of 2005 by Andrew, Josh, and Nate Donajkowski. This first board was a bit of a flop, but it got us thinking about how we could create our own unique boards. The enterprise could not have gotten its start without the incredible help of the initial supporters Nate T, Andrew, Josh, Nate D, Matt M, Chance, and Emily.
Our Objectives
Boardsport Technologies Enterprise focuses on the engineering, design, and manufacturing of skis, snowboards, skateboards, wakeboards, and other products related to the boardsport industry.
Resources
The BST Enterprise boasts a unique set of resources. We have access to the hundreds of faculty members at Michigan Tech that have experience in a many different fields, making information easily accessible and available. Furthermore, we also have access to:
- A state of the art machine shop, featuring plasma cutters, waterjet cutters, CNC machining centers, 3-axis HAAS machines and more.
- Material testing laboratories with various universal testing machines (axial, shear, bending, etc.) and 3-axis configurable hydraulic structural testing systems.
- A small in-house foundry consisting a ski and snowboard press, skateboard press, CNC machine, and many other hand-held tools.
- Local Suppliers
