Friday, November 11 was my last day working for a corporation. After months of frustration I decided to leave, and it was a bittersweet occasion. On one hand, I adored several people in the building I frequented for nearly four years since signing up as the powered vehicle group marketing manager at FOX Factory, the suspension maker based in Scotts Valley near Santa Cruz, California. But the other hand prompted my decision to walk away from a six-figure salary, benefits and a modicum of ‘comfort’ provided by misguided and misdirected leadership.

In my first week on the job in early January 2019, I attended a Honda/Bosch UTV tuning session with the FOX team in Barstow, California. It was an eye-opener, an entry into the world of desert-focused motorsports, something I hadn’t quite mastered yet. A couple weeks later I was helping the FOX team at King of the Hammers in Johnson Valley, California, one of the largest off-road events in the world. It was such early days that I was just getting to know my co-workers and the personalities involved with the desert scene.

One of them was Jessi Combs, a diminutive firecracker whose bona fides I later discovered made her instantly fun to be around. Because one of my main charters was marketing the FOX V-twin suspension products, I asked if she’d be interested in visiting our office and lab, and in return we’d upgrade her Harley Dyna shocks. She immediately agreed, and two months later she and her pal Terry Madden rode up from Jessi’s Long Beach shop.

A consummate professional, she made friends with everyone in our building, flashing that bright smile and asking questions. My co-worker Daniel Gillooley drove a Sprinter van while photographer/videographer Stephen Clark hung out the side or back, capturing Jessi in motion along CA-1 and Stage Road in Pescadero for a FOX campaign we planned.

I borrowed co-worker James Alens’s Harley to lead the way, nudging Jessi ahead for key shots. The rain came down in buckets as we winnowed our way on Bean Hollow Road before riding through axle-high flooding on Pescadero Road. What began as an unavoidable problem turned into the money shot we needed, fluid in every way possible, despite Stephen almost getting thwacked by the Sprinter doors suddenly slamming shut as Daniel eased to a stop as he snapped the picture below.

The smile in my fogged-up helmet was too much to forget as I think back to that wonderful day in the saddle with Jessi and Terry. Months later, when FOX ran the video on dozens of Jumbotrons at the Sturgis Rally, Jessi snuck up on me in the Roland Sands Design rig as I was chatting with Indian’s head designer Ola Stenegärd, squealing with delight as she pointed at the screen to the left of the main Buffalo Chip stage before Snoop Dog performed.

thejessicombs

A post shared by Jessi Combs (@thejessicombs)

Three weeks later she succumbed to injuries during a world land speed record attempt in Oregon, and like many who knew her from personal experience, my heart broke in a thousand pieces.

Looking back, this was the last time I enjoyed my job at FOX. A new CEO took over in July 2019, and the charter has been explosive growth at all costs. Several good people have left, including Daniel, my once Cycle World co-worker and former FOX boss Corey Eastman, and others from my immediate team. It was nothing to do with ‘economic headwinds’ and more to do with corporate greed, which I understood might evolve when I returned to an office job after two decades away.

Unfortunately, corporate ‘rightsizing’ is real and happening daily. Tech giants like Meta, Amazon and others are making massive cuts. I hope all that talent decides to reevaluate priorities and finds peace of mind before deciding on a new career path.

For me, it’s always been and will continue to be about working smarter, treating others with respect, bringing the fun, and sharing a zeal for life to hopefully inspire others to do the same. I’ve returned to the Wild West of freelance writing, and this cowboy couldn’t be happier.

Iron & Air’s editor-in-chief Adam Fitzgerald threw me a lifeline earlier this year, asking to contribute to the new and expanding website. Look for more words from me and photos from Henri, as we plan to revitalize the ‘Motorcycles Are Drugs’ podcast soon.