Working It: Rock climber learns to talk to people in sales position

Todd Clark, a sales associate at Rock Creek, said he enjoys hearing about customers' adventures. Staff Photo by Holly Leber/Chattanooga Times Free Press

Name: Todd Clark

Position: Sales associate

Location: Rock Creek

First job: Concession worker at a ballpark

Motivation: Clark is a rock climbing enthusiast who recently moved to Chattanooga to be close to good climbing opportunities. "I started about four years ago," he said. "I had a friend take me, and from then on I was just hooked." He frequents Foster Falls, among other locations.

Best part of the job: "It's a huge part of the outdoor industry. I get to meet a lot of people who are going on pretty interesting trips." Clark, 28, said he has encountered customers who are heading off for an adventure in Fiji. "I help them get outfitted with gear and clothes to go there, water filters, things like that."

Shared experiences: "Everybody's got a story. We've got a guy here who is all excited to go to Wyoming for a month, so we're talking about what he needs for that. He's excited about that. We have customers coming in and he's telling them about his trip and sharing that experience."

Worst part of the job: "The hours make it a little hard to get out sometimes. We're open right in the middle of the day ... so it limits what you can do in a day."

What he's learned: "A big thing would be learning how to talk to people, and learning about people. A lot of times before I wouldn't take an interest in other people because I had my own thing going on, and I'd talk to my friends. But I found there are a lot of interesting people out there who are doing a lot of interesting things, and it's important to take the time to get to know somebody else."

Dream job: A representative for an outdoor company. "I'd like to travel a lot, see a lot of different places in this world and meet a lot of new people."