“I was blessed with an incredibly kind and loving mother. She is by far the most selfless individual I know. As a single teenage mother of two, she still managed to support her young family by working two jobs, oftentimes late into the night. I don’t remember opening gifts during the holiday season as a child, I do remember visiting kids we didn’t know and buying them gifts the day before Christmas.

The one gift I do remember receiving as a young boy was a set of red Rossignol skis, the ones with a small rooster on the tips. Such an expensive gift was out of the norm on Christmas Day and therefore made an indelible mark on my memory. The gift came from my mother’s employer, a man named Leon. This man became my first mentor, my first Business Leader, one that, to this day, I still don’t really know.

This company holiday tradition is a nod to both Mom and Leon — two who have inspired me, and left me forever following their lead.”

– Cory Summerhays, Founder & CEO