Countless lines have been written about the various “paths” people take. The most notable one might be by the great Robert Frost in his poem, The Road Not Taken: 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— 

I took the one less traveled by, 

And that has made all the difference. 

In the case of Greg Bergen, Frost’s famous words are appropriate—only for different reasons. 

Upon graduating from San Diego State with a degree in Communications and Business, Bergen faced a tough decision. He could have either followed his dream of traveling to Australia, living off the grid and chasing waves on the Gold Coast—or simply taken a job and entered the rat race as we know it (and who really looks forward to their first job anyways?). 

At the time, Bergen was riding for Sector 9, Aaron Chang and a handful of other sponsors. He’d been competing since he was 14 years old. Joel Tudor was, and still is, one of his closer friends from his University City stomping grounds. By the way, more than a couple locals claim Bergen has one of the finest front-side, grab rail cutbacks they’ve seen (Though he’s too modest to confirm such a claim, he will admit that it’s his signature move). Point being: Bergen knew that whatever he chose as his profession, surfing was going to remain in the picture.

However, as much as Bergen loved the sport, he never envisioned that his skills on the board would pay the bills.

And that’s what made the decision so difficult. Greg Bergen is not (nor has he ever been) one who chooses pension over passion. “I interned at an ad agency in college and I just felt like I could never be that guy,” Bergen said. “For me it’s not about punchin’ in and punchin’ out. I’ve never been like that.”

Thankfully, Bergen never had to become “that guy.” Though he would forgo his trip to Australia, he avoided life in a cubicle. As luck would have it, he could have his cake and eat it too—well, sort of. From spending so much time in the water, Bergen had accumulated an extensive Rolodex of industry contacts. When he put the feelers out, people responded. One of these people was Larry White—or as Bergen affectionately calls him, “The Governor.” And though Bergen was fresh out of college with little experience, White, one of Bergen’s mentors and closest friends, saw promise.

“I found out Converse was looking for someone to help them get into the Surf/Skate industry and needed a rep,” Bergen explained. “At the time, Converse had next to no business in the action sports world, but a few kids were starting to ask for Chuck Taylor’s…So I started with the core shops in SD and worked my way up the coast and over to Hawaii.”

But Bergen didn’t only succeed because of his network of friends—he also had a knack for knowing what was around the corner. For example, when Converse pushed to have a more high-tech skate shoe, Bergen urged the brand to stick to their bread and butter: “I just told them that they had to pull more from the heritage collection,” Bergen recalls. “Plus, that’s where the whole slip-on fad was headed.” 

After his first year of working at Converse, Bergen did so well that he convinced the suits there to provide him with additional resources. Bergen not only knew Converse needed to broaden their marketing but also devote more of the budget to recruit a team. Eventually, Bergen organized a talented roster that included Jamie Sterling, Jesse Merle Jones, the Long Brothers, Keala Kennely, Sean Ward, Sean Taylor, Alex Knost, Devon Howard and Bonga Perkins. Such a gathering obviously helped legitimize Converse in a market far removed from its basketball roots.

And Bergen still maintains close ties with the athletes he recruited as Converse’s team manager. In fact, since he met Jamie Sterling through Rusty Long, Bergen has become fast friends with the hard-charging North Shore local. “Jamie and his girlfriend Mariana stay over at my house when he’s in town,” Bergen said. “Jamie is just a really down to earth guy as well as a great surfer.” At the time of the interview, Bergen was planning to stay with Sterling during the Triple Crown.

Like any good business person, Greg Bergen knows the value of strong relationships.

Rich with experience from his early days at Converse, Bergen has now become sales manager for Arbor Skateboards. He works out of the Sector 9 office in San Diego but focuses mainly on Arbor initiatives. “I’ve been a Sector 9 team rider for over 12 years,” Bergen says. “They are pretty much extended family.”

Because he loves what he does and who he works with, Bergen’s future looks bright.

Getting back to Robert Frost, the timeless poet might have chosen the road less traveled. And that obviously worked out for him. However, Greg Bergen’s story proves that often times the road chooses you. And when you’ve got a good thing going, why fight it?  

By the way, Bergen eventually made the trip down to Australia in 2006. And I’m guessing he’s thankful that he waited.