Willie Ford started his third week at the National Ability Center on Monday.
He moved to Park City to work at POC, a helmet and recreation protection company, leading the North American division.
Ford has served on the board for the High Fives Foundation, an adaptive sports nonprofit in Truckee, California, which he said has a similar mission to the NAC — to get people back outside after life-altering injuries.
He recalls the conversations he had with his wife while hiking Round Valley.
“I knew that whatever I did next was going to be impact oriented. My wife, dog and our 19-month-old son, we walk in Round Valley often and I've said to Caroline many times that if the position ever opened at the NAC to lead that organization, I want to put my name in the ring. So here we are,” Ford said.
Ford says before the job at the NAC became available, he had started a venture-backed technology company. He believes raising money to bring his idea to life will lead to success at the NAC.
“We've been around for 40 years, and the next 40 years are going to be as exciting if not more exciting than the first. We have an incredible development team. And the way we're going to raise money and continue to grow our organization is by providing more impact to more people in more places. And if we stay true to that vision, raising funds will come with it,” Ford said.
The National Ability Center serves about 6,000 people offering some 30 thousand sport-based outings each year.
Ford believes the opportunity to grow even more is certainly possible noting there are 40 million people in the US living with a disability.
