Jake Burton Carpenter Biography & Net Worth

Jake Burton Carpenter Biography & Net Worth

Jake Burton Carpenter was a snowboarder from the United States of America. Commonly referred to as Jake Burton, he was behind the founding of Burton Snowboards and was one of the inventors of the modern-day snowboard. He was also a successful businessman who was involved in the manufacturing and trading of boards and various types of equipment.

Early Life: Childhood & Education

Jake was born on April 29, 1954, and was brought up in Cedarhurst, New York, in the United States.

On February 17, 1967, his brother, George Carpenter, died as a Corporal serving in Vietnam. Four years later, in 1971, his mother Katherine passed away due to Leukemia, leaving behind Jake, his father and two sisters.

Jake’s high school education started in Brooks School, North Andover, Massachusetts, U.S. He proceeded to The Marvelwood School situated in Cornwall, Connecticut at that time. After that, he moved on to register at the University of Colorado at Boulder for a degree program. An avid skier, Jake hoped to join the school’s ski team who were the then reigning NCAA champions. However, his competitive skiing career came to a premature end after he was involved in an automobile accident. After spending many years away from college, he to New York University to resume his studies, and eventually graduated with a degree in economics.

Professional Life: Banking Career, Investments

After college, Jake worked for a small banking firm in Manhattan for a brief time before he became tired of the 12 hours work days. He felt the urge to return to the slopes. Working from a shed in Londonderry, Vermont, he developed a basic toy snowboard which carried a rope to allow the rider basic control over the board. In one of his interviews, Jake mentioned that when initially selling his newly improved snowboards, he once went out with 38 snowboards, visiting sellers in New York, and went back home with 40 because someone gave him back two he had bought.

By the late-1970s, Jake joined a small team of producers who had begun selling snowboards with designs like a rigid binding which held the board steadfastly to the wearer’s boot and a bentwood laminate core.

In 1979, he won the Open Division and received a $300 prize at the National Snurfing Contest that took place in Muskegon, Michigan.

Jake Burton is credited with evolving the economic ecosystem around snowboarding both as a lifestyle, culture and sport, in addition to being a premier board manufacturer. He has been one of the largest snowboard and snowboarding-equipment makers in the world since the late 1980s. His wife, Donna, serves as chief executive officer of his company. During his time, he saw value in having women in important positions of authority and leadership in the privately held company.

Achievements: Awards & Honors

Jake Burton was a member of the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame. He succeeded in designing his own brand of skateboards and skateboarding equipment, and went ahead to give a new meaning and significance to the economic ecosystem around snowboarding both as a lifestyle, culture and sport, in addition to being a premier board manufacturer. According to multiple online reports, he has been one of the largest snowboard and snowboarding-equipment makers in the world since the late 1980s.

He won the Open Division tournament trophy in 1979 and went home with a $300 prize at the National Snurfing Contest that took place in Muskegon, Michigan.

Personal Life: Family, Wife, Children

Jake met his future wife Donna Gaston at a New Year’s Eve party in 1982. A little over a year after their first meeting they married in Greenwich, Connecticut. He resided in Stowe, Vermont, with his wife and one of his sons, Timi. His two other sons are George and Taylor Burton.

In his later years, Mr. Carpenter survived several health scares including pulmonary embolism, testicular cancer, knee injuries, and, notably, the Miller Fisher variant of Guillain–Barré syndrome, an uncommon and serious neurological disorder. He died November 20, 2019, in Burlington, Vermont, after revealing recurrence of his cancer to his staff earlier in the month.

Jake Burton Carpenter Net Worth: Salary, Income Sources, Assets

Mr. Burton was a man who gave snowboarding a new identity. As a professional Snowboarder and business entrepreneur, he succeeded in amassing a net worth of $300 million before his passing in November 2019.

Jake Burton Carpenter earned his wealth as the founder of the American snowboard producer Burton Snowboards, of which his widow, Donna Burton, currently leads as the company’s chief executive officer. He was primarily involved in the manufacturing and trading of boards and various types of equipment.