By Marilee Griffin, October 2008
Photo By Zachary Bennett
In his mind, Robert Easton is a conservative daredevil. He considers opening a rock-climbing company fresh out of Virginia Tech’s business school a little more than common sense. So, it didn’t matter that in 1999 Floridians had barely heard of rock climbing — Easton decided to make the introduction himself. He moved to the Sunshine State and opened Orlando’s first rock gym. It was a hit.
In 2000, he opened the Gainesville Rock Gym with the same success. Only this time, charmed by the college town’s wide range of outdoor activities, he and his wife settled permanently. Easton is now the head safety skills instructor at the gym — a job he said he finds rewarding because he gets to introduce new people to the sport he loves.
“Climbing requires mental toughness, strategy, balance, strength and drive; all the ways a human could challenge him or herself,” he said. “It fosters an adventurous spirit, from the time people begin for the rest of their lives.”
Easton has been a fan of extreme sports like kayaking and kickboxing since he was in high school, but he learned the most about business from a few extreme summers he spent as a deckhand on a fishing boat in Kodiak, Alaska, to make money for college.
“I learned how to take measured risks,” he said. “And that they could have great payoff.”