Throughout my life, my passions have consistently revolved around bikes and cycling, music and stereos, and martial arts. While I participated in common childhood sports like baseball, soccer, and hockey, lacrosse and waterpolo , they never truly resonated with me. I found more enjoyment sitting in my room listening to bands like Kiss, Black Sabbath, Van Halen, and Genesis. Receiving a cool stereo at 15 solidified my interest in audio, and by my early twenties, I had a nice Linn setup with Mission 753 speakers.

 

For work, I put in hard time building pool tables for a major North American company. The pay was decent, but the heavy lifting was physically demanding, especially since I'm not a large guy. At 26, I bought my first house, ensuring it had a yard for my husky and a dedicated room for my stereo. It was a great little place, and around that time, I even dabbled in dog sled racing, which was incredibly fun. Unfortunately, this was just before the internet became widespread, so I don't have tons of photos for proof. 

 

Around the age of 30, I injured my back while grappling at a Jeet Kune Do school called Real Combat/Straight Blast Gym, (what did I expect???). This became a recurring issue. One evening, a thoughtful conversation over dinner prompted me to reconsider my career. I was advised that the demanding nature of pool table work was better suited for someone younger, perhaps better looking, and with a more predictable spine. That night, fuelled by  wine I made the decision to leave a somewhat fun job and invest in a very un-fun Dairy Queen franchise. Unfortunately, that venture didn't succeed financially (long hours/ low pay/ but free ice cream). Following that, I opened a pool table store, which did reasonably well for several years until the 2008 recession hit and decimated the industry. I closed the store and moved to Toronto with some savings and an unexpected baby on the way. Just a week after settling in, I was in a serious cycling accident during a training ride that resulted in significantly more spinal injuries. Suddenly, not having a job was the least of my concerns, as I couldn't even walk and had to spend the summer on demerol and morphine, that part wasn't actually that bad...... After a long surgery and rehabilitation I was fortunate to recover. Despite being advised against it, I continued bike racing, with my chiropractor as a supportive training partner, not unlike Spartacus and Crixus.

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With a family to support, a maxed-out credit card and a bionic spinal column I needed to find a new career. I did some jobs servicing pool tables and other things I didn't really enjoy and longer. Ironically, my expertise in pool tables  led to  cool trips to Las Vegas,  Tucson,  and Iqaluit. Eventually, wanting more control over my work while seemingly enjoying financial challenges, I started my own boutique furniture company. I enjoyed designing and building tables and bookcases. The idea for Massif came about when I repurposed some beautiful birds-eye maple into a platform for my own turntable. It looked and sounded great, leading to the creation of audio racks. With a logo and some photos, we launched Massif online.

 

Soon after, I began showcasing my racks at North American audio shows and gained a few dealers. A pivotal moment was when Knut Skogrand of Skogrand Cables invited me to display my racks in their room at a show in Denver, Colorado. I was nervous, unsure if my creations were good enough for such high-end equipment, but I went for it.

 

The story of Massif isn't particularly glamorous (I'm surprised anyone has read this far), but after ten years, we've shipped a significant number of racks worldwide, primarily to the US. I've had the privilege of sharing rooms at audio shows with exceptional companies like EgglestonWorks, ModWright Instruments, Soulution, Dartzeel, and Magico, among many others. I've also made  a few more friends than enemies in the industry and have traded Massif products for some fantastic gear.

 

Currently, I live in Waterloo, Ontario, with my wife, son, and two dogs. I don't get to listen to my stereo nearly as much as I should but I still enjoy cycling and own and ride many sweet racing bikes.

 

Thanks for visiting , 

 

Trevor