About Us
Futurist Climbing Consultants was founded in 2009 by Timy Fairfield and Brandi Proffitt. Since then, we’ve partnered with climbing gym owners across the U.S. and beyond, helping bring visionary facilities to life.
Over years of service, we’ve learned what truly matters: professionalism, client advocacy, and principled decision‑making. These values guide every project we take on.
Our experience spans everything from large‑scale mega gyms to small private facilities, each designed with intention, efficiency, and long‑term success in mind. We’re passionate about climbing—and just as passionate about the business of climbing.
TIMY FAIRFIELD
President / Cofounder
Inspired to provide modern consulting services informed by a principled independent voice to the indoor climbing gym industry, professional rock climber, Timy Fairfield, cofounded Futurist Climbing Consultants in 2009. He has served as president, market analyst and creative design director from inception to present. He concurrently cofounded Futurist Climbing Flooring & Mats for which he served as CEO and product developer (2009-2020). He subsequently cofounded Chalk Cartel for which he has served as Chief Collusive Conspirator & Provocateur from 2017 to present. Mr. Fairfield has become a sought-after subject matter expert legal consultant for commercial climbing gym lawsuits in the areas of bouldering-related personal injury incidents, financial negligent misrepresentation and landlord tenant disputes.
Timy Fairfield’s professional rock climbing career has been focused on competition, sport climbing, bouldering and outdoor area development. As a 12-year veteran of the US National Competition Climbing Team he is distinguished as being the only US competition climber to have won professional level national and international competitions in speed climbing,bouldering and sport climbing. He lived in France and trained with foreign coaches for 6 years during his pursuit of international competition. His climbing career has enabled him to travel to over 40 countries throughout North/Central America, Europe and Asia. He has visited and conducted business with hundreds of commercial climbing facilities worldwide. He speaks English, Spanish and French.
In addition to being a lifelong rock climber, he studied philosophy / applied ethics at the Department of Philosophy - Colorado State University. He enjoys diverse ethnic foods, learning languages, alpine skiing, running, yoga and archery. He is a fan of Alpine and Nordic ski racing, gymnastics, cycling road racing and myriad genres of music. He, his wife (and partner in crime), Brandi Proffitt, and their dog, Ama, currently reside in Taos County, New Mexico.
JOE ZENTMYER
CEO
He cofounded and ran First Ascent, a Chicago‑based climbing and fitness chain, while also gaining experience in Fortune 500 corporate roles and small‑business accounting. Along the way, he built a strong track record of leading teams and guiding complex projects from idea to execution. He’s comfortable navigating financial challenges, supporting people, and creating a culture rooted in learning and growth. By balancing operational focus with thoughtful investment in people and facilities, he helped make each new location a success for both the business and the community.
BRANDI PROFFITT
Vice President / Cofounder
Brandi began her professional career at The Boeing Company, where she spent 7 years working as a Financial Planning Analyst. There she was responsible for budgeting and forecasting production contracts with a total budget in excess of $1 billion. She left Boeing in 2003 to pursue competitive climbing and a career in personal training and climbing coaching. She owned and operated her training business, Brandi Proffitt Fitness, from 2006-2017. In 2017 she cofounded Chalk Cartel with Futurist cofounder Timy Fairfield. Chalk Cartel supplies high quality chalk to the climbing industry worldwide. Brandi functions as Chalk Cartel's CFO and Business Manager.
Brandi’s background in financial analysis and business management makes her an invaluable resource to Futurist, where she is responsible for managing internal budgets and cash flow, and contributes to the feasibility analysis and business modeling of the projects consulted and developed by the company.
Climbing since 1993, Brandi ranked among the top 10 women in US national bouldering competition 2001-2005 and has traveled around the world to climb and set routes for international competition. She holds a Personal Training Certification from ACE and was the first woman to receive a National Climbing Coaching Certification from USA Climbing in 2006.
Sam Coulter
Lead Climbing Wall Designer
In 2013, Sam was one of the first employees working for Futurist Climbing Flooring & Mats as a climbing safety flooring installer. In 2018, Sam joined the design and project management team and currently serves as the lead designer for facility layout and climbing wall design. Sam has been an integral part of more than half of all Futurist Climbing Consultants climbing gym designs executed in the U.S. and internationally. Sam has designed bouldering, sport-specific training and full-service climbing gyms located in existing and build-to-suit buildings for private, commercial, and institutional projects.
Sam works closely with the creative director of Futurist Climbing Consultants, Timy Fairfield, to coordinate the creative and technical design process with clients, architects, general contractors, and climbing wall companies to ensure designs meet compliance and client expectations. He is fluent with the drafting programs SketchUp and Civil 3D. Inspired by a desire to learn more about drafting and design, Sam went back to school in Civil Engineering, and in 2025 he received his Masters Degree in Civil Engineering in Water Resources. Sam is currently a civil engineer working towards his professional licensure.
Sam Coulter was born in Mesa, Arizona, and began climbing in high school in 2002. Soon after, Sam got one of his first jobs at a local climbing gym in 2003. Sam moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico for college, where he met Timy Fairfield and Brandi Proffitt through the University of New Mexico Climbing Team. Sam has been happily living in the land of enchantment since 2005. When Sam isn’t climbing, he also enjoys skiing, tennis, road biking, and ultimate frisbee. He has a wife and two sons, as well as a cantankerous cat, who holds down the fort while everyone else is going off on adventures.
Noah Bigwood
Real Estate & Construction Consultant
Noah Bigwood has been working as a carpenter since high school and puts his degree in philosophy from Colorado College to good use as a licensed General Contractor in Utah working for his company Bigwood Builders. Noah spent five years building and developing commercial climbing gyms across the US for Momentum LLC as a general contractor and subsequently as their VP of Construction and Development as a member of their in-house business expansion team where he oversaw the selection of viable prospective real estate locations, site feasibility reviews and initial tenant improvement analysis, commercial real estate purchase / lease negotiations, project development, project budgeting, facility design review, climbing infrastructure supplier trade coordination, permitting and construction management. Noah has been working as an independent climbing gym consultant since 2019.
A prolific bouldering and route developer in the desert southwest, guide service owner and elite climbing competitor, Noah has diverse interests that he pursues with equal passion. A veteran of international competitive climbing, Noah is a former US national sport climbing champion. Noah has been coaching climbers for the past twenty years and is a certified USAC coach who has seen several of his athletes go on to compete in world level competitions. Noah Bigwood and Timy Fairfield initially met competing in Colorado and later lived and trained together in France while competing in world cups in the 90’s.
Born in Southern California, raised in the Colorado Rockies, and honed in Moab Utah, Noah was introduced to climbing in 1976 and has been active in the sport ever since. Having watched the emergence of sport climbing, the advent of the modern bouldering, the first indoor walls and the birth of competitive climbing, Noah brings a long perspective to his work in the industry. Noah resides in Salt Lake City, UT with his wife and 2 kids. He enjoys rock climbing, mountain biking, SkiMo and world travel.
Joe Czerwinski
Routesetting Consultant
Joe Czerwinski discovered rock climbing in 1994 and shortly thereafter started routesetting in commercial climbing gyms in 1996. From 2005-2012, Joe served as Head Routesetter, Head Youth Team Coach and Operations Manager at AZ On The Rocks in Scottsdale, AZ. From 2003-2017 Joe collaborated with Timy Fairfield & Brandi Proffitt on youth and adult performance training camps and clinics, and the team routeset a number of televised international climbing competitions together. In 2013, Joe launched Focus Climbing Center - a bouldering and training gym he currently owns and operates in Mesa, AZ.
Joe has been providing independent commercial routesetting consulting services to Futurist Climbing Consultants climbing gym clients since 2010. He assists commercial climbing gym clients with developing routesetting S.O.P.’s, routesetter staff hiring and training, new climbing gym initial sets, movement instructional and youth team program specific routesetting, special event / grand opening / exhibition routesetting, competition routesetting and Art Of Falling gymnastic bouldering falling technique orientation program implementation.
Joe Czerwinski has quietly become one of the most accomplished routesetters in the country, serving has chief routesetter for some of the highest profile television events in the United States and Southeast Asia. He has routeset the X-Games Asia in Thailand (2001-2002), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (2003-2004), and Seoul, SK (2005) along with the Junior X-Games four of those five years. In the United States, he has set for the Summer X-games in San Francisco, CA (2000-2001), as well as the Subaru Gorge Games in Hood River, OR (2000-2003). Additionally, he routeset the Phoenix Bouldering Contest (PBC) Dyno Event (2000-2004). Also, in 2003 he routeset the Ford Adventure Sport Challenge in Vail, CO and the Petzl Roc Comp in Baltimore, MD. During his operation with Focus Climbing Center, he routeset ‘The Desert Classic’ for the largest prize purse indoor bouldering comp in AZ.
On outdoor rock, Joe has bouldered V13, flashed V10, and sent V11 in a day. When he ties into the sharp end of a rope, he is consistently flashing 5.13a and redpointing 5.13c. In 2002 he won the PBC local division while finishing 9th overall, as well as a finals finish in the Summer PCA Bouldering Nationals. Joe has also competed in world cup bouldering competitions. Joe has been a sponsored athlete with MadRock Climbing for over 20 years and is currently a backcountry guide at Hueco Tanks.
Joe enjoys sport specific training, bouldering in Flagstaff, AZ, BMX as well as being a foody and avid fan of gymnastics and NBA. He currently lives in Chandler, AZ with his wife and 3 daughters.