Meet a Local: The Hoverboard Guy

Roberto Sosa at work at the Christian Center of Park City, which is distributing aid to people financially affected by the pandemic. Photo: TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah. — Roberto Sosa starts “the show” at 10 a.m. six days a week. Working the receiving area behind Christian Center of Park City on his hoverboard, he zips between cars, the warehouse and storage trucks.

His job is to examine and sort the donations people bring to CCPC in their efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle. But Sosa joyously adds an element of entertainment by working on wheels, and his dexterity, flourishes – and ability to carry up to 150 lbs of stuff while cruising around – make donors smile.

“People like it,” he said. “And I love talking with the people. I’m blessed to have this job.”

He makes the hoverboard look easy, but it’s not. Sosa first tried it four years ago (after someone donated a broken hoverboard and he repaired it) and it took him three months of practice to become steady enough to carry things while riding it. He started carrying small items and worked his way up to being able to carry almost anything while boarding.

Sosa, a native of Guatemala, has worked at CCPC for 11 years. Locals who know his smile and antics from the CCPC drop-off line may not know he is also a chef; he worked more than a decade for the Gateway Grill in Kamas, and recently started cooking at Deer Valley’s Goldener Hirsch Hotel.

Nearly 40 hours per week at CCPC followed by a fast-paced evening job is a heavy load, but Sosa loves what he does and is driven to succeed.

“I feel a little tired, but my kids are my motivation,” he said. “The best thing for my kids is me working hard.”

Sosa lives in Trailside and has two sons: Robert, 10, and Mateo, 4. He left Guatemala due to that country’s economic situation, coming to the U.S. alone and connecting with a brother and close friend here.

The hoverboard is a hobby Sosa loves with a passion, and one so entertaining that he’s been featured in a Park City tourism marketing campaign. But foremost for Sosa is the tremendous satisfaction in helping those in need through his work at CCPC. It brings “comfort in my soul,” he said.

Check out “the show” by dropping off clean, functioning housewares for donation at CCPC, 1283 Deer Valley Drive, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Visit ccofpc.org for more details on what to donate.