Anthony Ward (’21) has always been wired to tinker — take ideas apart and build them into something better. At Iowa State University, that mindset became a pathway to a career and, now, a connection he carries back to campus.
As a student, Ward built a foundation in product development, learning skills such as research and conceptual ideation, 3D modeling, graphic design, and manufacturing.
That hands-on experience quickly translated beyond campus. During his senior year, Ward connected with Canyon Coolers through a sponsored design studio — a hands-on, collaborative classroom that enables students to work on real-world projects — where he and his peers were tasked with developing a product for the company. After the studio, he was hired as an intern to keep doing the work and assist with other designs.
And continue he did. Today, Ward serves as COO of Canyon Coolers in Flagstaff, Arizona.
In his role, Ward applies the skills he built through his involvement in CYstarters, Iowa State’s summer startup accelerator. Alongside fellow industrial design student Ben Grote (’21), he launched Vamose, a fully patented gym bag that attaches to a backpack — an innovation sparked in part by Ward’s instinct to improve on shortcomings he saw in traditional gym bag designs.
“Through CYstarters, I was able to develop business skills and practices that would have otherwise taken years,” Ward says.
Those combined experiences — design, business, and hands-on application — prepared him to navigate the complexities of the consumer products industry.
“My background in industrial design gave me an in-depth understanding of manufacturing, product deployment, development, and marketing,” Ward says.
Even as his career has taken him beyond Ames, Ward remains closely connected to Iowa State. He’s currently leading the development of a custom Iowa State cooler, timed to launch around football season.
“I have a lot of fond memories of tailgating at Jack Trice,” Ward says. “A cooler kind of finds itself at the center of all the tailgate action, so I’m super excited to contribute to that.”
Ward’s connection to his alma mater comes full circle in yet another way: Canyon Coolers is sponsoring another industrial design studio on campus in which students are designing new products under the Canyon brand — the same type of experience that first introduced Ward to the company.
“I wanted Canyon to work with Iowa State because I have seen firsthand the talent of the students in the industrial design program and how well it prepares them to solve real-world problems while still in school,” Ward says. “It’s great to play a part in shaping tomorrow’s working professionals, and the students really are capable of producing some excellent work.”
