Joseph Lombardi grew up in Voorhees, New Jersey, a small, hockey-crazed town. So, when a 15-year-old Lombardi, in the midst of a promising high school career at Eastern Regional High School, looked for a job (his first in the workforce), there was only one place where he wanted to work: the Skate Zone. The Skate Zone is an ice rink in Voorhees, which is a big deal because the Philadelphia Flyers practice there. So, he was hired there after a quick interview, and began working at the pro shop there, calculating the costs of people's skates, helmets, and sticks. It also allowed him to get employee discounts on gear, and a chance to meet some professional hockey players, and if people needed help finding equipment, the young Lombardi would instantly help anyone that needed to find gear. This explains why Lombardi has such aptitude with equipment, as since he worked in a pro shop, he knows pretty much everything about helmets, skates, gloves, and sticks.