People

Kicking off our Straight Talk series of laid-back, free-wheeling conversations with outdoor industry leaders, SNEWS Editor-in-Chief Kristin Hostetter connects via video with Eric Henderson, founder of Meteorite PR, which represents brands like Salewa, Dynafit, Sweet Protection, ...read more

The Sierra Club's newly elected president, Ramón Cruz, has spent his entire professional life fighting for sustainability, climate advocacy, and responsible urban planning around the world. A graduate of American University and Princeton, he has worked as a senior policy analyst ...read more

Gary Lenett understands the power of consensus. In 2014, when he founded the performance denim company DUER, he did it with funds raised through Kickstarter, a proof-first method that relies not on the confidence of big investors or market predictions, but on the voices of real ...read more

The outdoor industry makes way too much stuff. That has ramifications all down the line. There is a lot of product in the marketplace that retailers don't buy from vendors, and that customers wouldn’t miss if they never saw it. I would like to see lines shrink overall and focus ...read more

After months of closures that spelled disaster for some and extreme hardship for many others, retailers both small and large have started reopening across the nation as states lift the stay-at-home mandates that have kept them closed. The results so far, according to multiple ...read more

In the late 1980s, when Bob Collins founded the original Appalachian Outfitters in a strip mall in Canton, Ohio, specialty gear shops in the midwest were few and far between. A salesman for the chemical industry, Collins knew outdoor equipment only from his own pursuits: ...read more

Five years ago, this question may have sounded crazy. But with the fast pace of cannabis legalization across the country, and with retailers adding coffee and microbrews to their shops, the idea of an in-store dispensary may not be so far-fetched. This question popped into our ...read more

It might seem that now, in the middle of a global crisis forcing layoffs and closures across the outdoor industry, issues unrelated to the pandemic, like DEI, are in danger of being overshadowed in the national conversation. "Fortunately, that hasn't happened," said Teresa ...read more

In recent weeks, we've seen a lot of suffering among retailers, as news of closures, furloughs, and layoffs rolls in. We've also seen the best in people—customers banding together to support independent shops, vendors implementing programs to keep their dealers afloat, and brands ...read more

Industry legend, Malcolm Daly, is home recovering from the stroke he suffered on April 20, 2020. Malcolm was helicoptered to a Boise, Idaho, hospital for emergency surgery after his wife, Karen found him unresponsive in his bed following a ride on his e-bike. Doctors ...read more

For the past few seasons, I heard industry talk about what the difference is between an “Outdoors-person” vs an “Outside-person.” An Outdoors-person is whom we as an industry have catered to for generations. Outdoors-people hike and ski and climb and ride bikes. They paddle ...read more

As the coronavirus crisis continues to paint a bleak picture for small businesses across the country, outdoor brands are stepping up one by one to help. The latest company to join the relief effort: Mountain Hardwear, which implemented a program this week to support authorized ...read more

The pain of the pandemic has rippled through just about every workplace in the outdoor industry over the past few months, and those of independent sales reps are no exception. As the main points of contact between outdoor companies and the stores that carry their products, reps ...read more

Malcolm Daly, a veteran of 45 years in the outdoor industry, suffered a stroke yesterday after returning home from a trail ride on his e-bike. Malcom's wife, Karen, reported on Facebook that the stroke was the result of a clot in a large artery in the left side of his brain. ...read more

If you’re a brick-and-mortar retailer, you probably miss your customers right now. But be honest, do do you really miss all of them? Every retailer has dealt with difficult patrons. And everyone's strategy for doing so is unique.  Is it true that the customer always right, even ...read more

It’s never easy to let go of something you love. When John D. Mead, 63, of San Diego-based retailer Adventure 16, decided to close the last two locations of his business in January after a 58-year run, he said it felt a little like losing a family member. “I've been in this ...read more

Lise Aangeenbrug’s first day as executive director of Outdoor Industry Association was March 4, 2020. Less than one week later, our country was in the throes of the coronavirus pandemic. It wasn’t exactly what she signed up for. Just over one month into her new gig as the leader ...read more

Aside form world-class mountain biking trails and spectacular scenery, Moab, Utah, has another gem: GearHeads Outdoor Store. Founded 22 years ago by Doug and Greg Kennedy, and now run by younger brother Steve, this quirky shop has become a Moab institution thanks to its vast ...read more

Sometimes people will blow you away with kindness…if you just let them. The coronavirus crisis has had a crippling effect on so many retailers and small business owners and made them realize how vulnerable their businesses are unthinkably unexpected forces. Brendan Madigan, owner ...read more

Jen Gurecki, founder and CEO of Coalition Snow and editor-in-chief of SISU magazine, doesn’t mince words. “I really just want to curl up in bed all day, and I’m having a hard time pulling myself away from CNN,” she says. Gurecki knows that she is far from alone, and that the ...read more

Dear friends and colleagues, As we enter an uncertain period for our families, businesses, and country, I first want to express concern for your safety and health. There’s nothing more important at the moment, and while we go forward with our mission to inform, educate, and ...read more

During these moments of uncertainty, one thing is for sure: Employees at evo are generous with their time. The outdoor retailer on Sunday invited its top 25 executives, managers, and other leaders to donate vacation days to be re-allocated as hourly pay for team members unable to ...read more

It was a simple case of mistaken identity: Earlier this year I was at The Outbound's Pursuit Series adult summer camp in North Carolina when an ultrarunner walks up and introduces herself: “Hi, Mirna, I follow you on Instagram.” I put my coffee cup down and shake her hand before ...read more

As the country quickly shuts down in an unprecedented way, many big outdoor retailers like Patagonia, all VF brands, and REI are following suit. Most retailers who operate an online business, as well as brands that operate direct-to-consumer, are still selling product and ...read more