Dana Davis
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Dana Davis co-owns Tucson, Arizona-based Summit Hut, a 50-year-old specialty outdoor retailer with two brick and mortar locations, with her husband, Jeremy.
Dana came to the Summit Hut in 1998 and has been instrumental in Summit Hut's growth. She has been the General Manager since 2006 and previously held various roles, including Store Manager, Product Buyer and Director of Retail Sales.
New column Retail Voice spotlights retailers in the trenches
When the venerable Denali closed its doors in July 2019, leadership’s reason was that they “could not find a responsible path forward.” It got me wondering, what does it mean to be a responsible retailer today? To be successful, outdoor specialty shops have to offer much more ...read more
Death of a salesman
In the beginning, the dream was simple: Just you, the gear, and the open road. You’re somewhere, it doesn’t matter where. Between Colorado and Wyoming, say. You’ve got a truck full of next season’s climbing gear. Your next appointment isn’t until tomorrow, and there’s a crag and ...read more
Carol Momoda was the soul of the outdoor industry
Anyone who bumped into Carol Momoda was always glad they did. Just the sight of her made people smile and her laugh made them smile even bigger. Described as a larger-than-life personality, Momoda was an icon in the outdoor industry and worked at REI, Lowa Boots, and Smartwool. ...read more
Industry Buzz: Summit Hut, Decathlon, Warren Miller, Ikon Pass, and weird mountain goat news
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com It's October and Congress didn't reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which means the 50-year conservation legacy has expired. This is a major blow ...read more
#CoolShop | Why Arizona's Summit Hut believes in the power of concept shops
In 1967, two 15-year-olds named Dave Baker and Jeff Conn discovered that the best way to get their hands on quality outdoor gear was by buying it at wholesale and selling the rest to their friends. They named their business Summit Hut, set up a P.O. box, convinced some vendors to ...read more
Baby boomers are the new millennials.
Every day, about 10,000 baby boomers in the United States retire. Every day, a significant number of them choose to spend their retirement years getting in shape, traveling and exploring the outdoors. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) reports that baby boomers ...read more
Moving on: How to build a succession plan for your beloved shop
In the summer of 2015, when Brent Troncalli of Outside World, a Georgia-based outdoor specialty store, decided to give up one of his two locations to spend more time with his family, he needed a plan. "We looked at our options and decided we could either close the store ...read more
The Innovation Project: Summit Hut, Episode 5
** To watch more episodes of The Innovation Project, click here. Dana Davis was a longtime employee of Summit Hut in Tuscon, Ariz., when she and her husband, Jeremy, bought it from founder David Baker in 2011. Summit Hut started an e-commerce website in 1998—early for a ...read more
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance announces awards to members of the outdoor industry
Members of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance gather in Albuquerque, NM, this week to close deals and to celebrate exemplary members of the outdoor industry. ALBUQUERQUE, NM--At the opening of Grassroots Connect last night, a buying show for invited members of the outdoor industry, ...read more