Grassroots Outdoor Alliance

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Specialized sued: A former employee of the bicycle company is suing the brand for wrongful termination and alleging sexual harassment. [BRAIN] Selling skis responsibly: This boutique ski brand in Oregon has a paradoxical ...read more

We’ve heard the storyline countless times throughout the pandemic: Outdoor sales have been a bright spot as people seek refuge outside. And while this dominant refrain is largely true, the real story for independent shops is more nuanced. “You can’t paint all retailers with the ...read more

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web New leadership at Patagonia: The company has hired Beth Thoren as its new environmental action and initiatives director. A mountaineering icon on film: Selena Gomez has signed on to play the mountaineering legend Silvia ...read more

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web MEC sale finalized: Kingswood Capital Management, a U.S. investment firm, has completed its acquisition of Mountain Equipment Co-op despite a large grassroots effort to save the struggling retailer. Voting to protect the ...read more

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Here’s an idea: Why not use all the unspent trade show dollars from 2020/21 to support journalism in the outdoor industry? [Pale Morning Media] How Artz runs REI: A look at how the chief executive of REI has handled changes ...read more

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web Six-month inclusion training: Leaders at Snowsports Industries America have agreed to participate in a half-year program focused on improving DEI in the winter sports industry. The power of outdoor voters: A new ...read more

This story originally ran in the Summer 2020 issue of The Voice. To read the free digital issue, access it here. Who, exactly, should qualify for a pro deal in the outdoor industry? A ski patroller? Full-time mountain guide? Retail employee? Most everyone can agree that these ...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

Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web PPE from the co-founder of Granite Gear: Jeff Knight has designed a new tool to help prolong the life of N95 masks. #CurbYourTurns: SIA has launched a new campaign to promote the idea that flattening the curve “has to take ...read more

Black Friday was a success for Salida Mountain Sports, but not because they lured customers in with steep discounts. Prices stayed steady, and if the Colorado store missed some sales because they weren’t discounting, store owner Nate Porter said so be it. Small specialty outdoor ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com Confluence Accords: The number of states that had signed a set of outdoor recreation principles increased from 8 to 13 this week. Leaders from Maine, Michigan, ...read more

As retailers, we all choose our own buying adventure, beginning with what shows we elect to attend. Shows are, of course, a key part of specialty retail business. They are efficient places to see key vendors, nurture relationships, partake in learning opportunities, and so much ...read more

In 1986, Bob McCain thought Jackson, Mississippi, ought to have its own outdoor equipment shop. His home state might not have massive mountains, but trails, waterways, hill, and views are plentiful. Buffalo Peak Outfitters is now in its 33rd year, as a Grassroots Outdoor Alliance ...read more

Ahead of the annual Grassroots Connect buying show, the consortium of specialty retailers and vendors on Monday welcomed six new stores to its membership. The additions elevate Grassroots Outdoor Alliance to 74 members and 144 doors nationwide, marking the largest size ever for ...read more

Despite Outdoor Retailer canceling its November trade show, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance will return to Denver for its national buying event. The Grassroots Connect show will be held from Nov. 1 to 5 in the ground floor ballrooms of the Colorado Convention Center—the same setting ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com Brazil’s Amazon rainforest is burning: The trees provide a significant amount of oxygen and therefore, the blaze could accelerate climate change, researchers say. ...read more

Projects on Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and other crowdfunding sites will come to life next month in a new startup showcase in Boulder's Neptune Mountaineering. The NeptuneLAB is the latest experiential concept for the iconic gear shop. Owners Shelley and Andrew Dunbar collaborated ...read more

After rumblings of an uncertain future, Denali announced last Tuesday that its closing all seven locations. A "going out of business" sale at the Old Saybrook location signals the store's end. More than 25 years ago, the first store opened as Trailblazer in New Haven and grew to ...read more

At every Outdoor Retailer, attendees find reasons to celebrate: new products, the gathering of friends, new seasons. Anniversaries are also another reason. Here are a dozen-plus brands that marked monumental birthdays at the show last week. ...read more

The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance worked hard and played hard at this year’s 25th anniversary show in Knoxville, Tennessee. On the first night, during a festive and nostalgic happy hour, dinner, and awards ceremony, members, staff, and special invited guests of the Alliance ...read more

Outdoor Retailer has partnered with Nalgene to get a 32-ounce plastic Nalgene bottle into every set of hands attending Summer Market next week. And there will be no shortage of places to fill them, either. With more refill stations in common areas and scores of Plastic Impact ...read more

President Rich Hill kicked off the evening by explaining the Grassroots History Project, which was started a few years back to trace the arc of the group’s growth as a powerful collaboration of retailers and brands. Through hundreds of hours of interviews with members—both from ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com Outdoor Industry Association released its 2018 Annual Report. OutsidePR hired Kelsey McGrew as new Senior Account Executive. “Kelsey is a driven and passionate ...read more

Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at snewsedit@aimmedia.com. The Plastic Impact Promise is catching real traction with more than 70 brands signed up as part of The Alliance. Teton Gravity Research recently wrote about the ...read more