Grassroots Outdoor Alliance dropped some big news this week. The specialty retailer advocacy group added 10 new member companies to its nationwide roster in a single stroke, one of the biggest spikes since the organization's founding in 1994. According to the association's ...read more
Industry headlines: Intriguing reads from around the web DEI-focused merit badge: The Boy Scouts of America announced that a newly created Diversity Merit Badge will be required to attain the rank of Eagle Scout. [The New York Times] Black Folks Camp Too: A new startup is on a ...read more
Trek pledges action: To promote racial equity in the industry, the cycling company has promised to create 1,000 new jobs for people of color, build bike shops in underserved neighborhoods, establish a seven-figure community investment fund, and more. [Bicycle Retailer] National ...read more
Here are today's top headlines: Danish innovation: Architect Bjarke Ingels has designed an enormous, whimsical, completely unique synthetic ski slope atop a waste-to-energy plant in Copenhagen. [Outside Online] New record: With the help of groups like the North Carolina Outdoor ...read more
North Carolina's Outdoor Recreation Industry Office has a new leader—and it was an obvious choice. Amy Allison steps into the role after working as marketing and PR manager at Eagles Nest Outfitters (ENO) and co-founding a coalition of outdoor brands based in Western North ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] Picture Organic Clothing and Almo Films just dropped a new kind of ski film. "Shelter" is full of ski stoke, but also a sobering look at the recent changes the ...read more
The average angler can’t walk into a shop and throw down hundreds of dollars for a fancy new rig. But when a product offers new innovation, better durability, and affordability, it’s hard to resist. The Nautilus Reels X Series fly reels offer freshwater anglers a lightweight, ...read more
Raise your hand if the only downfall to summer is finding that faultless pair of shorts? United By Blue’s new Anywhere Short is truly for anywhere, anytime, any activity, and any body, that being the operative word. I often feel self-conscious in shorts because they aren’t ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected]. David Lama, Jess Roskelley, and Hansjörg Auer—three renowned alpinists—are presumed dead after an avalanche swept over them in Canada. As of now, there has been ...read more
Despite former California Governor Jerry Brown's kibosh of a bill to create an outdoor recreation office, an advocacy group is stepping up to see the legislation through under the new administration. Next Monday, California Outdoor Recreation Partnership (CORP) will lead an ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected]. A Denver woman is launching a new outdoor gear rental site in April. The startup—Gearo—will connect renters with retailers, who can use the business to manage ...read more
Not everyone can donate millions of dollars to causes they support, like Patagonia and REI can. But one boutique PR firm in Asheville, North Carolina, gives back in the best way they know how—through pro-bono work. Since 2017, Darby Communications has given back 290 hours of pro ...read more
Something you should know about Townsend Bertram & Company Adventure Outfitters: You’ll always have a friend there. The store has been in the same spot for 30 years, in the heart of downtown, close to plenty of lakes and wilderness trails. Brand Manager—and daughter of the ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] The Outdoor Gear Builders of Western North Carolina (OGB)—a collective of more than 30 gear brands—were awarded with $124,250 to open their doors to even more ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? Email us at [email protected] The outdoor gear industry is expanding in Western North Carolina. The Appalachian Regional Commissions POWER Initiative just gave a $940,000 grant to expand the ...read more
The sky over North Carolina was blue, and filled with puffy clouds and a bright sun on Tuesday, showing no signs of the eminent storm. But the rain is coming. "It’s almost eerie," said Betsy Bertram, of Townsend Betram & Company in Carrboro. "You look at the weather forecast and ...read more
In a roundtable with reporters Wednesday afternoon, VF Corporation CEO Steve Rendle brought his company’s decision to move to Denver in line with the conglomerate's employee-centric ethics, attributing the move to a push to attract and keep talent in a location that matches ...read more
If the outdoor industry had a constitution, the Confluence Accords would be it. After seven months of collective effort, representatives from the eight states with formal offices of outdoor recreation gathered on the roof of a downtown Denver hotel yesterday to sign the accords, ...read more
Farm to Feet celebrates its fifth-year anniversary, and it’s difficult to believe that such a well-oiled company was introduced as recently as the 2013 Outdoor Retailer winter show. Despite the brand’s choice to specialize in what was perceived by many as a saturated ...read more
Last week in Asheville, North Carolina, a roomful of delegates from around the country (and a few call-in attendees) took the next step in the Confluence process—a multi-state initiative to develop a national platform for the outdoor recreation industry. It was a ceremonial ...read more
Keep up by reading Industry Buzz. Here are today's top headlines: Have a news tip? We've created a new form where you can submit tips and story ideas. "Let our people go vote": This November, Patagonia is giving workers the day off for Election Day. And CEO Rose Marcario is ...read more
BACKPACKER Magazine ambassador and host of the Get Out More Tour, Randy Propster, brings the brand’s slogan to life. He tours the country–camping most nights along the way–and stops at retail locations to teach outdoor enthusiasts about the latest gear and share the skills to use ...read more
It’s no secret that the craft beer and outdoor industries often collide. SNEWS has featured a number of hybrid stores in the #CoolShop column, including The Hub & Pisgah Tavern in North Carolina, Colorado-based Shoes & Brews, and Escalante Outfitters, which exclusively serves ...read more
During a networking event on a frigid morning in March, Judy Gross of Lightheart Gear was bundled in a purple puffy jacket underneath a helmet and full-body harness. She was perched on a platform in the trees above North Carolina’s Green River Gorge getting ready to take her turn ...read more
