ASR Blog

OR Winter 2010; a retrospective PLUS HAITI HELP

Well the 21st annual Outdoor Retailer Winter Market is now a wrap.  I'm afraid I will never get around to thanking all the dozens, no HUNDREDS of people who contributed to the success of the little show that could... btw there are great links below for HAITI help and to video and stories on OR Winter 2010 if you want to skip over my nostalgic storytelling...

My first visit to a Winter show was when I made store manager for Adventure 16; I had just gotten my ears wet for a few months running a little backpacking shop in the San Fernando Valley when I was whisked off to Las Vegas for the SIA show, where there was a small representation, in a back, dank ballroom, of outdoor brands we needed to see.  The ski show was a glam-fest, which wasn't that odd to me given my L.A. roots (my dad attended Hollywood High School, even).   It was clear, even then, that our little market was an afterthought to the burgeoning fur-lined high heel fashion show going on in the main hall. 

So fast forward to last week, and the Winter Market born in 1989 has grown up into an electric, thriving beehive of commerce on it's own, celebrating and gathering brands and dealers selling outdoor gear for real use in the natural environment, both on and off the resort.  At the 2010 version of OR Winter, Jeremy Jones' POW (Protect Our Winters), Transworld Business, Trew and Venture Snowboards presence on the show floor for the first time showed a new inclusive atmosphere that joins resort and backcountry focused businesses together, really for the first time.  

More images, stories and video from the show will be posted up as the show shrinks in the rear view mirror, so feel free to chime in under 'comments' to guide fellow readers of this blog to other legit content... beware spammers and flamers, got my finger on the delete button just for you. 

Check out the following links to see video spots and hear about the show from different viewpoints...

http://www.outdoorretailer.com/winter_market/show/livefromor (featuring  Timmy O'Neill MC!)

http://www.outdoorretailer.com/winter_market/events_seminars/projector

http://business.transworld.net/30522/features/outdoor-retailer-2010-photo-and-video-gallery/

http://www.apparelnews.net/news/tradeshows/012910-Mood-Upbeat-at-Outdoor-Retailer/page2

HAITI SUPPORT UPDATE - see below for several different industry initiatives to choose from to support efforts on the ground in Haiti

 

1-

 Exhibitors are invited to donate show products - logistics will be provided by Terramar, Sierra Trading Post & Eric Larsen (THANKS for your strong efforts at show to pull this together!)

Logistics will work like this:

1. At the end of the show, participating vendors will package and ship their relevant show product they are donating to:

Sierra Trading Post

5121 Campstool Road

Cheyenne,

Wyoming

82007

ALL PACKAGES MUST BE MARKED: ROBIN JAHNKE /

HAITI

RELIEF

2. Product must arrive at Sierra Trading Post's warehouse within 10 days following the show

(that would be by FEBRUARY 8, 2010)

3. All products must be labeled HAITI RELIEF.

4. Sierra Trading Post will ship to

Haiti

via the Red Cross or another reputable relief agency.

2-

Doctors United For Haiti - option for gear donations not flowing through Port-Au-Prince

Paul Fish, of Mountain Gear, has recommended this outfit to get critical gear on the ground going around the main squeeze zone of Port au Prince, using private transport delivering straight to doctors on the ground in Haiti.  There is a detailed list of gear needs evident on the following sites:

http://www.dufh.org/

http://media-newswire.com/release_1111153.html

Coordinate gear for this approach via;

Paul Fish
Mountain Gear, Inc

6021 E Mansfield Ave

Spokane Valley,

WA

99212

Phone 509.242.4545

3-

Outdoor Industry Association

Working with AmeriCares (http://www.americares.org/), the OIA is calling on members to dig deep to support those areas devastated by earthquake in Haiti.
AmeriCares has disaster workers on scene and is planning immediate relief flights and sea shipments from their headquarters in

Connecticut.

. Their immediate product needs are:

Medical Supplies                       First Aid Kits             Bandages and Soaps
Face Masks – Medical     Water Purification     Headlamps
Tarps                                          Work Gloves            Hydration Containers

To donate this urgently needed product/equipment contact: Randy Weiss at AmeriCares at (203) 658-9527 or rweiss@americares.org. All donations will be delivered by air and sea directly to the region by AmeriCares.

 

If you are a gearhead and want to see the latest posts on gear reviews from the show, check these links out... more to come.

http://www.utahoutside.com/

http://gearjunkie.com/outdoor-retailer-show-products-2010

http://www.sltrib.com/outdoors/ci_14238681

http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-gear25-2010jan25,0,1668279.story

 

KH

Update for Haiti and OR Winter 2010

Well like most of you we have been busy little beavers here at OR central lining up the hundreds of little details that make a great show go off.  With the end of year, planning for next, holidays and oh by the way a pretty big show approaching, it's been a whirlwind, for sure.  Sounds good, you say, but where's the beef?  What is happening this month in SLC? 

Plenty, to put it mildly.  Where do I start? 

UPDATE- Haiti needs our help.  OIA is recommending working through http://www.americares.org to funnel contributions, especially of gear that will be necessary in urban rescue and portable living arrangements.  This is the time to shine as an industry for outdoor recreation.   Other groups with people and programs on the ground or very soon will... http://www.medicinesglobal.org , or super easy text the word 'Haiti' to 90999 to put $10 to the American Red Cross. 

The All Mountain Demo would be a proper place to start.  Get to Snowbasin on Wednesday the 20th of Jan and treat yourself to an all-mountain cornucopia of latest gear to test on both lift-served, groomed nordic and off-piste terrain.  All the major brands will be there and two new events will highlight the expanded scope of OR Winter; the Transworld Business Retailer Rumble (pitting dealers against their vendors in a fun downhill run, whether sliding sideways or two-plankin'), and the Nordic Challenge, which will be more treasure hunt/orienteering fun on the x-country gear that will be available.  Fantastic prizes (including hotel rooms at next winter show!) abound... so step on up. 

At the show in town, I'll only bore you with the nitty gritty details, some of which can be plucked from the online event schedule.  so suffice to say there will be new features to partake of, new intelligence to absorb, new technology to understand and implement, new best practices to fold into your already strong business acumen.  There are some key avenues to explore as you enter the SPCC and Salt Lake in a few weeks... all at your fingertips at the show and in the weeks that follow...

The COMMUNITY - This Winter Market opens the season with not just a peek at the products and innovation that the brands bring to OR each January, but a never before seen gathering of powerful brands alongside the athletes, advocacy groups and media players that round out the entire winter outdoor rec business. New media players like Transworld, New brands like Venture Snowboards (+150 others), and senior brands like Columbia Sportswear returning to the show floor are just a few community highlights you'll see later this month in SLC. 

The EDUCATION - a timely and powerful lineup of seminars, panel discussions and presentations will manifest at OR Winter, powered by the Outdoor Industry Association as well as the OR special event team.  Social Media is a big topic these days, specifically how successful businesses are using it to fuel sales and contact with customers.  Late breaking, a panel of journalists and media experts from the industry will vet the 'death of media... long live (new)Media!' on day 3 in the morning.  The full lineup of presentations can be seen here.

The NETWORKING - Starting with the AMD Bash at Snowbasin (where the PRIZES are awarded!) and running continuously through the show are opportunities to network with peers from around the world, as well as with leaders of brands that will make your registers ring next year and beyond.  Athletes and advocacy groups can bring depth and purpose to any events you are currently hosting, and bring fresh ideas and influence to your community.  Your customers need to know who and why, not just where and what they need to recreate with!  Focus your networking intent on the ZONES at show, including the Climbing Zone, the Endurance Zone, the Design Center, the Backcountry Village... all of these areas are owned by the community of orgs and businesses who consider it their home, offering a great meetup (or tweetup) spot to kick off new relationships or solidify current partnerships... or just cool your heels or get a little stretch in on a rock wall or treadmill (while testing something cool and new).

The CULTURE -  SEE NOTE FOR HAITI ABOVE! This industry is all about facing adversity with confidence and clear thinking... let's show the other industries what we can make happen on the ground, and do our part. 

 From the TNF Masters of Snowboarding Comp to the Transworld Shop Challenge at AMD to the Backcountry Village events and the OR All Star Industry Jam, the OR Winter show reveals the soul of the marketplace... we do business, we do it well, but we know how to bring a city to life and play as hard as we work.  That ethic rests at the center of our lives, personal and professional.  It comes to life in the creativity that is flowing all around the OR show, day and night, for nearly a full week.  This Winter show will unveil new partnerships and creative treatments on and off the show floor in the booths, in the Zones as well as in the bars, restaurants and clubs. 

UPDATE- Haiti needs our help.  OIA is recommending working through http://www.americares.org to funnel contributions, especially of gear that will be necessary in urban rescue and portable living arrangements.  This is the time to shine as an industry for outdoor recreation. 

It's a great place to feel our culture, but it's a great place to expand on that culture, and be more inclusive as we enter 2010.  Let's invite everyone to play as we do, to simply start.  No attitude to contend with, no judgement, just have fun on the snow, ice, trails that are flat or vert or watery... just get out there, and get some gear to make it even more fun. 

This should be the theme of Outdoor in 2010; Inclusivity.  And this is what you'll get an eyeful of at OR Winter. 

Fly Fishing invited to OR in lieu of stand-alone show

Here is my missive to the FF industry inviting them to come play in the OR sandbox for Summer Market 2010.   Bottom line; small niche markets are no longer served by stand-alone events.  In this digital age, the primary purpose of attending a show is to get out of the box and see new methods, techniques, gather new intelligence in a rapidly changing market... oh, and to see new product too.  Linking arms with the like-minded active outdoor world can only be good for the fly fishing industry, IMHO.  Read on...

KH

Tech meets Outdoor on the trail, and at the show

The OIA Rendezvous happened earlier this month in San Diego, and featured a suite of presentations that focused on the application and importance to businesses of Social Media.  The day before the 'vous, an impromptu ad-hoc event surreptitiously called the 'Un-conference' happened as a live gathering of less than two dozen who were discussing similar issues in an open source format with more than two dozen who followed on skype and streaming webcast.   These are not the days of road miles and phone tag... these are the days of many options for up-to-the-minute updates, conversations, sharing of information and decision-making.  Well except for that pesky pre-season ordering scenario that remains.  This too shall change, though, if the pundits have any wisdom at all.

The OIA Rendezvous review is here

http://www.outdoorindustry.org/pdf/SmartPhonesWN102109.pdf

So what?  Well, your profitability absolutely relies on it, that's what.  Not only if you are a specialty shop, but whether you are a big brand, small or startup brand, athlete, advocacy group or any other part of the community of outdoor professionals, it's your job to know your stuff when it comes to ordinary tools applied to outdoor adventure.  Yes, even you journalists out there!  (I politely recuse myself from this grouping for now).

One impactful session at the Rendezvous was led by Paul Kirwin of Kirwin Communications fame and now Channel Signal.  Like the Nielsen Online group I share offices with, Paul's group focuses in on the 'conversations' being had about a brand, and how that 'buzz' is moving the needle (literally) up or down to drive positive or negative brand impressions, nearly in real-time.  He used examples from Mountain Hardwear and SIGG to illustrate how paying attention to internet chatter or buzz in chat rooms, blog comments, twitter posts and the dreaded 'mommy bloggers' can take a brand to its knees or elevate it beyond any paid advertising. 

Other key factors in tech-meets-outdoor are the electronic and visual cues that cellphones and other modern handheld devices transmit to rescuers or nearby ordinary citizens   http://news.cnet.com/Turning-cell-phones-into-lifelines/2100-1039_3-6140794.html(just one of 6400 results from a google search of 'mountain rescue cellphone visibility', not even counting water rescues).  Soon the very lack of communication will be an early warning sign that someone's adventure has gone awry. 

How does tech affect the show?  I follow a few folks who consider this their sole mission in life, to report on events with cutting edge technology... interactive registration services all the way to RFID for real-time traffic analysis (ooohhh....expensive).  In a nutshell, digital technology is going to absolutely transform the events industry to match the real needs of specialty markets.  At OR, you've already seen some evidence of this with twitter feeds from the show you can follow (or post to via hashtag), modernized floorplan/exhibitor list/schedule planning tools online, and streaming live video from the gear testing demo and main event.  Like I was saying in a previous post, the show isn't over when it's over anymore. 

More on this topic will be coming at you as we reach into 2010 (!) and beyond, so stay tuned. 

the OI and Indonesia

UPDATED Tues Night Oct. 6 -

Surprisingly I have not seen anything from the industry on providing assistance for the Quake/Tsunami victims in Indonesia.  Maybe the OI press isn't covering it, or maybe it's too soon (?), or maybe we were all busy crafting the future of our market at Rendezvous.... but there is an opportunity in front of us to do good, maybe clear some older inventory, show the greater watersports businesses how we roll and join the world community of advocates and businesses pitching in to save lives in Indo.

The area hardest hit (Padang City, up to Malaysia and even Samoa) is a haven for surfers and adventure travelers.  This is not at all a peripheral event to our interests.  The fastest way to help is to donate funds to support efforts on the ground there.

Also to that end, here are a few ways to get involved (spread the word, you captains of social networking):

Jason Murray, famous surf photographer, is heading to Padang next week.  He's willing to carry whatever he can in his and crew luggage/bag check.  jason@photomurray.com

Andrew Judge, COO SurfAid International, wrote this over the weekend

Hi All,

Just getting some internet here in Padang,

This is a great offer; tents and medical supplies are exactly what we need.

Our Program Director David Lange is coordinating the supplies.  He has specific needs for medical supplies and would really like to talk to you.

Ideally, if you could send anything you have down now, we can send to Ments and Telos.  If you are still in Medan, could you please get in touch and we will tell you what is most needed.

and these contacts also interested in getting support for a ground effort in Indo.

Great talking with you this morning.

I think your idea of rallying the outdoor industry makes perfect sense.  If the various companies can pull together tents, water purifiers and various outdoor camping supplies that would be insane!

The major issue will be logistics and shipping these products out.  As of right now, Surfaid is going through their Australia offices and contacts to send supplies and receive info and status updates.

Look to http://www.surfaidinternational.org or http://www.redcross.org for directing donations of human-powered flashlights, shelters, tarps, tents, waterproof bags/backpacks, and medical gear.  If you know of other avenues that can assure gear will get to the right people, then chime in here and let the outdoor world know.

So reach out and touch someone!

KH

Guest blogpost #2 - Alison Osius

The All-Star Jam
>> By Alison Osius
>>
>> I have been going to trade shows longer than I care to remember. The 
>> ski show in Las Vegas: casinos, and dawn bouldering at Calico Basin. 
>> The one in Reno; casinos, Donner Summit. The current show iteration, 
>> the Outdoor Retailer Summer/Winter Market, is in Salt Lake City, 
>> with 100-degree sidewalks and Little Cottonwood Canyon.
>>
>> Each year, semiannually, as we drive the seven hours to Utah, my 
>> coworkers and I mull over the old chestnuts and the disasters, some 
>> tragic, that have happened to us or others at the show: the time we 
>> saw a fatal car accident as we entered Utah; the time a truck full 
>> of dynamite blew up on Route 6 (I still habitually crane my neck at 
>> the spot to see the flattened trees); and the famous Year of the 
>> Tornado, when we saw boiling weather from afar as we headed up route 
>> 6 from Green River.
>>
>> "Boy, something's happening!" someone said of the high, thunderous 
>> yellows, and we idly started talking about various natural 
>> disasters, never dreaming that as we approached to within 30 miles, 
>> we'd hear on the radio, "It has been confirmed. A tornado has 
>> directly hit an outdoor-industry trade show. At least five people 
>> have been killed, and dozens more may be buried in the rubble."
>>
>> The twister had in fact killed one and injured many, though that 
>> story is also positive because of the ways in which industry folks 
>> pitched in to help each other.
>>
>> One year we had a perfect view of the building across the street 
>> burning down; another time, mudslides diverted our crew up into 
>> twisty, unmarked mountain roads; and this year a fire in New Castle 
>> closed the highway just after we passed by.
>>
>> This year I also added a personal twist to the ride. I had started 
>> my packing days early, but only found myself doing the final 
>> checklist late the night before our 6:30 a.m. departure. Then, at 
>> 4:00 a.m., a skunk sprayed outside our house, the nauseating miasma 
>> wafting directly into the open bedroom window. I stumbled to close 
>> it, but in the morning, vestiges emanated from my bags.
>>
>> "Why were your bags outside?" one coworker after another in the 
>> predawn asked me accusingly.
>>
>> "They weren't," I kept explaining plaintively. "They were in the 
>> bathroom, which is by the bedroom."
>>
>> As we drove west from Colorado, Quent, normally the kindest of 
>> individuals, said of my fleece jacket, wadded on the seat between 
>> us, "Can we get that jacket out of here?"
>>
>> Cynthia obligingly opened the Dodge cab's back window and stuffed my 
>> jacket into the truck bed, while telling me that I was lucky he 
>> wasn't saying, "Can we get that Alison out of here?"
>>
>> At the hotel, I hung all my clothing around the room, and it aired 
>> out sufficiently, or so I'd like to think it.
>>
>> ------------------------
>>
>> This story, though, is about one of the most fun things I have ever 
>> done at any trade show. The last evening of the show began with a 
>> party given by Rock and Ice's companion publication, Trail Runner, 
>> at which our excellent circulation director, Paula, on an 
>> unaccustomed two glasses of wine, gave out valuable prizes for 
>> people holding squats, cranking pushups, and dancing the can-can. 
>> People participated, with alacrity. Paula just hopes there are no 
>> photos of her demonstrating the can-can.
>>
>> We staff were all on hand, in special lime-green shirts identifying 
>> us with "Trail Runner: One Dirty Magazine," to welcome and help 
>> people.
>>
>> After which, I wanted to check out the music scene next door, at 
>> Club Elevate, which for unknown reasons has an entrance decorated as 
>> an underwater grotto. Misty Murphy, climber, singer and bon vivant, 
>> was performing a set at a jam for bands comprised of outdoor-
>> industry people.
>>
>> Mike, my spouse and editor of Trail Runner; Nick, our associate 
>> publisher; and I entered the green grottos and stood side by side in 
>> our matching puce-green shirts. I felt like a bit of a dork, but 
>> wanted to hear the music. Maybe people would think we were a band.
>>
>> The All-Star Jam, organized and emceed by Timmy O'Neill, included 
>> the silvery-voiced Misty and segued into great shows by a group from 
>> OR, the All-Star Industry Band, doing funk covers, with O'Neill 
>> playing drums (well) and our estimable show director, Kenji 
>> Haroutunian, on bass; and then a set by Use As Is, which featured 
>> Black Diamond employees and friends and played one of my all-time 
>> favorites, Pearl Jam's haunting, "I'm Still Alive." We got variety-
>> Highwater, of Western River Expeditions, in Moab, provided skillful 
>> acoustic harmony-and I even got some personal history. As the 
>> Seattle-based group the Struggles played seven songs (many of them 
>> original) in 20 minutes, I realized that the lead guitarist, Dan 
>> Cauthorn (Gore, Petzl), was someone I've climbed with, and the 
>> rhythm guitarist, Rich Johnstone, had started the Vertical Club, the 
>> country's first climbing gym, which I visited just after it opened.
>>
>> There was No Recall, by Caravan Canopy, which covered Weezer, the 
>> Foo Fighters and Van Morrison, and had a great singer in Al Guindon; 
>> and Doobe and the Other Brothers, who got their drummer from 
>> Sterling Ropes and killed it with Southern rock.
>> I have always marveled at how much talent is to be found in the 
>> climbing and outdoor community, yet to me the most apt line of the 
>> evening was Timmy's exclamation, "Who knew what was in the next 
>> booth?!"
>>
>> A funnier line was this rejoinder, later, from Timmy when I thanked 
>> him for organizing the event: "Does R and I have a band for winter 
>> OR 2010?"
>>
>> That is one bit of talent missing from the community. We could all 
>> wear our green shirts, though.
>>
>> If you do have talent, and are interested in the next OR jam, email
>> orallstarjam@gmail.com

Alison Osius is the Executive Editor at Rock & Ice magazine, Columns editor at Trail Runner magazine, and one strong climber.  

The show, is it really over?

The thought has been running through my head for the past 3 weeks, going on 4... why haven't I done my own show synopsis?  Why haven't I blogged the living daylights out of the incredible experiences of people, product and politics that whirled incessantly for 5 days (including the Open Air Demo) in SLC last month?  What is my problem?

Only here, on my last day of vacation, do I realize the hard truth.  Just because my team has done it's post-con meeting, videos finalized/posted, and thank you's have been sent, and the marketing and finance teams have moved on to FFR and Winter Market '10 (2010!  Say what?), doesn't mean the show is actually over.  The show, you see, is more than just an event gathering thousands of business people together for a few days of hand-shaking and baby kissing.  It is different things for different people, but it serves a 'process purpose' for nearly everyone.  Launching, Re-inventing, Culminating, Revealing, Hiring, Downsizing, Strategizing, Co-operating, Finalizing, Initiating, Streamlining, Resource directing, Inspiration-taking, Supporting, Solidifying, .... these are all processes that are understood as landmark moments in time, defining characteristics of some action that a company, or an individual, or an association of individuals, is taking.  Those actions keeps interest high in the brand, offering a glimpse into the inner workings and most of all affirming that there ARE inner workings churning out innovation; change agent companies throughout the industry emanate this at the show.  Those are the brands I want to be affiliated with...as a consumer, one-time retailer and full-time enthusiast.  I bet you do too.

It's why we're collectively becoming known as a 'Vibrant' or 'Energetic' (I'm stopping short of 'hip') industry.  It's visible at the show, but it's like a Humpback Whale surfacing for air... the whale doesn't cease to exist when it dives deep for some Krill taking... it simply goes under the surface for a few minutes.  This is how I see the show... surfacing twice a year, but rising and diving and being fully realized only months after the actual event takes place.  For stuff still unfolding into our awareness, check out the live bits still feeding into our facebook page and other 'Live From' treatments at the show.  

So really, in my life anyway, the show is still going on.  The news bits, the conversations, the product reviews, the post-show commentary in the blogosphere and in print, is all still rolling.  Orders are being placed from buyers who saw whom and what they needed for Holiday and spring shipments, adjustments to prior orders written in June after seeing the entire market play out in real time at the show.  Technology introduced at the show (in communications, marketing, POP, advertising, and training) is being implemented daily.  Sponsorship agreements for events and athletes are now coming to fruition and those devilish details are getting hammered out... details whose seeds took root at OR Summer 09. 

So not only must the show go on, it must be seen more organically... over time, and changing, crystallizing, becoming more clear as that time passes.  This may help to explain the post show 'daze' most of us experience the week after.... 

KH

Tribality rules supreme at OR

OK, I think I'm getting a reputation for making up words, but 'Tribality' just jumped out at me in my mental haze after six days of OR Summer Market, minimal sleep, and lots of conversations across tribal lines, inside the core councils, and at 'metatribe' events (oops there I go again).  I will post some cool links to photo pages, videos, reviews and blog posts soon, promise.  Oh, I just did.  Cool.

I could blather on about all the new and amazing events, meetings and chance encounters that will shape my future view of the industry and the shows up ahead.  I could reminisce about the old days, when it was simpler.  I could get serious for a minute (or an  hour) and dig into the challenges that the industry faces, the difficulties in combining so many divergent business needs into one 'house'.  

Thankfully, I have a lot of brilliant friends and colleagues in the outdoor industry, and they occassionally write their brilliance down.  And so I submit to you, the OR blog reader, one such missive from a senior leader at ARP, the owner of Sierra Designs, Kelty, Slumberjack, Wenger NA, and Royal Robbins, among other brands in the biz.  I think this piece says more about my experience of the show and the industry when we gather than I can muster, in or out of my post-show fog.  Michael at SNEWS also posted this up a few days ago when Geoff penned it, probably on a napkin between appointments or something.   KH

I looked around this morning at the Industry Breakfast and I saw you, and I smiled and felt at home. Despite the fact you are an unruly bunch of lunatics, dreamers, eccentrics, artists, adventurers and renegades, I felt a surge of pride and protectiveness, honored to be one of you, happy to be among you, my tribe. 

Years ago, we created the foundation for this $9 billion industry that has sustained us, helped us give back to our communities and our natural world, taught us about ourselves, our businesses and our responsibilities, and it has been more fun than should ever be possible with your clothes on.

When we began, we were amateurs. But that never stopped us. As we all do in the wilderness, we relied on our wits, our guts and our native intelligence to create an industry, a livelihood and a network of ethical and responsible corporate citizens.

Human-to-human connection is the real “value add,” Carr Hagerman said this morning, July 21, at the OIA Industry Breakfast. When my customers and I are face-to-face, that’s when human energy is exchanged and the world becomes a different, better place. And, Carr suggested, this is also when we stand a better chance of being successful.

We’ve had to bring more science to our work in recent years, but the art and the heart are still there, still the soul of our business. Our business has always turned on passion, energy and creativity. We were never “in the box.” The science of business has surely helped us grow, but it has not and never should replace our wild side.

During every industry event, on the show floor, in the hotel lobbies and restaurants, and in those times after midnight when we hope no one has a camera, I see you. I see my tribe. I belong and you belong and we belong together. While we are here to do business, I cannot resist this warmth and swelling in my heart, for you and our shared history and the wonderful business we created together.

We’ve been together, in some cases, for over 30 years. We grew up (and out) together, have seen each other in the all too rare flashes of brilliance and during those occasional moments of notoriety. Like a tribe, we have a strong level of trust and familiarity with one another, seen each other weak and strong, wise and foolish, successful and groveling in failure. 

What we have together cannot be captured in a deck of slides or in a business plan. And it cannot be replaced.

When we meet, we hug and we tell each other our stories. Story-telling is how we stay a tribe, how we remember and how we pass along our wisdom. “Remember that time in Reno when you forgot to close the doors on your U-Haul and your booth fell out onto I-80?”

It isn’t a cliché that people are the real enterprise value within our companies. But it can get over-looked and be under-valued. Don’t let that happen.

For some time now, others have wanted a piece of us, have wanted to tap or capitalize on or leverage what we have. It’s not that easy. Tribes take time, patience, an open mind and a warm heart.

As we walk through these intense days of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market I will look for you and remember who you are and why I so love what I do.
-Geoff O’Keeffe

Vice President, Operations

American Recreation Products

John Bachar dies soloing in Sierra

This video just posted on Climbing.com Bachar was living proof of extended human potential coming from belief and mental training combined with tenacious physical ability. Bachar simply did climbs that terrified nearly everyone, regularly. now he has passed on, sadly leaving a son and many many friends to marvel at his life, and after grieving and sadness wane, to be forever inspired by John. I never did climb with him, nor played tunes with him on the sax... something I hoped might happen this summer at OR with the first organized band jam-a-thon going down third night. looks like I'll have to wait. Rest in Peace, John Bachar.

Road Rage Research Results- Opp. for Outdoor?

Use this with your staff at the next sales meeting for fun and prizes.... or they get to choose their hours in the shop for the next week.  This is from a research survey by AutoVantage, just released and in it's 4th year.

QUESTION- WHAT CITIES IN THE US ARE THE TOP ROAD RAGE CITIES?