Stamping Out Racism

The Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge catalyzes business leaders to bust up the all-white club

During the summer 2018 Outdoor Retailer show, Teresa Baker roamed the aisles and asked company leaders to sign her just-launched pledge to make outdoor businesses more inclusive of people of color. More than just a statement of intent, the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge committed signatories to developing a bona fide action plan.

And Baker is all about action. She was far from the first person to talk about the lack of diversity in the outdoor industry. But her Pledge, and the accountability it creates among leaders, has accelerated change in a powerful way.

Initially, Baker didn’t rouse an avalanche of responses. As founder of the African American National Park Event, she wasn’t a well-known figure within the industry. But she sensed that gear brands represented a powerful way to amplify her DEI efforts beyond the national parks. After all, Baker’s hikes around Big Sur and other spots near her California home convinced her that outdoor enthusiasts already included people of color. “We hike, ski, climb—we do all these things,” said Baker. “But looking at the social media feeds of [gear] brands, you wouldn’t know that.”

So along with Chris Perkins, a Yale University forestry student, Baker developed the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge and its supporting program. Marmot’s general manager, Joe Flannery (who has since moved on to Callaway Golf), was among the first to sign in May 2018. A year later, the Pledge had amassed 28 CEOs who promised to craft a specific set of actions for their companies to hire and support a diverse workforce and executive leadership; present representative marketing and advertising in media; engage and support broadly representative ambassador and athlete teams; and share best (and unsuccessful) practices within the industry.

Those focus areas and the consultations with Baker’s team have helped Granite Gear take DEI “to another level,” says Rob Coughlin, general manager, who signed the Pledge in 2018. “Teresa has had such an influence on me and made me look at myself really hard,” Coughlin said. That scrutiny prompted the brand to diversify its team of trash-removing Grounds Keeper hikers, to represent BIPOC and LGBTQ+ issues on its social channels, and to emphasize diversity when hiring. Still, Coughlin knows the work is far from done. When detractors slam the company’s representation of BIPOC and LGBTQ+ hikers in its newsletters and social media feeds, “That just makes us want to do more,” said Coughlin.

Such efforts are snowballing into even greater impact. At press time, more than 220 brands had signed the Pledge and 200 more were in the pipeline. The program’s job board now lets participating organizations target and recruit diverse candidates.

The current climate has awakened Americans’ understanding that opposing racism requires active change rather than passive agreement in the status quo. But the Outdoor CEO Diversity Pledge issued that call to action more than two years ago. Its earliest adopters are showing how a real commitment to this issue can lead to real change. “People are finally understanding that the demographics in this country are shifting into a scenario where people of color are dominant,” said Baker. “We need and we demand a change.”

Green Police

REI Co-op pushes the entire industry toward a more sustainable future

How can the biggest outdoor retailer in the country be a disruptor, you ask? Its size gives it leverage, and it’s using that leverage to change the way the industry makes gear.

In spring 2018, REI unveiled a new set of sustainability standards and told its more than 1,000 vendors that they’d need to comply with everything on that list by fall 2020—or lose the opportunity to sell through REI. The five guidelines (see sidebar, below) direct companies to pursue healthier supply chains, get savvy about harmful chemicals, and incorporate sustainable materials such as organic fibers, humanely sourced down, and Bluesign-certified fabrics into their products.

These might not seem like controversial asks. After all, who would argue against the treating factory workers fairly, or avoiding the use of toxic chemicals? Yet standard manufacturing practices continue to rely on habits that harm people, animals, and the planet—because changing those norms takes tremendous effort and resources. REI has forced the issue, and brands are scrambling to comply.

Of course, not all manufacturers are behind the curve. For some, REI’s requirements merely describe practices that they’ve already put in place. But they’re the exception, not the rule. REI wanted to hasten widespread adoption, so it issued an ultimatum and set out a clear path to reach it. “Our standards are meant to help scale sustainability best practices beyond just these leading brands and to make them more achievable by every brand across our industry,” explained Greg Gausewitz, REI’s product sustainability manager.

Some standards resonate with consumers (those who prefer humanely collected down, for example). Others dictate back-end changes to supply chains, logistics, and sustainability monitoring. The requirement for brands to complete the Higg Index self-assessment tool has proven to be so difficult that REI is revising the timeline for its compliance, to be released sometime in 2020. But the disruptive effect of REI’s product sustainability standards is about more than any one requirement. It’s the sum of the parts, and the fact that brands that aren’t willing to walk the sustainability talk will lose out on the industry’s most sought-after door, potentially devastating their businesses.

The threat shocked a number of brands, says outdoor industry veteran Ammi Borenstein. As principal at Snaplinc Consulting, Borenstein has helped a half dozen brands comply with REI’s standards. “They were asking, ‘How do I get my arms around this?’ Because many of them didn’t have any basic, meaningful sustainability foundation in place,” Borenstein said.

Yet REI’s requirements also set brands on a clear path to best practices, Borenstein said: “If you’re coming from zero, it’s very hard to know what to do first, but the standards provide a starting point and roadmap.”

Even Royal Robbins, which wasn’t starting from zero, received valuable guidance from the Product Sustainability Standards. “There were a lot of things that we were working on, but the guidelines helped to sharpen our focus,” explained Kaytlin Moeller, Royal Robbins’ brand sustainability manager. As a member of the Fenix Outdoor family of brands (which includes Fjällräven and Primus), Royal Robbins had already begun to map its supply chain and had asked its tier one suppliers (which sell directly to Royal Robbins) to sign onto a sustainability code of conduct, but REI’s standards nudged Royal Robbins to extend that code of conduct to tier two suppliers (which sell to tier one).

Now, Royal Robbins is evaluating how to eliminate the practice of wrapping individual products in polybags. “It can’t happen overnight because we need to make sure our logistical system is set up to process that change,” said Moeller. Ditching polybags represents a significant change in any company’s operations, but the hope from REI is that Royal Robbins and other brands will find big strides to be more achievable once the Product Sustainability Standards lay down the stepping stones.

Of course, REI benefits from its vendors’ advances in sustainability. “Third-party brands account for the majority of REI’s product sales,” said Gausewitz. “These products also account for the most significant component of REI’s environmental footprint. So if we want to bring a more sustainable offering to our customers and continuously reduce our footprint, it’s critical that we partner with the brands we work with.” REI has dropped brands that do not align with its standards, he adds.

A crib sheet on REI’s product sustainability standards

1. Create fair and safe supply chains, using a manufacturing code of conduct that outlines social and environmental standards and pursuing Fair Trade certification wherever possible.

2. Manage chemical use to avoid toxic substances, such as oxybenzone (in sunscreens) and long-chain PFAS.

3. Source materials that comply with guidelines for responsible land stewardship, such as organic crops and wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

4. Ensure that animal-derived materials (such as down, wool, and leather) come from animals that received humane treatment.

5. Address products’ environmental impacts across their entire life cycle—including disposal—by completing the Higg Index Brand & Retail Module.

However, says Borenstein, some of the most exciting and far-ranging impacts of the REI guidelines have been the ways that brands are now exploring sustainability beyond those basic requirements. Fulfilling REI’s sustainability expectations has prompted a groundswell of excitement within companies that’s buoying them to greater things. “People want to do the right thing, and they want to work for a company where they know they do the right thing, so we’ve seen [REI’s guidelines] activating employee excitement,” he said. “When it becomes meaningful to brands’ customers, employees, and leadership, companies start dedicating money and time to it. That’s when sustainability takes on a life of its own.”

As with any change to the status quo, results can be somewhat hard to track, but REI remains optimistic that its efforts will address the biggest problem of our time: climate change. “We do not yet have data to show the carbon benefits of our standards,” Gausewitz said. “Addressing climate change is at the heart of our mission to fight for life outdoors, and our Product Sustainability Standards are an important tool in that fight. We continue to work to get better data so we can fine-tune our efforts and better understand our impact.”

No Strings Attached

Stio provides retailers with new gear on consignment terms

It’s one of retail’s most fundamental tenets: Shops buy goods at wholesale, sell them to consumers, then figure out what to do with the inventory that doesn’t sell. But, in 2016, Stio hatched a novel kind of consignment deal that placed new apparel “on wheels” in select brick-and-mortar outdoor retailers. If items don’t sell there, Stio takes them back and doesn’t charge the shop. The program, called Outpost, lets Stio sell product in retail shops while retaining the direct-to-customer model at the core of its business. But it also opened retailers’ eyes to a new realm of possibility for their partnerships with manufacturers and the idea is catching on.

“It gives specialty retail some bargaining leverage,” said Brendan Madigan, owner of Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City, California. He says that his participation in Stio’s Outpost program has made him reevaluate his existing relationships. “I can say hey, here’s a company that’s giving me the same terms you do, but with zero inventory risk,” said Madigan. And Outpost addresses one of Madigan’s biggest, most persistent problems: cash flow.

With Outpost, Stio provides retailers with product, delivered about eight times per year (compared to the two deliveries in spring and fall that are the norm for the broader apparel industry). Those retailers are not permitted to market Stio pieces using any kind of national reach, so Stio retains control of its brand identity. But retailers are expected to honor flash sales and seasonal clearances that Stio occasionally offers through its DTC channel. Retailers collect the typical, keystone wholesale margin. And they return unsold items to Stio, which developed the program because retailers kept asking for a way to carry Stio apparel in their stores. According to Stio, only a very small percentage of product has been returned, which Stio combines with its other inventory for sale online.

“It started at the insistence of a bunch of old retail friends of mine,” explained Stio founder Stephen Sullivan, who had developed extensive retailer relationships during his days at Cloudveil (another Jackson-based apparel brand that Sullivan helmed until 2010). Jans in Park City, Utah, and Sturtevants in Ketchum, Idaho, were among the first retailers to become Stio Outposts. “We seek out high-quality shops that really focus on customer engagement, have high-quality staff, and invest in a lot of staff training,” Sullivan said.

Madigan likes that such terms let him be more financially fluid. But he also thinks they separate the wheat from the chaff. “There are a lot of average brands in a saturated, competitive market,” he said. Offering retailers product on wheels strengthens retailers’ negotiating position and puts pressure on manufacturing brands to earn their spot in brick-and-mortar showcases.

Currently, the Outpost program includes about 40 stores, and Sullivan expects that number to grow—albeit slowly. “I think a lot of the other brands are probably pissed off at me for having stuff on wheels, so we won’t expand it too aggressively,” Sullivan joked. Besides, Outpost is most valuable as a piece of Stio’s broader puzzle of markets; leaning too hard on it for sales incurs too much inventory risk. But from a branding and marketing standpoint, said Sullivan, it’s been very successful. “It’s hard to quantify what it’s done,” he admitted. “For us, it’s been a way to build consumer awareness, especially in major metro areas away from our core markets in the mountains.”

Not every apparel brand is likely to be able to offer product on wheels, Sullivan says, because most are dedicated to traditional wholesale models. Nevertheless, at least one major brand—The North Face—is dabbling with buy-backs. When contacted, the company declined to elaborate on its policies. “While we don’t disclose our specific sales programs, we do support our retail partners in a number of ways to ensure our relationship is positive for them,” said The North Face spokesperson Kali Platt. But multiple retailers have confirmed that they’ve accepted “on wheels” deliveries of The North Face product, such as the high-dollar Summit Series line of alpine apparel.

If so-called pinnacle products are shipping to stores on wheels, that could be enough to tip the entire brick-and-mortar retail model.

The Breakaway

The Big Gear Show goes its own way

The Outdoor Retailer trade show has been the industry’s reigning conference since 1982, when 93 exhibitors gathered in Las Vegas. But The Big Gear Show has designs on OR’s dominance: This upstart is planning a new trade show, to stage just weeks after Outdoor Retailer’s typical Summer Market (and in the very city that OR abandoned, Salt Lake), with exhibitor rates that radically undercut OR. Of course, there’s no telling yet if anyone will win this showdown or if the industry has an appetite for two shows. Both were canceled this summer because of COVID-19—but The Big Gear Show has clearly fired a shot across Outdoor Retailer’s bow.

The Big Gear Show’s founders, Darren Bush and Sutton Bacon, both hail from retail—specifically the paddling realm (Bush currently owns Rutabaga Paddlesports in Madison, Wisconsin, and Bacon was CEO of the Nantahala Outdoor Center from 2007 to 2018). Convinced that OR had become too expensive and too focused on apparel, they launched the Paddlesports Retailer show in 2017. Buyers liked that the show took place in late summer (rather than in June, which is the busiest month for paddling shops) but they preferred the diversity of brands and traffic that comes with a multisport exhibition like OR. So Bush and Bacon revised Paddlesports Retailer into The Big Gear Show, which includes paddling, cycling, camping, and climbing brands—but is limited to hardgoods only.

“So much of the [outdoor] industry is based around apparel, but that timing doesn’t work for all aspects of the outdoor industry,” said Kenji Haroutunian, who directed the Outdoor Retailer and Fly Fishing Retailer shows before Bush and Bacon tapped him to direct The Big Gear Show. Tents and kayaks, for example, aren’t always updated every year (as apparel generally is) and such hardgoods aren’t always made in Asia, where most apparel gets sewn, which makes lead times shorter. Plus, Haroutunian adds, the buying practices for apparel and hardgoods differ, so most retailers dedicate separate buyers for each category. “Hardgoods buyers from retail stores can order just a few tents to test how they sell; they don’t have to buy a whole season’s worth of jeans and button-down flannels as they would for apparel,” he explained.

By calling out jeans and flannels, Haroutunian hints at the increasingly mainstream character of OR. As that trade show welcomes more streetwear, home furnishings, fashion footwear, and other goods that don’t qualify as “gear,” it has ballooned into a much bigger, more generalized production that can seem less relevant to core outdoor brands.

Beyond hardgoods, there are other ways that The Big Gear Show offers a narrower focus than OR. Its target is specialty retail, “not so much the big-box stores or even REI,” said Haroutunian. Nor is The Big Gear Show chasing the biggest manufacturers, he adds. Instead of exhibiting Patagonia and The North Face, says Haroutunian, the show will highlight 50 to 100 smaller brands such as Inno, which makes roof rack systems, and Liberty, a purveyor of water bottles. And those brands will benefit from exposure to consumers, since The Big Gear Show is expected to be partially open to the public, as OR was in its earlier days.

Adaptations to COVID-19 forced The Big Gear Show to reschedule its debut for August 3-5, 2021. In the interim, smaller brands and retailers will have an even greater need to compare ideas for how to survive and overcome this common challenge. Thus COVID-19 is likely to make The Big Gear Show even more relevant.

Retailers are ready for a trade show shakeup. As Wes Allen, owner of Sunlight Sports in Cody, Wyoming, said, “The advent of the Big Gear Show will disrupt the outdoor trade show landscape, giving retailers and brands a large-format show experience for discovery, without the large price tag.”

This story originally ran in the Summer 2020 issue of The Voice.

The post Disrupting the Industry’s Status Quo appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

This story originally ran in the Summer 2020 issue of The Voice.

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 professions get a green light. But how about a seasonal whitewater guide getting a deal on skis or a yoga instructor getting a discount on a tent—greenish yellow? How about someone who takes an avalanche safety course or an amateur photographer with a nature blog—red?

What about average enthusiasts who just claim they do one of the above?

Figuring out who deserves a steep gear discount is crucial to running a successful brand pro program. Connect with the right pros, the theory goes, and a manufacturer helps these influencers do their jobs, while also familiarizing them with the gear and driving full-price sales to local retailers for a win-win. But if standards loosen so much that practically anybody can stock up on gear for 40 percent off or more, then pro deals become something else entirely.

“Pro programs are a complete farce,” said Wes Allen, owner of Sunlight Sports in Cody, Wyoming. “The idea of a program where you discount to shop employees and people who work in the industry is a solid one. But anybody who’s being honest about it knows that the programs are completely out of control. It’s a way for brands to sell direct-to-consumer at a discount without violating their MAP [minimum advertised price] policy. And let’s be real, there are brands out there encouraging this behavior because they see it as an easy, high-margin sale.”

Without any industry-wide standards or watchdogs for pro programs, it’s tough to judge how well the system is really working. So we went digging for evidence.

The Broadening Definition of “Pro”

Employees at The Trail Head, an independent outdoor retailer in Missoula, Montana, run into shoppers with pro deals “every single day,” said owner Todd Frank. Sometimes they’re just showrooming—trying on boots and apparel in the store before heading off to order their gear directly from brands or on third-party pro platforms. Sometimes they’re attempting to use a prAna influencer card (good for direct purchases from prAna only) for a discount in the store, not understanding how the program works. Sometimes they’re getting their new pro-deal skis mounted.

“Over the last bunch of years, the number of skis we sell has dropped 15 to 30 percent a year, but the number we’re mounting has gone up,” noted Frank. “People are very open about [getting a pro deal]. It’s a badge of honor in a community like Missoula. It makes you a legit outdoor guy.”

“Legit” is exactly the point of contention. Who’s legit? Brands and retailers alike agree that true industry professionals deserve a gear hookup, noting that gigs like ski patrolling, guiding, and wildland firefighting often pay so poorly that these pros would struggle to buy needed equipment. Without pro deals, “there’s no way you could afford this stuff,” said Steve Kunnen, an avalanche forecaster, educator, and guide for Washington’s Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort, the Northwest Mountain School, and the Northwest Avalanche Center. He considers his pro deals an essential part of his job: This past winter season alone he bought two pairs of Atomic skis and goggles, a Patagonia ski pack, and Arc’teryx shell pants, all at 40 percent off or more. “People don’t realize you hammer your gear” with daily, hard use, Kunnen said. “There’d be a lot more patches and duct tape without pro deals.”

And in the right hands, pros do serve as valuable influencers. “If a retail consumer sees a pro using a product, that’s a pretty big stamp of approval,” noted Derek Young, who manages the pro program for Sawyer Paddles and Oars.

Getting gear into the hands of specialty retailer employees can also pay off for outdoor stores: Not only is it a valuable perk for recruiting workers, but an enthusiastic recommendation from a shop clerk can drive sales. “All you have to do is walk into [a store] and meet an employee who’s like, ‘I was using this last weekend’—that’s hugely positive,” noted Gabe Maier, vice president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance.

What some retailers do object to, however, is the extension of pro deals to the far margins of the outdoors, such part-time yoga teachers, students enrolled in AIARE avalanche courses, or “literally people who work in the parks department—not Yellowstone park, but tennis courts,” said Sunlight Sports’s Allen. Another gripe: Often, pro members are eligible for discounts well beyond their job categories, as in a backpacking guide also qualifying for ski boots. And some report concerns about straight-up fraud, with faux pros falsely claiming they deserve a deal. Young of Sawyer Paddles and Oars says applicants have sent him snapshots of themselves in a whitewater raft as proof that they’re professional guides.

Nobody in the industry tracks overall pro purchases, says Grassroots Public Relations and Policy Advisor Drew Simmons, but the organization has heard plenty of anecdotes from its member shops. “It’s an income stream [for brands] that’s based on promotional, off-price behavior,” Simmons said. “It seems to be broadening and growing at a significant pace.” (Several retailers say pro programs really started going off the rails about ten years ago.) Simmons added, “Retailers are understandably concerned that it has become such a significant part of many brands’ businesses that they will have a really hard time reining it in.”

And stores argue there’s much at stake when pro programs get bloated well beyond their original intention. “Everybody and their dog 85 has a pro form in a mountain town like ours, when they absolutely should not,” said Brendan Madigan, owner of Tahoe City, California’s Alpenglow Sports. “You’re effectively retraining the public to shop online always and first, and to look for discounts online, which makes them think brick-and-mortar stores are always more expensive. Brands are effectively undercutting retailers.”

“If a product that we sell is readily available from the vendor for 40 to 50 percent less, it makes us look really bad,” added The Trail Head’s Frank. “And it harms the vendors just as much, because they’re going to end up with nothing but a discounted sales channel.”

The Middlemen

You can’t talk pro deals—and their potential for abuse—without taking a hard look at third-party pro platforms like ExpertVoice, Outdoorly, Liberty Mountain, and Outdoor Prolink. These businesses partner with brands to manage their pro programs, in many cases vetting applicants, facilitating orders, and providing other services in exchange for a fee and/or a cut of each sale. (Another site, IPA Collective, approves applicants and then connects them directly to brand pro programs.)

Such programs maintain that they help vendors find and vet influencers, and also instruct their pros to send anyone who admires their gear to buy it at a local retailer. “The clear reason to have a pro program is to drive more full-price consumer sales,” said ExpertVoice CEO Tom Stockham. “It’s [about] finding the people who have the most credible influence with consumers, and making them better ambassadors for your brand.”

Reps for all platforms we questioned for this article (ExpertVoice, IPA Collective, and Outdoor Prolink) stressed they use strict protocols to evaluate applicants. “If you’re not careful with your pro program, you start to undermine your price point and extend discounts too broadly,” said Stockham, who adds that ExpertVoice uses anti-fraud software and cross checks with professional organizations’ databases to limit its members to true pros. A spokesperson for Outdoor Prolink noted that the company has five staffers who review the thousand-plus applications it receives weekly (90 percent are accepted, which the company chalks up to clear criteria on its website that weed out unqualified would-be applicants) and requires members to re-certify annually: “This ensures that 100 percent of our base [is made up of] vetted professionals.”

Retailers aren’t buying it. “The third-party sites are like drug dealers,” said Allen of Sunlight Sports. “They’re coming in with this story about how ‘we’re going to get influencers to push people to your retailers.’ That’s such a bunch of crap.” He argues that third-party shoppers don’t have any real connection to their local outdoor stores.

Frank adds that the sites’ business model encourages them to view applicants with a generous eye. “[Third-party sites] are making commission sales,” he said. “So they’re going to drive as much volume as possible, because that’s the only way it works.”

What’s more, some retailers say their vendors are on board with such everybody-in policies. According to a member of the sales team who worked closely with Black Diamond’s pro program, left the company within the past year, and asked to remain anonymous, “Using ExpertVoice captures a broader audience and requires less in-house maintenance. Yes, ExpertVoice is too lax with who they approve for pro deals, which Black Diamond is acutely aware of. However, it is also a huge revenue driver for the brand.”

In response, the brand shared a statement acknowledging that the pro program isn’t perfect, but Black Diamond continues to improve its system. It also notes that the brand is a key player in an industry working group on pro sales, which meets to share notes on best practices, including dealing with abuses.

So what’s the truth behind becoming a pro? We went undercover to find out. In our investigation (see p. 87), the third-party platforms we applied to accepted our fake profiles more often than not. “If you’re willing to lie about who you are, it can be hard to catch someone like that,” noted ExpertVoice’s Stockham. “But it will happen, and you’ll be kicked off the platform forever. We will always want to work with retailers and others to figure out how to make the system work better.”

Some brands say they recognize the loopholes as well. “We are aware of some issues regarding pro/industry purchase sign-up validation and are taking aggressive steps to correct any problems around our internal approval process as well as those of our chosen partners to 
 tighten controls in a way that ensures a healthy program,” said Andy Burke, head of commercial sales at Outdoor Research.

Bro Deals—and Consequences

In some pro programs, membership comes with an extra perk: periodic discount codes meant to be shared with friends and family, aka the “bro deal.” Recent promotions from Patagonia and prAna have offered each of their pros three codes at 40 percent off to share—much to the chagrin of the retailer community (Patagonia’s codes were each good for up to $2,500 worth of gear).

“The question is, is a friends-and-family program really an extension of the pro purchase influencer program?” asked Grassroots’s Simmons. “Expanding accessibility to everyone you know—is that supporting the original idea [of a pro program], or is it a whole different area of revenue generation? Friends-and-family promotions seem like the number-one thing to train people to [wait for] a good deal every year.”

Besides, members of a pro’s social circle could otherwise be full-price customers—so why offer them deep discounts? According to prAna’s vice president of marketing, Jeff Haack, “We want to give [our influencers] an opportunity to share their love of the brand and products.” (No other brands we approached agreed to comment.)

But retailers suspect otherwise. Allen guesses these promos are a way to unload excess inventory, and Frank said, “Friends-and-family discounts are prolific because most of the companies are just using them to drive volume. We have a lot of publicly traded companies in the outdoor industry now, and they’re beholden to the board and the shareholders”—which means they’re under pressure to maximize profits every quarter by whatever means necessary.

Ultimately, such complaints about excessive pro deal activity can translate to concrete consequences for brands. Frank dropped Scarpa from The Trail Head last winter: “There are people who should not be getting deals from Scarpa who are getting deals every day. Consequently, I just can’t sell it.” (Scarpa did not reply to our requests for comment.) Allen has similarly scaled back business from several brands so far, and is “having super-hard conversations with” a few others (he declined to name which ones).

And Maier of Grassroots predicts that overly generous pro programs will backfire industrywide. “It seems like the programs were created to enhance brand loyalty,” he said. “But where the programs are now, all the anecdotal information points to creating price loyalty. Instead of building up brand equity, it’s having the opposite effect.”

Reining It In

Nobody tracks the precise number of pro program members across the industry— or what percent of total purchases they account for—but our investigation shows how easy it is for someone without real credentials to get access to a killer deal. So how can the industry dial back the free-for-all and restore pro programs to their original purpose?

The first, and likely most effective, step: tightening up the vetting process. “It would be a huge positive step to get some validation at all levels,” said Maier. “If these programs are truly intended to be there for influencers or people who are connected at retail, then what’s the harm in doing a little more work in verifying who’s accepted?” Despite assurances from program managers that all applicants must pass strict scrutiny, our undercover investigation proves otherwise: In some cases, fake pros were granted almost instant access using fake credentials.

Instead, managers could require additional documentation if something in an application looks fishy—such as professional certifications or, for retail employees, the store’s invoice number—or even call someone’s claimed employer to double-check. Another safeguard for retail employees: Mandate that all purchases be shipped to the store, as Patagonia does. The best-run pro programs also require members to recertify every year, Maier says, so former pros can’t hang on to their discounts.

And, “if there’s not a direct connection to the local retailer, it doesn’t work,” said Frank. Many programs do include a note in their acceptance email about sending anyone who admires the gear to their local outdoor shop to make purchases, but there’s currently no guarantee that members even know which shops carry the products. Young of Sawyer Paddles and Oars says he asks his qualifying pros to send curious clients to specific local shops: “I’m trying to build that bridge between the pros and the retailers. Retailers have to trust that manufacturers aren’t abusing that discounted sales channel.” He even suggests taking the connection a step further: “Maybe it’s time for retailers to vet who’s qualified for programs.”

Wrestling these pro programs back down to size, of course, depends on vendors and third parties actually wanting to limit pro deal purchases—not intentionally treating them as a lucrative discount DTC channel, as some retailers contend they do. The current state of pro programs “isn’t a misunderstanding,” said Allen. “It’s not people making a mistake in executing pro deal programs. This is a calculated business practice that people are being dishonest about.”

Patagonia is one brand heeding its dealers’ calls for overall reform by embarking on a revamp of its own program. Among other steps, the company is reviewing pro categories and individual members and scrubbing those not deemed to match a stricter set of criteria, plus ending its twice-yearly friends-and-family promotions.

“We know we can have a deeper connection with fewer pros 
 that supports our business in a better way,” noted Patagonia’s Bruce Old, VP of global business, and John Collins, leader of global sales teams, in a statement to The Voice. “We also realize there are too many access points for discounted products in the market.” The fact that the brand is investing in more environmentally and socially responsible—and expensive—production practices, they add, helps make its full-price business even more important.

These kinds of brand-led reforms—essentially, hiring tougher bouncers for the pro deal club—are likely key to reducing abuses and maintaining a more exclusive definition of “pro.” After all, when everybody’s a pro, then really, nobody is. And that renders a pro program essentially meaningless.

Getting In: An Undercover Investigation

Just how tough—or easy—is it to get into a pro program? We went undercover to find out.

Most brands and third-party platforms say their pro programs are for true outdoor industry professionals only, and that applicants are carefully vetted to ensure only the deserving get in. Not everyone believes it.

Industry insiders report concerns about several types of objectionable “pros.” There are the applicants with questionable outdoor credentials— part-time guides, one-time NOLS students, etc. There are straight-up liars posing as legit pros. And some retailers even charge that platforms will accept absurd applications that are obviously frauds (The Trail Head’s Todd Frank successfully applied to ExpertVoice as President James Madison).

We tested the system ourselves with three fake personas, complete with bogus credentials, designed to probe brands’ defenses against those concerns. “April O’Hara” posed as a retail employee using a free, fake pay stub created online. Yoga instructor “Rashida Samat” submitted a screen shot of a real teacher’s online profile that didn’t include a name. And for our most ridiculous attempt, “Minnie Mouse” applied with a photo of a coffee shop punch card. We tried 11 pro programs (five third-party pro platforms and six brands directly). When admitted, we placed an order and, in all cases, received the gear (items will be donated).

In some cases, our applicants received a green light within a few minutes, suggesting no vetting process or a very limited automated one. In others, someone reviewed the application, but didn’t probe deeply into our supporting documents. Andy Marker, founder and principal of IPA Collective, who approved our application for “Rashida Samat,” noted, “I saw the [online studio] profile, and on that day, it was good enough for me.”

Ten of the 11 targets rejected Minnie Mouse (Liberty Mountain accepted her without question). But the results were mixed for April and Rashida.

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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 of Alpenglow Sports in Lake Tahoe, California, is just one of thousands of outdoor business owners who are wondering whether they’ll make it through.

“This crisis has really forced me to soul search on what my business is really, truly about,” said Madigan. The answer is simple: my community.”

Alpenglow has had two owners since its birth in 1979: Don Fyfe and Madigan, who says feels a tremendous, sometimes smothering, responsibility to continue its legacy for generations to come.

On Thursday of last week, Madigan set his ego aside and wrote to his community from the heart (see the full Facebook post below). “I swallowed my pride and asked our amazing customers to take care of us in this great time of need,” he said. “I never could have imagined the immense outpouring of love and support. It was absolutely overwhelming.”

In just four days, the Alpenglow community has purchased — get this — more than $75,000 worth of gift cards. He says the emails are coming in so fast—customers asking for a new touring setup or pair of skate skis—he can barely keep up. One customer even offered to buy Alpenglow futures. “You do so much for the Tahoe community. You MUST survive. Your store MUST survive,” she wrote on Facebook.

Madigan will use these funds to keep Alpenglow alive. “While the landscape is still blurry, the reality is that we only have so much capital to protect us during such an unprecedented time,” said Madigan. “I’ll use these much needed funds to support my staff, who are like family to me. I am on a life missions to make sure the Alpenglow legacy continues.”

Professional athletes like Michelle Parker, Adrian Ballinger, and Bryce Bennett shared Alpenglow’s plight on Instagram. “People I’ve never met turned out in droves to support us because they love what we do or have enjoyed some of our free events,” said Madigan, his voice cracking with emotion.

In some ways, this outpouring of love shouldn’t surprise Madigan. After all, he’s just reaping what he has sewed in his community. For the last 13 years, Madigan has hosted huge community events, Mountain Festival and Winter Speaker Series, and raised more than $500,000 for local charities.

Madigan wants his fellow retailers to follow suit: “OBJ launched the #SaveYourLocalGearShop campaign last week. Join it. Don’t wait,” he said. “I’m convinced that if you’re willing to be vulnerable, your community will show you a level of support that you might not have ever thought possible. Humanity is never better than in times of adversity. I challenge you to see just how much love is out there for you and your shop or business. I think you’ll be floored when you see the outpouring of support and love.”

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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 shops around the country felt even more pinched during the holidays—a time when business should be booming—because the very brands they sell in their stores were offering unbeatable prices online and in their own namesake stores.

“There is no way we can compete with the deep discounts and direct-to-consumer sales promoted by our vendors and other online sellers,” Porter said. “So, we stay the course and continue to provide community support, great customer service, and great products that separate good brick-and-mortar shops from the rest of the marketplace.”

As advocates for specialty retailers, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has been monitoring promotional emails from nearly 200 brands since 2017 to better understand the ebbs and flows of the industry. And as the data set grows, Grassroots says it has become a way to identify and illuminate the companies that are doing healthy things for the marketplace and industry.

Data from 2019 shows that some brands have drastically ramped up emails with words like “sale” and “Cyber Monday” in the subject lines, while others have decreased frequency and volume. But overall, Grassroots saw a 31 percent increase in 2019 over 2018 of promotional emails.

“Vendors aren’t sharing their promotional calendar when they sell specialty retailers the line, but retailers now have a growing amount of data about when to expect a spike in promotional activity,” Grassroots President Rich Hill said.

“We’ve learned that MAP (minimum advertised price) policies are so fluid that they are essentially worthless,” Hill added. “They are designed to establish a sense of trust during the sell-in process, and then re-interpreted all season. The best indicator that retailers have to predict pricing volatility is to study what a vendor did last season, not what their policy says they’ll do next season.”

It’s not that brands shouldn’t run holiday sales. It’s that Grassroots is advocating for a leveler playing field.

Diving into the Data

From November 1 to December 31, Grassroots monitored 195 outdoor brands—members and non-members—and their email behaviors. Of that, only 50 vendors did not send any promotional emails in 2019. The other 145 collectively sent 1,355 promotional emails—a 31 percent increase over 2018 numbers.

Other key takeaways:

• In 2018, 63 percent of promotional emails were sent in November and 37 percent in December
• In 2019, 43 percent of promotional emails were sent in November and 57 percent in December
• 91 vendors (47 percent) increased their promotional cadence from 2018 to 2019 accounting for 429 additional promotional emails
• 25 of the 91 had not sent a promotional email in 2018 and began doing so in 201
• 40 vendors (20 percent) decreased their promotional cadence from 2018 to 201
• 64 no change (33 percent) year over year

Hill noted, “There’s a misconception about promotional behavior that it’s somehow isolated and happening in a vacuum, with no real impacts other than a few points on margin. The unfortunate reality is that aggressive promotional behavior creates distinct and negative impacts that are felt by both retailers as well as other vendor brands. Labelling it as ‘sales fracking’ might be considered a little dramatic, but it’s accurate.”

Grassroots uses this data to engage in conversations with retailers and vendor partners about how to work together to make both online and brick-and-mortar sales channels healthy. Overly promotional behavior is a red flag.

For Forsake (maker of outdoor/adventure footwear), retail partners are top of mind during the holidays. Marketing Director Jack Knoll said that between 2017 and 2019, the brand maintained a consistent and well-communicated promotional window so retailers could plan for and match promotions. Additionally, he said Forsake doesn’t adjust MAP policies in-season.

“Holiday discounts are important to our growth strategy,” Knoll said. “It remains the most effective way to get ourselves in front of new customers. By allowing our retailers to latch onto our promotions during pre-arranged windows, everyone can benefit from using this tool to attract new business.”

Smartwool has a different strategy. The premium sock brand aims to never be promotional, VP of sales Scott Bower said, even though consumers have come to expect deals all year round.

Instead of fighting prices, Smartwool partners with like-minded brands—YETI and MPOWERD are two examples—to offer gifts with purchases during the busiest shopping days of the year. And when Smartwool does go off-price, those discounts live in a designated spot on the website and are communicated with their retailers.

“If we’re up against other brands that are highly promotional, it does to an extent hurt. But is it worth a short-term effort (discounts) that could have long-term negative impacts to your brand?” said Bower. “Retailers want to partner with brands that have longevity. We’re in this for the long haul.”

Specialty Retailers Take a Hit When Promotions Spike

Mike Massey, owner of Massey’s Outfitters and founder of Locally.com, has said it before: It’s really hard to return to being a full-price seller after using discounts to build goodwill with customers.

“One of the things that has been frustrating for us is that we will get a notification [from a vendor] that we have something on sale that is violating a MAP policy. But then it’s inevitable that within a day, we’re getting emails from the brand violating their own map policy,” Massey said. “It’s a double standard…What are we supposed to make of that? If your MAP policy can be changed at any moment during the season, and enforcement is spotty, you basically don’t have a MAP policy at that point.”

Already facing thin margins, Porter said competing with vendors by playing the volume versus margin game is a slippery slope.

Massey says his stores were clobbered after he chose not to play the discount game and keep products full-price in November for the first time in six years. He says the amount lost in November carried into December.

Alpenglow Sports owner Brendan Madigan said Black Friday was also a total bust for his Tahoe City, California-based store. He agreed that it’s impossible to compete when brands are marketing so aggressively with 20 to 25 percent sales, and sometimes even higher.

“The brands that engage in this behavior have retrained the customer to only shop online these days due to their blatant discounting—it’s like Pavlov’s Dog,” Madigan said.

While some retailers struggled over the holidays, others found success in new places.

Hala GearSpace, a SUP brand and new brick-and-mortar store in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, skipped out on offering a maximum discount online, so they could focus customers’ attention on retailers offering the discount, communications coordinator Victoria Ohegyi said.

The Base Camp, which has two locations in Montana, also had a successful run during Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, after teaming up with Red Ants Pants, a retailer from a small town nearby. Together, Scott Brown and Sarah Calhoun, the two businesses owners, wrote op-ed pieces in several state newspapers about the importance of small business collaboration and support. Brown said the collaboration was a success—sales were up at The Base Camp by 23 percent over the previous season.

But for the entire industry to win during the holidays, it’s the brands that need to scale back from being too opportunistic, Massey said.

“They can’t have a policy that enables you to sell in with a bunch of flowery promises and then void the policies when your sales are suffering,” he said.

Otherwise, brands risk losing key retail partners—and therefore, sales.

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Last year a Congressional report confirmed what many within the outdoor industry already knew: climate change will transform the way we do business. The report projected that unless serious action is taken to curb global warming, the U.S. economy could shrink by nearly 10 percent in the next 80 years.

It specifically called out the danger to outdoor recreation and tourism economies. Wildfires will shut down national forests more frequently. Certain game species will shift their habitat, affecting local hunting and fishing. And warmer, drier winters will have a severe impact on snow sports.

Because many independent retailers have already experienced the effects of climate change firsthand, we wanted to know what they’re doing to prepare for what one business owner called “an existential crisis.”

Here’s what they had to say:

Ed McAlister, River Sports Outfitters, Knoxville, TN

Ed McAlister has been in business a long time—nearly 40 years—and has seen his fair share of seasonal changes; however, he says recent weather fluctuations have been significantly more dramatic.

“Some years, we just don’t have any cold weather,” McAlister said.

Tennessee, like much of the Southeast, is projected to experience a rise in the number of days above 95°F, longer, more frequent droughts, and severe flooding.

McAlister believes climate change isn’t the sole challenge independent retailers face, but it is certainly compounding them. Competing against online shopping and big box stores will be that much harder if locals aren’t getting outside.

“We’re buying much more conservatively because of the fluctuations,” he said. “You can’t afford to get stuck with inventory anymore.”

McAlister has adapted his buying strategy to reflect unpredictable and often extreme weather. Instead of placing two to three big orders per season, he now plans for smaller, more frequent buys.

“You always try to make the best of a bad situation,” he said. “When it rains a lot, boaters are out. When it’s dry and hot, climbers are out.”

For McAlister, it’s about structuring his business to be nimble and capable of servicing the needs of the customer based on the situation.

Ben Rockis, Backcountry Experience, Durango, CO

Warmer, drier winters paired with increased wildfire activity is in the longterm forecast for Southwest Colorado and last year Durango received a back-to-back combination of each. A hot, dry winter segued into the 416 Fire, which shut down the San Juan National Forest and filled the town with heavy smoke at the height of summer.

“It basically hindered any outdoor activity locally,” said Backcountry Experience owner Ben Rockis.

Rockis, who has now experienced two severe wildfire seasons, expects to see this pattern more frequently.

“I believe that the rise in temperatures will hurt the winter season the most,” he said. “We’re planning on ordering less winter product.”

That, however, doesn’t mean lost sales.

“Anytime there’s chaos, there’s always opportunity,” Rockis said.

A shorter winter means a longer hiking, running, and climbing season. He sees potential in more backpack and footwear sales, as well as hydration and sun protection. Rockis has also begun working with several brands to develop a buying plan specifically for fire season. During the 416 Fire, Backcountry Experience bulked up on footwear and other gear for the influx of firefighters, often transporting special orders directly to the front lines.

Rockis emphasized the importance of inventory management going forward.

“As a small business, we can control our inventory on a shorter notice and work with vendors to accommodate that.”

Bill Gaydosh, Taos Mountain Outfitters, Taos, NM

Like Colorado, New Mexico experienced a severe wildfire season last summer. Several national forests were closed including the Carson near Taos.

“We had a huge summer from a sales point last year,” said owner Bill Gaydosh.

He attributed this surprising spike in sales to increased foot traffic as the fire “pushed people into town to eat green chile and look at pottery.”

Gaydosh, who purchased TMO three years ago, has restructured the business to not be dependent on weather.

“I can’t sit there and make decisions on what the weather might be,” he said.

And while Gaydosh does believe that climate change will affect the environment in Northern New Mexico, he doesn’t think tourism will be dramatically altered because of the strong arts and culture scene in Taos.

After taking over ownership of TMO, Gaydosh refocused the business to general outdoors with an emphasis on apparel and footwear. When it comes to buying, he plans on a good season and makes adjustments to his orders if it doesn’t pan out.

Brendan Madigan, Alpenglow Sports, Lake Tahoe, CA

Yes, California’s snowpack is 161 percent above average this year, but that doesn’t mean climate change isn’t real. Just ask Brendan Madigan, owner of Alpenglow Sports who has lived in Lake Tahoe since 2003.

In addition to hotter summers, Madigan has noticed more wildfires as well as rain instead of snow during the winter. Climate scientists expect temperatures to rise five to seven degrees in the Sierra Nevada, leading to a substantial drop in snowpack by the end of the century.

“That has tremendous consequences for a resort destination,” Madigan said.

Alpenglow Sports, which is well known for its robust events program, carries a breadth of snow sports and summer gear. Madigan said inventory management has become even more “fierce” as a result of increasingly unpredictable weather. However, he believes there’s only so much a retailer can do internally.

“What we’ve done is try to align with the brands that are actively making a difference.”

Madigan intentionally buys more from companies that are taking political stances and developing eco-friendly products. And while he believes outdoor brands should be doing more to reduce their carbon footprint and lobby for climate initiatives, he has found one substantive way independent retailers can make a difference: events. Through Alpenglow’s Winter Speaker Series, Madigan raised $30,000 for Protect Our Winters and provided the non-profit with a captive audience.

“We can make a really comprehensive difference in our own community,” Madigan said. “If you don’t do that, you make yourself irrelevant.”

The post How Climate Change Is Impacting Specialty Outdoor Retail appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

A desperate customer who is tired of looking for hiking boots for his hard-to-fit feet walks into an outdoor shop. The bootfitter who greets him gets excited as she hears his plight, because she has a solution. She fits him with a pair of custom-moldable Tecnica boots. He’s never felt anything like it, purchases the boots, and talks about how he’ll be back. The retailer just created a life-long customer. Try getting that reaction on Amazon.

Tecnica launched the Forge GTX/Forge S GTX ($270/$270) in 2018, a fully-featured midcut boot with a Vibram Megagrip outsole, an overlapping cuff, and a triple layer EVA midsole. But, the customizable fit is its biggest selling point, attracting both retailers and consumers. Not only does Tecnica offer customers the choice between a leather and synthetic upper, but also the new C.A.S. (Custom Adapted Shape) technology promises a unique moldable fit. Quite literally, there is nothing else like it on the market.

Retailers Rave About Tecnica’s C.A.S. System

Outdoor Gear Exchange in Burlington, Vermont was an early adopter of the line and says there is a lot of value in having a shoe that perfectly fits a variety of feet. “It makes our job easier knowing we have something to offer every customer that walks through our doors, regardless of whether they have skinny ankles or a wide forefoot,” said Melissa McNell, the footwear buyer.

Retailers opt in to sell the footwear via a shared investment with the brand. They choose between the Tecnica-developed machine that fits inside a bench ($1,500) or, if space is at a premium, may purchase the rolling option that’s similar to a hard-sided cooler ($1,200). Tecnica invoices the store and provides a product reimbursement program that aligns with the shop’s preseason commitment.*

The return-on-investment has been rewarding for retailers. So many of their customers are plagued with sore feet, so the prospect of blister-free adventures piques their interest. In an era when brick-and-mortar stores are battling the digital space, C.A.S. brings customers into stores since they cannot get the customized experience online. In fact, many are specifically seek out these boots from hundreds of miles away.

“We had one couple show up last week after driving all the way from Elko, Nevada,” said Brendan Madigan, owner of the California-based Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City. “That’s a five-hour drive, but owning well-fitted boots was worth it for them.”

McNell noted that she has seen an uptick of new customers too, all specifically looking for the custom-moldable hiking footwear. Many of them become devoted repeat clients.

“One guy with heel spurs got fitted and hiked ten miles the next day. It went so well that he returns to the shop once per month, sometimes just to visit with staff and other times to buy something,” McNell shared. “It’s crazy how a simple, 20-minute fitting session created a loyal customer for our store.”

How Does the Custom-Moldable Technology Work?

It may be simple, but it’s also effective. C.A.S. uses a thermoformable material in the key-comfort areas: the arch, heel and ankles, as well as an entirely thermoformable footbed. When heated, it’s highly malleable. When it cools, it becomes rigid and hard like plastic. In fact, the thermoformable material is similar to TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane, a common footwear material) except it has fibers weaving throughout the structure so it won’t crack in cold temperatures.

The straightforward fitting process consists of two-steps. First, the bootfitter heats up the custom footbeds and places them on the customer’s feet. Then, she places his feet inside inflatable booties. Compression molding pressurizes the booties, fitting the footbeds to every unique intricacy of the customer’s foot. While this is happening, the machine heats the hiking boots themselves. Once the footbeds are ready, the bootfitter places them inside the boots, puts them on the customer’s feet, laces them up, and pops them back into the inflatable booties. Finally, she repeats the compression molding process for a few minutes, creating a fully-customized hiking boot. Bonus: the whole process takes a mere 20 minutes which leaves enough time for conversation.

“I love those 20 minutes,” said Madigan. “That’s when I get the customer to connect with my store. I use that time to bond with him to ensure he comes back again.”

McNell agreed, although she admitted she was initially skeptical of wasting time. “We go through employee turnover a few times each year and I worried that training new staff would be a pain. But, it’s so easy that our new employees figure it out in less than an hour,” she said. Plus, the penalty for failure is minimal: the footwear can be reheated multiple times without stressing the shoe.

Retailers Are Stocking up and Selling Through the Forge

In the end, it comes down to sales. And so far, the footwear performs. McNell opted to double down on stock when the Forge first launched, buying twice as many as she usually does for a premium-priced boot. It proved to be a profitable decision.

“I initially ordered 50 but we’ve already requested more,” she said. “We’re selling through them faster than we do models that cost half the price.”

Madigan is experiencing similar results and says he expects sales to increase with the launch of Tecnica’s second custom-moldable shoe. Coming in spring 2019, the Plasma S is a more affordable lowcut: $180 with Gore-Tex and $150 without.

“A custom footbed alone costs $50, so that price point makes the Plasma an absolute no-brainer,” Madigan says.

High sales aside, Madigan most appreciates the loyalty he is able to create with his customers through the C.A.S. footwear process.

“These shoes create trust,” Madigan said. “And once that is established, you have a customer for life.”

Product information:
Tecnica Forge GTX $270 MSRP
Tecnica Forge S GTX $270 MSRP
Tecnica Plasma S GTX $180.00; Plasma S $150.00, available spring 2019
C.A.S. System Bench $1,500
C.A.S. System Trolley $1,200

The post Next-Level Hiking Boots That Are Flying off the Shelves appeared first on șÚÁÏłÔčÏÍű Online.

Long before she began working at Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City, California, owner Brendan Madigan knew Emily Burke was special.

“Emily’s family has shopped at Alpenglow for decades,” Madigan said. “Since her youth, she’s craved a position at the shop, and she let me know it.”

Flash forward over a decade later, and 21-year-old Burke is now an all-star Alpenglow employee, making waves in the store with her unique ability to connect with customers, as well as her outstanding passion for all things outdoors.

Burke was enthusiastic and downright persistent about joining the Alpenglow team, said Madigan, reflecting back to first time when she first approached him about a job.

“I was really busy trying to get ready for the season, and was a little behind on communication,” he said. “Emily kept following up. To me, persistence speaks to interest and commitment, two things that aren’t inherent in everyone applying for a new position.”

And so, in June 2017 they made it official. Burke began working at Alpenglow during her summer break from Vassar College, where she’s a senior studying earth science.

“She is definitely youngest new staff member that we’ve hired since I purchased the shop in 2011,” Madigan said. “We do look forward to bringing more and more college students on board for seasonal positions when applicable. Younger folks have fantastic new ideas that can be easily implemented in a small business environment as well as insight into the habits of their generation.”

Joining an experienced and older staff, Burke quickly found confidence both in merchandising and customer service.

Encourage Creativity in Your Staff

Madigan says one of Burke’s strengths as an employee is her creativity and natural marketing skills. She was often the first staff member to jump on the opportunity to decorate the window displays or in-store booths, something Madigan encouraged.

“We actively encourage all new staff to come in and shake things up—tell us your ideas, how we should be doing things differently, what are we missing,” Madigan said. “By empowering your staff and allowing them to utilize their authentic voice everyone wins, most importantly the end-user who comes in the shop.”

“Her attention to merchandising details is well beyond her years and her in-store displays are artistic and engaging,” Madigan said. “When people see a compelling and well-merchandised display, it speaks to them on some aspirational or personal level. Emily’s tables and windows always managed to do this really well, and we saw direct sales come out of them.”

One display Burke created that sticks out to Madigan was for Mountain Festival, Alpenglow’s nine-day celebration of “human-powered mountain sports” in North Lake Tahoe. “She had the understanding of what sponsors where involved and how we needed to showcase their commitment to the event though branded merchandise and displays,” Madigan said.

Burke also lent her creative eye to managing the store’s media relations, often landing the store placements in local newspapers and magazines. Even after the summer season, Burke continues to help out with Alpenglow’s media presence, managing social media posts and writing press releases.

Cultivating Cred

Madigan says that Burke excelled in interacting with customers of all ages and skill levels. She would jump in on high-level conversations with experienced, older customers with as much confidence and ease as helping people closer to her age.

That ability to connect with customers happens naturally for Burke. “She’s just the real deal,” said Madigan. “Emily would often come in with mosquito welts or sore legs from running a marathon. It just speaks to her passion for the mountain sports that we all love.”

While finishing up her senior year at Vassar, Burke remains in close touch with Madigan and the rest of the Alpenglow crew. She plans on working several shifts over Christmas break, and Madigan is hopeful she will come back to work at the store after her spring semester.

“I had formative mentors in my life and I think it’s our responsibility to nurture those coming up behind us as the next generation. To provide an environment that allows younger folks to grow and add to their skill sets is extremely rewarding for us.”

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