Everyone knows that some of the outdoor industry’s top brands are led by strong females—Rose Marcario of Patagonia, Sue Rechner of Merrell, Donna Carpenter of Burton, Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro, Amy Roberts of Outdoor Industry Association, Deanne Buck of Camber Outdoors, and Marisa Nicholson of Outdoor Retailer. But in celebration of International Women’s Day, we sought out a selection of smaller companies that you may not have heard about or may not have realized are headed by equally amazing gals.

The Rad Women

Shelma Jun, Flash Foxy Founder

At the end of March, more than 300 women will gather in the rocky foothills of Bishop, California, for a weekend packed with climbing, panels, and clinics as the first of two events in the third year of the Women’s Climbing Festival. Shelma Jun is behind the fest and the online platform Flash Foxy, which celebrates women getting outside with other women. Jun is a current Access Fund board member and often speaks about the importance of cultivating a climbing community that welcomes everyone who calls themselves a climber.

Kristin Carpenter-Ogden, Verde Brand Communications CEO and founder

With multiple offices throughout the Rockies, Verde Brand Communications is a PR firm that represents outdoor-focused clients like Gu Energy Labs, Gregory, and Petzl, among others. Led by Kristin Carpenter-Ogden, the firm is a member of several outdoor, environmental, and socially responsible organizations. Carpenter-Ogden is also the personality behind the Channel Mastery podcast.

Sally Bergesen, Oiselle founder and CEO

Oiselle, a French word for bird pronounced wa-zelle, is a Seattle-based athletic apparel company binding women together through run groups and giving back through various programs. Sally Bergesen started it in 2007 with the goal of making a well-constructed running short, but her original vision has blossomed into a sisterhood for women of all ages and running abilities.

Alyssa Ravasio, Hipcamp founder and CEO

Born out Alyssa Ravasio’s frustration over finding an ideal campsite to watch the first sunrise of 2013, Hipcamp was founded in San Francisco, revolutionizing and streamlining the experience of booking an overnight spot in nature. The travel service covers all national, state, regional, and Army Corps Parks in all 50 states—5,756 parks, 13,421 campgrounds, and 329,567 campsites.

Teresa Baker, founder of the African American National Park Event

The African American National Park Event founded in 2013 by Teresa Baker of California, engages communities of color in nature and encourages outdoor entities to prioritize diversity. Several events are held across the country every year. Baker also is an Outdoor Afro leader and blogs about her love of the outdoors at African American Explorations.

Katy Hover-Smoot and Cassie Abel, Wild Rye founders

Wild Rye, a technical apparel design company launched in 2016, makes women-specific pieces in soft fabrics and colors—from a pale aqua merino midweight to a cozy pair of pineapple-colored leggings—that are meant to be worn in the wild. Katy Hover-Smoot and Cassie Abel are avid outdoorswomen who can be found crushing on trails oftentimes in Tahoe, California.

Chris Ann Goddard, CGPR founder

A seasoned PR guru with decades of institutional knowledge of the outdoor industry, Chris Ann Goddard leads the 25-year-old agency CGPR. Her team represents multiple big-name outdoor brands such as Kelty, Adidas, Merrell, Vibram, and Winter Park Resort.

Sarah Castle and Alison Wright, The Cairn Project founders

Founders Sarah Castle and Alison Wright met in Boulder, a mecca for outdoor exploration. Their organization, The Cairn Project, nurtures and empowers girls to be self confident in the outdoors mountain biking, backpacking, mountaineering, and more.  They’ve provided $50,000 in grants to eight different partners devoted to expanding access for underprivileged young women.

Jen Gurecki, Coalition Snow CEO

The skis on the market didn’t cut it for Jen Gurecki and other women she heard from, so in 2013 she ventured out to design a series of skis and snowboards specialized for women, by women—now known as Coalition Snow. Gurecki has a varied background as founder of Zawadisha, a Kenyan-based social enterprise providing small loans to rural women, and is formerly co-owner of a white water rafting outfitter based in Lake Tahoe.

Alison Hill, LifeStraw managing director

LifeStraw does much more than make water filters. The technology introduced in 2005 as a personal “straw-like” filter was designed for people in developing countries without access to safe, clean water. Led in part by Alison Hill, the company under health group Vestergaard has delivered more than 10,000 products.

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Here are a few big picture observations—slow baked over the course of all three shows, which are very different, but also share some commonalities.

Whether it is introducing Safariland’s next generation auto-activated body worn camera for law enforcement, adidas Outdoor’s outerwear made of harvested ocean plastic, or PrimaLoft’s newest insulations, innovation and the ability to be connected and empowered is driving change.

In the world of law enforcement, it’s providing today’s officers with equipment that seamlessly and automatically connects them with other nearby officers and to their command center.

In the outdoor and winter sport world, it’s about having the best gear and technology to enjoy the outdoor world or an elegant coat to brave New York’s Fifth Avenue’s blustery winds in style, skiing in Val d’Isere, or getting first tracks in Telluride.

Consumers, regardless of where they live, are dealing with today’s topsy-turvy world and consumed by national, regional, and local political unrest. As a way to rise above the noise, consumers are looking to the outdoors for solace and to fashion in order to express themselves.

Globally, there has never been so much choice—in fashion, technology, a blending of both—and the evolution of traditional outdoor activities to urban venues. The world is the consumer’s oyster.

In order to engage a more demanding consumer that dwells in a world of distraction and is sensitive to transparency and supply chain issues, industries must unite to be stronger, smarter, and more relevant. This new age consumer is yanking our collective chains. Two sessions at ISPO Academy reinforced what we already know: that brands and retailers don’t make trends, consumers do. And we all better be ready to anticipate and act quickly.

Brands can learn from each other, share best practices, trade successes and failures, and be better together without revealing their trade secrets. We saw this at Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show, when the outdoor and winter sport industries came together under one roof. It does work.

All three shows—Shot Show, Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show and ISPO—present 2018/2019 products and direction for their respective industries. Each show is a global gathering of the world’s most iconic brands and up-and-coming companies, in addition to buyers, influencers and media.

The differences? Shot Show is focused on showcasing apparel, technology, and gear for the tactical/law enforcement and hunting worlds. Outdoor Retailer + Snow Show and ISPO are more closely aligned, as they focus on apparel, footwear, accessories, and technology for the outdoor and winter sports world, including ski, snowboard, water sports, fitness, and eyewear among others. Interestingly enough, the military attends both Outdoor Retailer and ISPO as they look to the outdoor world for design inspiration and apparel technology that easily transfers to protecting the U.S. military.

Three other commonalities stand out: people wear the passions on their sleeves, technology is king, and every single category is embracing with digital world with Fire and Fury (to borrow from author Michael Wolf).

I saw this unity and passion at all three shows, despite their differences. Here are my three big takeaways:

Have a Clear Mission

Having a sense of how to approach the future and anticipating the needs of customers or users is critical. Product is paramount, of course, but really thinking about how to engage consumers today and tomorrow so they become loyal is equally important.

Sales Can (And Should) Be Creative and Fun

Regardless of the trade show, I saw immense creativity from brands on the floors, whether it was designing my own adidas mini sneaker at ISPO Digitize, petting baby Goats at the Venture Out section at the Fisher + Baker booth, or having fun at the ISPO Munich Night Run followed by The Sport Scheck Trails in Motion Movie Night .

Never Stop Thinking About How Lucky We Are

I pinch myself all the time to think about how damn lucky I am to work in the industries that I do. Our clients do amazing things for their customers through the engineering of best-in-class technology.

I feel so lucky to work in passion-based industries. I feel genuine emotion in the halls of these trade shows. I hear it in the panel sessions, and the line presentations, and in the random conversations with friends and colleagues.

There are abundant challenges and point of views about how to get from point A to point B, but I deeply respect anyone who is really passionate about what they do, whether it’s engineering equipment for law enforcement, designing better gear, protecting public lands, fighting for diversity and gender equality, or getting more kids outside. I love being with passionate pros in love with that they do.

What’s Next?

Heading back to Denver for a two-day strategy meeting tomorrow, then heading home finally to watch the Patriots win the Super Bowl. I can’t wait. The next trade show cycle will be here in the blink of an eye.

Go Pats!

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