Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2016 - 40

15.

16.

17.

delivering quality gear, mainly
because it listens to the feedback of its athletes. In this case,
the reboot of one of TNF's go-to
lines comes from the intelligence
garnered when alpine legends
Conrad Anker and Renan Ozturk
beat the crap out of this technical
apparel in the Himalayas. (Check
out the base layers that came out
of their efforts on page 54.)

Festival in 2015. He breaks creative boundaries in a way that's
still very much accessible.

by military veterans on staff (who
receive hiring preference), Gear
to Go even provides Trail Taxi,
transportation to and from the
trailhead. In the spring, Gear to
Go plans to move into a space
that's five times larger.

present and former specialty retailers to develop RISE (Retailer
Inspired Specialty Excellence),
an educational program tailored
by and for specialty outdoor retailers. The 2016 event debut on
January 6 will feature three segments: How to juggle competition in the evolving landscape of
big-box stores and omnichannel
retailing, the hottest issues and
new labor laws related to human
resources management and how
to identify consumers in the marketplace-including who's actually walking into your store-using OIA's segmentation tool.

16.
JOHN STERLING

WHY HE'S HOT: As executive
director of The Conservation
Alliance, the affable Sterling
has overseen the distribution
of funds from outdoor industry
companies to grassroots environmental organizations and campaigns that has helped protect 44
million acres, 2,945 river miles,
removed or halted 26 dams, purchased 10 climbing areas and
designated five marine reserves.

17.
JEREMY COLLINS

WHY HE'S HOT: He has made
art into narrative. The climber,
filmmaker, long-time illustrator
and founder of Meridian Line apparel won Best Adventure Travel
Book at the Banff Mountain Film

40 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ Winter 2016

18.
KEVIN ROSENBERG

WHY HE'S HOT: His Gear to Go
Outfitters serves an underserved
population. "People discount
how much recreation is in the
New York City region," he says.
Rosenberg moved from a storefront-on-wheels, his Honda, to a
225-square-foot brick-and-mortar store in 2011. Last year, the
outfitter saw 44 percent growth
and four times the national average of sales per square foot. Led

19.
RISE

WHY IT'S HOT: To help empower
brick-and-mortar specialty retailers, a trifecta of outdoor organizations- Grassroots Outdoor
Alliance, Outdoor Industry
Association and Outdoor
Retailer-teamed up with an
advisory council comprised of
20.

20.
#VANLIFE

WHY IT'S HOT: Because a hashtag
really can bring people into your
store and get them out enjoying the road and the outdoors.
Because Jack Kerouac lives on,
sort of, in hipsters. Because #vanlife requires purchasing a whole
lot of stuff that retailers should
be stocking on their shelves.
Because you know we all want to
get out there and live it, too.
Contributors: M.T. Elliot, Courtney
Holden, Jordan Martindell,
Tim McManus, Doug Schnitzspahn,
Sharesten Senior, Morgan Tilton

Photos (top) courtesy Yeti, Tim Kemple/The North Face, Ben Moon, Andrew Burr. (Bottom) by Kathy Karlo

14.

Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - Winter 2016