SGB 1609

VOLUME 49 | ISSUE 5 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE FALL 2016

First Lady of Innovation

GERT BOYLE

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2 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

MAGAZINE FALL 2016 8 CONTRIBUTORS 10 EDITOR'S LETTER 88 INDUSTRY CALENDAR

INDUSTRY NEWS 12 What’s Your Overtime Plan For The Next Trade Show?

Do travel hours on the airplane count?

How about dinner and drinks with a client?

16 Leupold & Stevens CEO Bruce Pettet Why it's easy for the brand to offer lifetime guarantees 18 Indoor Climbers Take Plastic For Granite A new breed of climber is choosing the gym over the canyon 20 Can Cotton Compete as a Performance Fabric?

Cotton is reasserting its place as a performance material, but corners of the market face limitations 22 Secure Steps Traction devices and tacky tread are on the climb 24 Shifting The U.S. Bike Industry Beyond Sport Brands, retailers and cities gear up for a new generation of cycling 28 Yoga Meets Crossfit An expert in each field switched mats for a day To debunk the stereotype of the awkward first date 34 The Thirst For A New Brew A timeline of the science behind sports hydration and what you'll be drinking next 37 Hydration Dictionary Hydration terms you need to know to fuel your body ON THE COVER AND THIS PAGE Gert Boyle, Chairman, Columbia Sportswear, photographed by Tiffany Renshaw

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INNOVATORS ISSUE 40 GERT BOYLE The First Lady of Innovation and Chairman of Columbia Sportswear is more than an Industry icon and philanthropist.

She's a model for the power of the pioneering spirit.

50 THE NORTH FACE Celebrating 50 years of dedication to the athlete, the product and the environment.

62 ADIDAS, NEW BALANCE, NIKE, REEBOK AND UNDER ARMOUR 3-D printed and knitted footwear 64 BOXFOX MARKETPLACE Simplifying retailers ability to sell underperforming inventory 65 COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR Reinventing the waterproof jacket without PFCs and DWRs 66 GRASSROOTS OUTDOOR ALLIANCE Debuting Grassroots Connect 67 HI-TEC SPORTS Building navigation enabled footwear 68 HINTERLANDS APP Matching thrill seekers with outdoor guides 70 KEEN FOOTWEAR Robot engineering shoes 72 LOCALLY.COM Helping match local outdoor products to local demand nationwide 73 POKEMON GO Swapping couch time for active play 74 ORDERMYGEAR.COM Improving the team dealer landscape

75 OCTANE FITNESS Replicating the natural mechanics of running 76 POLARTEC Moving chill-producing moisture fast 77 REI Taking back Black Friday #OptOutside 78 RONNIE FIEG, KITH NYC Creating the most desireable kicks in New York City 79 SRAM SRAM Red eTap shift logic electronic gear shifting system for cyclists 80 JOSH LUBER, STOCKX Trading limited-edition sneakers like Wall Street stocks 81 STRY LABS & MIO GLOBAL Making sense of fitness device data 82 TENSILE, TEPUI TENT & YAKIMA Bringing portable tents that suspend off the ground 83 THE NORTH FACE Creating the Access Pack 84 TOP GOLF Modernizing the driving range nationwide 85 VAIL RESORTS Building a global resort network to attract skiers worldwide 86 VELOFIX & BEELINE BIKES Providing consumers a way to purchase and schedule bike service when and where they want it 87 VIBRAM Griping the ice with Arctic Grip Traction Technology

MAGAZINE GROUP PUBLISHER | CREATIVE DIRECTOR Teresa Hartford teresa@sportsonesource.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

CEO & CHIEF MARKET ANALYST

David Clucas

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CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER

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ASSOCIATE EDITOR |

CATEGORY MANAGER | OUTDOOR

SPORTS & FITNESS EDITOR

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Elizabeth Miller

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Dr. Stacy Sims, Ph.D Morgan Tilton

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CONTRIBUTORS

Thomas J. Ryan

Nancy Bouchard, Ph.D., is a prolific outdoor and travel writer, climber and skier. Her bi-line has appeared in national and international publications including Men’s Journal, Playboy, Outside and Backpacker magazine and she’s made appearances on The Today Show, ESPN, National Geographic TV and PBS. She and her husband have raised their three children with the same enthusiasm for outdoors that they share.

Jahla Seppanen

Carly Terwilliger

Jahla earned her BA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and began her career in active lifestyle media writing for Backpacker Magazine. Seppanen's fiction has been published in Fourteen Hills Review, Niche, Litro U.K. and other literary journals.

Jahla is an avid runner, SUP paddler and passionate Yankees fan.

Carly is a Las Vegas native with feet on the trail, heart in the desert and nose in a book. After moving to Denver she earned her M.A. in English from the University of Colorado at Boulder. When not road tripping to Zion or Grand Tetons, Carly makes the most of the Front Range by hiking, camping, snowboarding, horseback riding and microbrew sampling. She shares her adventures with her best friend Adam.

Morgan Tilton

Elizabeth Miller

Morgan is an award-winning journalist who covers adventure, outdoor culture, business, travel and news. She is an avid trail runner, snowboarder, traveler, peak bagger, concert lover and asker of questions. Recently she SUP'd down the Escalante River, one of the most wild and remote rivers in the Lower 48, with four other brave paddlers.

Photo courtesy Dylan Brown

8 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

Nancy Bouchard

With more than 25 years as a retail trade reporter, Tom's career started in the early 90's as a reporter for Fairchild Publications. He has authored more than 200 front-page articles for WWD and has written extensively for SGB Media, The Daily New Record, Home Furnishings Network, Footwear News, Sportstyle, Apparel Magazine, Crain's New York Business, New York Post, AdFax, etailwire.com and Multex.com.

A Colorado native now living in New Mexico, Miller still comes home to climb peaks and snag a few more turns at Copper and, of course, research and write about the great outdoors. With a Masters in Journalism from the University of Colorado, Elizabeth has spent most of a decade in the trenches as a journalist.

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EDITOR'S LETTER

T

hroughout my career I’ve been amazed at how many company executives will set aside a day or week of the year to call upon their employees to “innovate,” as if all great new ideas will arise in the span of 24 hours.

While it’s true the “ah-ha” moment of an innovation can happen in seconds — how many great revelations have come in the shower? — it’s likely the person has been thinking about the idea for some time. Some of the best innovations tend to spring from repetitious behavior — someone doing the same thing, day in, day out, before thinking: “what if I do it this way?” Those moments of inspiration don’t come on command.

The new ideas are likely unpolished and messy, too. They are raw and flawed with plenty of risk and trial-and-error ahead.

What it all means is that companies who want to foster innovation have to make sure the environment is ripe 365 days a year. Yes, employees should be expected to stay busy and complete their daily tasks, but there should also be enough time for them to stop and think every once in a while. There should be the ability to walk across the office and have conversations with other departments without having to schedule a meeting or get the boss involved. And most importantly, there needs to be the freedom to experiment, fail, lose money and try again.

As we debut our first SGB Innovators issue, we’re reminded how lucky we are to be part of an industry that often isn’t scared to innovate. In many ways, innovation has become the core of the business.

We hope that that tradition continues and we can celebrate all the great ideas to come.

You can’t schedule

innovation

10 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

David Clucas

Editorial Director clucas@sportsonesource.com

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RETAIL BEST PRACTICES

What’s Your Overtime Plan For The Next Trade Show?

Do travel hours on the airplane count?

How about dinner and drinks with a client?

U

By David Clucas

pcoming changes to the nation’s overtime-pay rules have many businesses rushing to adjust pay structures and policies ahead of the rules going into effect December 1, 2016.

Beyond the larger implications for a company, many in the active-lifestyle industry are looking at the potential issues come trade-show time, when employees undoubtedly put in extra hours on the job.

SGB turned to Lori Kleiman of HR Topics to ask how businesses can be prepared when shows like Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, CES and the SIA Snow Show roll around in January.

The Rule Change The first thing Kleiman points out to her clients is that the overtime law isn’t changing — overtime is still defined as work over 40 hours a week. What’s shifting is who qualifies for overtime pay.

Up until December 1, companies could exempt some of their salaried employees from overtime pay if the job met certain “means tests,” such

12 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

as a store-manager position. These employees also had to make a minimum of $23,660 a year, a level set back in 1975. Some companies have been taking advantage of that, according to government officials, by paying their workers a low salary (by today’s standards), giving them a manager title, then working them more than 40 hours a week without overtime pay.

It’s this minimum pay level for overtime-pay exemption that’s being updated — more than doubling to $47,476 in annual pay (or $913 per week), based off the 40th percentile of earnings of full-time salaried workers in the lowestwage U.S. Census Region, currently the South. That figure will adjust, based on inflation, every three years.

Simply put, the change will require companies to pay their full-time workers overtime hours if they make less than $47,476 per year and work more than 40 hours per week. It will affect thousands if not millions of younger workers in the active-lifestyle industry, those working shop floors and more entrylevel jobs.

At The Trade Show Look around any trade-show floor in the industry and you’ll see plenty of younger faces working the booths and in the aisles. If anything, they view the experience as a treat — a week out of the office or away from the floor with dinner, drinks and dancing after hours. But in many of these instances, they’re also on the clock in the eyes of the government.

For employees who make less than $47,476 a year attending trade shows, companies will have to go in with an overtime game plan, Kleiman said.

The first and most complicated question is calculating hours during travel.

Kleiman said the rules are complex, and she can’t give legal advice in an article.

But in essence, if an employee is traveling during their normal business hours and/or expected to conduct work during travel, then that time is counted as work. If travel is outside their normal business hours and the employee is free to read a book or watch a movie, then more often than not, these hours aren’t considered work hours.

At the trade show, an employee working in the booth is obviously on the clock, but what about afterward, say, meeting a client for dinner and drinks? If the employee is required to attend, then they’re still on the clock, Kleiman said.

“Even if the company is footing the bill for a $200 steak dinner with expensive wine, it’s considered work hours,” she said. If the employee instead chooses to head out with friends for dinner on his or her own volition, or go back to the hotel and order room service, then that’s not counted as work hours.

Considering these rules, Kleiman said it’s important for companies to estimate what overtime might arise and plan accordingly. It might mean allowing non-exempt employees to cut free after a full eight-hour day on the show floor. Another option would be having them work four 10-hour days, then giving them the fifth day of the week off — that still totals 40 hours a week, with no overtime pay required.

Kleiman said some companies will come to terms with the fact that they’ll have to budget in some overtime pay for employees. For example, if an employee makes $37,000 a year in salary, that works out to about $712 a week, or about $18 an hour.

If the employee works 55 hours during the trade-show week, that’s 15 extra hours at time-and-a-half (in this case, $27 per hour) for an additional $405 that week. That likely won’t break the bank if it’s essential that the employee be at the show. The important thing, Kleiman said, is to appropriately budget for the extra costs and come to an understanding with employees what those overtime budgets are. “Have an open and frank discussion with your employees,” she said.

Trade Show Education Officials with Outdoor Retailer and the Outdoor Industry Association acknowledged that the new overtime rules will affect their members’ daily business. It’s the main reason they’ve had Kleiman giving presentations at Outdoor Retailer and OIA Rendezvous.

But with respect to the trade shows themselves and the overtime rule, they said they have yet to hear any concerns.

“At this moment, we are not seeing any adverse impact on registration or housing reservations,” said Kate Lowery, communications and PR director for Outdoor Retailer. “That said, the new rules provide an opportunity for Outdoor Retailer and OIA to work together to educate our community with informative education sessions at Winter Market.”

Kleiman said employees will start asking more questions of their employers as media reports ramp up to the December 1 start date, so companies will need to be prepared.

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MADE IN THE USA

LEUPOLD & STEVENS

One Family, One Country For Over 100 Years Bruce Pettet, CEO, Leupold & Stevens

Leupold & Stevens CEO Bruce Pettet on why it’s easy for his brand to offer lifetime guarantees

By David Clucas

W

hat’s the secret to keeping your company’s products Made in the USA for 109 years? For hunting and shooting optics pioneer Leupold & Stevens Inc., keeping it in the family has been instrumental.

The Beaverton, OR-based company is on its fifth generation of family ownership — the same bloodline that founded it all those years ago. So while countless rivals took their manufacturing overseas, Leupold & Stevens stayed stateside.

We sat down with Leupold & Stevens CEO Bruce Pettet to talk about how Made in the USA has given the brand a direct route to the soul of the American hunter and shooter and allowed it to concentrate on highquality products instead of chasing price points at the low end of the scale.

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SGB: What’s the main reason for keeping production in the United States?

BP: It all comes down to a commitment to our workforce and our belief that American manufacturing is the best in the world. We refer to it as American craftsmanship, and that’s why we have been able to guarantee our products for life. Lifetime warranties seem all the rage nowadays, but Leupold was the first to offer a lifetime guarantee. We guarantee our product will perform forever. We believe that is a much more powerful promise than replacing a failed product, which is what other companies’ warranties provide. We are able to offer this guarantee because we manufacture our riflescopes in the U.S. and have total control over the process.

SGB: You manufacture for the military, too. Did that play a role?

BP: Actually, it is our commitment to American craftsmanship that led to the military business. We have always built our scopes to be the most rugged, precise optics in the world. Whether the scope is designed for our warfighter, hunters or recreational shooters, it must perform.

OUTDOOR

SGB: What are the advantages to U.S. manufacturing?

BP: Speed, flexibility and expertise. We can match production to market demand on a week-to-week basis. This allows us to respond to customer needs much faster than competitors bringing products in from overseas. We are the product experts. We have a 113-person engineering team with more than 900 years of combined experience. You can’t get that type of innate knowledge without manufacturing in the U.S. SGB: How about the challenges of U.S. manufacturing?

BP: We deal with cost pressures and regulation issues just like any other manufacturer. Some things, like labor, may be more expensive; however, there are cost savings that come from controlling our processes that outweigh those shortterm savings. Our variable production costs for a scope may be higher than some overseas products, but I guarantee you our return rates are lower, our quality is higher, and we have the trust of our core consumer. That is the type of value only our uniquely American manufacturing company can deliver.

SGB: Perhaps more rare than keeping production stateside, the company is more than 100 years old and still family owned. How have you maintained that ownership for so long?

BP: We are a fifth generation, family-owned business. The focus is the same for the fifth generation as it was for the first — creating value for the next generation of shareholders.

SGB: Do any family members work for the company?

BP: Both sides of the family are very involved with the company. We have family members that work for the company, and half of our board of directors is made up of family.

SGB: Is there an advantage to family ownership?

BP: Without question. You can’t replicate what we do here, and that is because we are a family. We approach opportunities and challenges from a different perspective than other businesses. There’s a great amount of passion, a commitment to riding through tough times together and a philosophy of staying focused on long-term success.

SGB: How much does being family-owned and American-made help with attracting and retaining consumers? Does the marketing pretty much write itself?

BP: I think it is a fantastic advantage for us, but it is not a silver bullet on its own. Our customers are hardworking, intelligent, busy people with many demands on their time and money. They deserve a square deal, and that is why we focus on outperforming everyone, even ourselves, when it comes to product quality, customer service and customer satisfaction. Being a family-owned, American manufacturer is part of who we are, but it is our performance that really attracts and retains our loyal consumers.

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ONE ON ONE

Jeff Pedersen, CEO, Momentum Indoor Climbing Photos courtesy Momentum Indoor Climbing

Indoor Climbers Take Plastic For Granite Momentum Indoor Climbing CEO Jeff Pedersen shares why a new breed of climber is choosing the gym over the canyon

By Carly Terwilliger

D

rive an hour in the right direction from Salt Lake City, Denver or Las Vegas and you can find a rock climbing route already bolted with handholds conveniently smeared with chalk. “On belay!”

The same drive from Houston won’t get you anywhere near these geological wonderlands. For many, the distance to the nearest climbing wall used to be daunting, even insurmountable. Now, with the number of indoor climbing gyms growing in places far from the slabs of limestone required for outdoor ascents, more people are roping up and becoming “plastic climbers.”

Jeff Pedersen, former pro climber and co-founder and CEO of Momentum Indoor Climbing, gave us a gauge to navigate the new face of the sport.

18 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

Climb On In, The Wall Is Fine As a “brutally hot” Salt Lake summer mellowed into fall, Pedersen began the conversation by noting that cooling weather used to mean the beginning of the real climbing season. For reference, cold equals friction in rock climbing.

“It’s a friction sport, so that’s the best time to be out,” Pedersen told SGB. “Now a lot of people are doing it for fitness, doing it for recreation, so those designations don’t carry as much weight.”

Pedersen and his team have recognized this trend in their three Utah gyms, and are planning ahead for the boom with two upcoming Houston locations.

“A FEW YEARS AGO, SOME OF THE OUTDOOR COMPANIES WERE STRUGGLING BECAUSE OF THEIR INSISTENCE THAT OUTDOOR CLIMBING WAS THE ONLY KIND OF CLIMBING. I DON’T EVEN FEEL THAT WAY.” — JEFF PEDERSEN CEO, MOMENTUM INDOOR CLIMBING

“I’m a soft-handed CEO now,” he joked — but he doesn’t see the point of erecting a rigid boundary between his realm and the outdoor roots of the sport. After all, they’re his own personal roots as well.

“A few years ago, some of the outdoor companies were struggling because of their insistence that outdoor climbing was the only kind of climbing. I don’t even feel that way,” he said.

The CEO went climbing outdoors in early summer at Maple Canyon, an hour and a half from his office, and seems immune to the indoor/outdoor turf war being waged in the upper echelons of the sport.

Indoor Workouts Even within the category of indoor climbing there’s competition coming from other urban, social workouts like CrossFit and Yoga.

First, it bears noting that gym owners like Pedersen don’t want to force consumers to make that choice. Both Momentum Houston-area locations will have an onsite yoga studio, and many gyms are supplementing their hangboards with more traditional fitness equipment.

People looking to shake up their workout may not make plans to travel to Utah just to go climbing, but they’re curious enough to poke their head in the door of a climbing gym. “Our Sandy location is right next to an REI,” Pedersen added. “There’s a pretty good likelihood that someone will go buy a tent, then think about coming in and climbing.”

And why not? The gyms look cool, and there’s usually fit, attractive, laidback people hanging out inside them.

More and more, Pedersen sees people just wanting to climb indoors.

Outdoor climbers, on the other hand, traditionally haven’t needed to be sold on the appeal of a gym membership. They already want to climb year round, which means somewhere to crag when the weather doesn’t cooperate. But according to Pedersen, this well of potential members dried up a while ago.

“We’ve pretty much used up all the rock climbers. They already belong to a gym, so we’re trying to get new people interested.”

For the small group that does want to see how the outdoor version holds up against climate control and auto-belays, Momentum is helping them do so. “If our members want to head out, we hook them up with a local guide service,” Pedersen said. “We’ll give them indoor training so they can be safe and enjoy themselves, then the guide service takes care of the permitting, insurance, things like that.”

Really it’s the convenience of indoor climbing that wins over both newbies and veterans, more than an aversion to rainy days or the threat of physical danger.

Pedersen attested, “Even my friends who are climbing as much as they did in the 90s have families, they have responsibilities, and they’re choosing to climb closer to home.”

Resin Versus Rock But there’s still hope for newbies that discovered the sport from the insideout. Once plastic climbers are hooked, it’s a toss-up whether they’ll venture outdoors. Mark Busby, climbing category manager at Scarpa, expresses the same cheery ambivalence as Pedersen on the subject of indoor versus outdoor.

“I think sometimes people still want to learn so they can hit the crags, but if not, it’s still climbing,” he said. “Resin or rock, the underlying attraction is the same. We want to appeal to new climbers, but you don’t have to change the message to do that.”

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19

APPAREL NEWS | APPAREL INDUSTRY

Can Cotton Compete?

Cotton is reasserting its place as a performance material, but corners of the market face limitations

By Elizabeth Millerr

W

ith sustainability at top-of-mind, brands are reconsidering “the touch, the feel, the fabric of our lives” as a natural, biodegradable fiber.

But while exempt from the concerns found with synthetic garments — being petroleum based or shedding microfibers that contaminate oceans — cotton comes with its own set of costs and concerns. Going organic presents an increase in price in the face of a limited supply that looks close to being outpaced by growing demand.

20 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

The Organic Cotton Push Patagonia switched to 100-percent organic cotton 20 years ago, shortly after employees opening a store in Boston complained about the off-gassing from cotton t-shirts. Technical clothes still source primarily from other textile options, but organic cotton is prevalent in lifestyle wear. For a company that often sees other companies follow its lead on environmental improvements, the reality that organic cotton is still less than one percent of global cotton production is mystifying.

“We don’t look at it as a failure, but we view it as a little disappointing,” said Corey Simpson, public relations coordinator for Patagonia. “We can make better products with smarter, better materials.

With organic cotton, we really want people to be aware — it’s everywhere, and there’s a better way to do it.”

Cotton has been challenged as a high-pesticide user — a “dirty” crop — and a water hog. One sustainability advocate said when you know the truth about conventional cotton, there’s no question about making the switch. But claims that cotton, for example, consumes 24 percent of pesticides globally were exaggerated, according to Cotton Incorporated’s Senior Public Relations Director James Pruden, who cites figures that the cotton industry buys only 5.7 percent of pesticides globally. A ballpark figure of 15 percent comes from the Textile Exchange, a longtime advocate for organic cotton. The historic destruction of the Aral Sea to flood-irrigate cotton fields, he said, was a mistaken philosophy, and now one not deployed.

A Tighter Supply While Cotton Incorporated, a research and marketing company funded by U.S. cotton growers and importers, is neutral about production methodology, it takes a pessimistic view on the outlook for organic cotton. That market was halved six years ago when India, a leading producer of organic cotton, tightened labeling requirements and disqualified 500,000 bales of cotton. Production still hasn’t crept above about half a million bales a year. Just last year, production was down by 3.8 percent. Cotton growers in India, where production decreased 13 percent, fed that decline.

As it stands right now, said Liesl Truscott, European and materials strategy director for Textile Exchange, “brands are having to be careful with their growth targets around organic and working hard to build supply … Demand is definitely growing, so we need to incentivize and encourage and build supply.”

Textile Exchange’s prediction is that, with the acres expected to soon come online as certified organic, the future looks rosier.

There’s still a mysterious disparity, though. While brands balk at the additional cost of organic cotton – usually a 20- to 30-percent increase, though some report it as much as double – farmers in India have

been dropping the crop because they’re reaping 65 cents to 70 cents per pound whether their cotton is conventional or organic.

“If a brand ready to go organic finds from an agent they’ll have to pay twice as much for the product and at the same time they’re hearing farmers are not incentivized at the farm, these are definitely areas that need addressing,” Truscott said. “Obviously, there’s up-charging.”

Research is underway to track down where in the train of logistical expenses those upcharges are occurring. Several models take aim at increasing transparency of the supply chain, and early indicators suggest the use of “Organic Fair Trade” cotton is poised to grow. Prana, owned

by Columbia Sportswear Co., recently got a nod from the Textile Exchange as an “eco-pioneer” for pursuing this “deep green” option.

Cotton 2.0 Brands, manufacturers and farmers are assembling to ensure organic cotton can flourish. The Organic Cotton Accelerator, a coalition of big hitters like H&M, focuses on increasing access to quality organic cotton seeds (much of the conventional seed is genetically modified and cross pollination can contaminate organic growers) and tightening the supply chain. The Chetna Coalition, for smaller brands, is likewise working on improving efficiencies and incentives for organic cotton farmers.

“I think if we can get the business model right, and the investment back to farms right, and support transitional farms and strategic investments, there is a huge potential for it to grow,” Trescott said. “I think demand will continue to grow.”

In the outdoor industry, Cotton Incorporated is starting not with talking about organic, but with making the case for cotton’s place as a performance material. The company has been trying to fight back against the oft-cited “cotton kills” axiom with ad buys in outdoor sports publications and at the Outdoor Retailer trade show.

“Our presence at these shows and in these publications is really to let people know, and let the industry know, that there are technologies that keep all of these inherent qualities of cotton that people like and also address these inherent performance issues,” said Cotton Incorporated’s Pruden. They’ve produced Storm Cotton, said to dry 40 percent faster than untreated cotton.

Wicking Windows draws moisture away from

the body to evaporate. TransDRY blends cotton yarns treated to be water repellent with absorbent cotton yarns for 50 percent faster drying than untreated cotton.

“Are these developments game changers? Are these developments incredible? I don’t think anyone sees it that way, but everyone sees it as a trend where cotton is earning a place in the performance arena, and I think the feeling is that it will become more and more important,” said David Parkes, founder and CEO of Concept III Textiles. “You’re not seeing a massive change from synthetics to cotton, but there is a drift.”

After 40 years in the textile business, he said he tries to make a point of staying ahead of those trends, and just met with Cotton Incorporated at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market to talk about adding cotton to their lineup: “I see a different future for cotton that was certainly not on my radar for many, many years.”

Synthetic Alternatives Synthetics manufacturers try to continue hanging on to those high-exertion consumers — the ones not worried about cotton killing them because overheating is more of a concern — with new technologies designed to keep wearers cool while borrowing cotton’s advantages.

“We know a lot about how to minimize heat loss, provide insulation, keep people dry and warm,” said Karen Beattie, senior product manager with Polartec. “Keeping people cool when it’s hot, either outside or inside, is the flip side of the coin. You just do the reverse.” The ingredient brand most recently debuted Polartec Delta that blends cottonsimilar hydrophilic yarns — meaning they allow for some moisture retention on the skin — with hydrophobic yarns to encourage evaporative heat loss so wearers stay cooler in hot weather or high exertion activities. Outdoor Research, Salewa and Stio will have Delta products in 2017.

Columbia’s Omni-Freeze Zero fabric was one of the first to employ a similar technique in its summer wear. And recently Concept III partnered with Coolcore, a chemical-free fabric technology that mixes wicking, moisture transportation and controlled evaporation to keep the fabric cooler than skin surface temperature. Brooks, Cabela’s and L.L. Bean have already added it to their lines.

Ultimately, brands’ choices will have to hit that sweet spot of performance, price, sustainability and perhaps a little patience.

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INDUSTRY NEWS | FOOTWEAR

Secure Steps Traction devices and tacky tread are on the climb

By Morgan Tilton

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raction is always a reliable winter footwear accessory — sales at industry retail are up mid single digits over the past 52 weeks through September 2016 according to SSI Data, powered by SportsOneSource — and of late there’s been a boost of innovations in the category.

Specifically, brands and retailers are focusing on more hardened athletes — a mix of triathlete, road, trail and mountain runners — who are training outside year-round. Many of these consumers are on the hunt for devices that fit specific, narrow applications. The demographic of the traction consumer is also broadening.

“Traction started out for the weekend warrior person. Now, we’re seeing it trend much more towards the average person — and not just an average hiker, but for those that live in a cold climate where they need help getting across an icy parking lot or to the mail box, as opposed to extreme hikers,” explained Eric Lund, marketing manager at Yaktrax.

Another variable that’s triggered the expansion of buyers today is the vast amount of information and research quickly accessed on the internet through mobile devices, said Implus National Sales Manager for Yaktrax Jay Couder.

New England, Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest regions all reflect strong sales, according to Hillsound, Vibram and Kahtoola. Furthermore, cost isn’t prohibitive for purchase; it’s more important for an accessory to be durable and resilient. Design-wise, in addition to the companies creating pullon spikes, footwear brands are also diving into their own traction research and development like never before.

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Winter Running “Technology for winter apparel and gear, in general, is looking to increase value each year. More people are getting out, running and want to continue training, so that they’re in peak condition when the marathon comes around in summer — and it’s definitely a trend in running traction devices, too,” said Hillsound Equipment Sales and Marketing Manager Jessica Greinke. The brand’s Freesteps6 crampon is aimed toward strolling urbanites, light hiking, ice fishing and trail running. The minimalist, lightweight design features 21 stainless steel (thus light) spikes with the intent for the spikes to be “less invasive,” so as to not snag on roots and terrain mid-gait, explained Greinke.

Kahtoola likewise creates the ultralight Nanospike for running and training. The design embeds carbide studs into a flexible TPU (thermoplasticpolyurethane) plate, the focus being flexibility and comfort mixed with durability. Compared to a decade ago, a higher concentration of competitors and products exist in the field. Be that as it may, the brand is still experiencing modest positive sales growth even with the high price tags.

“We have the highest priced products in each category. That tells us that there’s a trend for higher quality, longer lasting, higher performing product,” said Kahtoola Founder Danny Giovale. And though Kahtoola products have been distributed in outdoor stores, it’s important to differentiate between those and running stores.

“Running is definitely a unique market separate from outdoor. We haven’t had presence in running market retail before. Now, we’re starting to see penetration,” Giovale said.

In the forecast: Keep your eyes peeled at the upcoming Winter Outdoor Market for a new lightweight traction device from Yaktrax: a “nearly crampon style” design featuring fairly long spikes for everyday users — above treeline ascents, descents, trail running — and an integrated Boa closure system.

Alternative Approaches Regardless of intended use, consumers have proven to be more inventive than the user’s manuals. For Hillsound, a wave of Hawaiians are using the Freesteps6 for stabilization on muddy, root-filled hiking trails. “We were surprised. We went out and tested it ourselves (on muddy trails) in Vancouver, BC — and sure enough, it works,” said Greinke.

Similarly, Yaktrax discovered that consumers were using the Diamond Grip — which was designed initially for winter outings — for fly fishing. It turned out, the system worked great in streams, too, offering secure footing on everything from mossy rocks to sludgy, angled banks. Thus its Streamtrekkers crampon emerged.

Surfacing In Shoes Since Vibram debuted Megagrip — a rubber compound solution for wet surfaces —sales have increased six-fold in three years, said Vibram Vice President of Sales Bill Ells.

Now Vibram is launching the ice version: Arctic Grip. “I think consumers are going to respond tremendously … comfort is the absence of discomfort. It will be the absence of a fear of traction,” said Ells.

The testing phase included utilizing a flight simulator at the TRI Toronto Rehabilitation Center to create controlled — and icy — floor angles up to 19.5 degrees. The results? According to third-party testing, the traction of Vibram Arctic Grip was four to nine times better on ice than three other unnamed commercial footwear brands.

Michelin is also making the leap into outdoor footwear. Bridging its expertise from tires to soles, the company is taking a two-prong approach to shoe development with a focus on custom-blended rubber compounds and tread design. Among its brand partnerships, Michelin Technical Soles has designs lined up for enduro mountain biking and trail running: the Enduro Mid with Northwave and the Under Armour Horizon.

“The popularity of trail running is fueling an increased demand for footwear offering maximum traction in varied terrain,” said Head of Design & Product Development at JVI for Michelin Technical Soles Trond Sonnergren. He further explained Michelin’s process of design and development: “A sole is like a tire — it can be made from different materials and metal elements. Rubber compounds are combined with other materials like EVA, carbon, PEBAX and polyurethane, based on consultation with Michelin’s material experts. The compounds are carefully tailored to each outsole model.”

“Right now, there are fair weather solutions, wet weather solutions and cold and ice traction solutions,” Vibram’s Ells said. “Maybe someday there will be an all around, everyday solution: one compound that will react no matter what the conditions. We have a bunch of people working to get there.”

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INDUSTRY NEWS | OUTDOOR

Shifting The U.S. Bike Industry Beyond Sport Brands, retailers and cities gear up for a new generation of cycling

By Morgan Tilton

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Pockets of two-wheel commuting, multi-day tours and all-around bike culture have developed over the past decade in specific U.S. regions like Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland and Denver with the help of bike lanes, signage, education, bike sharing and bike-friendly public transit. Plus, the burgeoning of hybrid café/bike shops.

For growth to continue, governments will need to continue budget allocation toward building out infrastructure, officials said. “It’s a tough situation, because infrastructure builds more cyclists. The safety factor of being separated from cars is the biggest barrier,” said Aaron Abrams, senior product manager at Marin.

Potential growth goes hand-in-hand with consumer demand. As the industry gathered in Las Vegas in September for the annual Interbike trade show, here are a few areas where the bike industry is building momentum.

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hile the biking world’s commuter culture has deep roots in many European countries, its identity in the U.S. has a stronger foothold in athletics.

“We’ve done a good job as an industry as a sport and sufferfest,” said Haibike USA Director of Sales Ken Miner. “The rest of the world sees the bike as a lifestyle product and for transportation. The U.S. market is coming around.”

Healthy E-bike Life E-bikes are in high demand overseas, where they’ve been popularized over the past decade. In Europe’s Germanic regions, 15 percent of all bikes sold are electric, which is close to 40 percent of dollars spent in the market, Abrams said.

While U.S. sales are steady across bike segments, the e-bike category is (finally) experiencing an uptick here, which may be attributable to entry-level participants pedaling into the scene.

“When you go from zero to something you watch a huge percentage increase,” said GT Product Director Todd Seplavy. “As for the real potential, I don’t think anyone can actually put their finger on it — it’s too early to tell — but there’s a buzz.

In Europe, though, manufacturers are asking for more e-bikes, quickly.”

Five years ago, electric bikes were clunky, lugging electric-drive systems that were practically strapped on. Nowadays, the models are sleeker and innovated from the ground up with integrated technology, explained Outrider Founder Tom Ausherman.

The designs are also more ergonomic than traditional bikes. Recumbent versions, for example, allow bikers to recline, which can be safer and more comfortable for aging or injured riders.

One holdback: a general negative stigma surrounding e-bikes still exists in the U.S. Traditionalists commonly think that because an electric motor helps to propel a biker forward, she

or he isn’t getting as much exercise as on a nonpowered bike.

True, an e-biker’s heart rate won’t be as high compared to pedaling a regular bike; however, the accumulative minutes spent in the saddle can significantly improve overall health and fitness, according to a 2016 University of Colorado, Boulder study that was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

The incentives for folks to jump on an e-bike are enticing. It’s “fun,” according to the University of Colorado test’s subjects, and requires less time than a regular bike commute, so people opt to use it more frequently than they might a regular bike.

Electric rides may not be the golden ticket for seasoned or competitive athletes, but they can be a bridge for folks who don’t have a track record of exercise. The aforementioned study found that 20 sedentary volunteers rode to work at least three times a week (a 40-minute commute each day) for one month.

The results? Each person’s average heart rate reached 75 percent of its max during activity.

Regardless of motor assistance, the riders experienced easy to moderate levels of exercise — enough to improve aerobic fitness, blood sugar control and decrease body fat, according to the lab results.

Culturally and politically, the conversation regarding electric bikes is just getting started.

“We are still figuring out a lot of legislation and laws about e-bikes, and that will shape the way that they grow,” said Abrams, and outlined one aspect of the debate. “Electric bikes being ridden off road; how does that play with cycling rights? Are e-bikes truly classified as a motorized vehicle, or are they a bicycle, because riders are still pedaling and it’s assisting them?”

As e-road and mountain frames become more popular, the regulations and guidelines regarding where those bikes are permissible will evolve as well.

Approaching the issue from another angle, Haibike will broaden its reach by debuting a new kids e-bike.

Niche Evolution New designs have adopted a Goldilocks approach, searching for that just-right rendition. Five years ago, 26-inch wheels were the norm for mountain bikes. Then 29-inchers took steam, followed by 27.5-inch versions. But 26.5- and 29.5-inch rims

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need to be available, too, for both hardtail and fullsuspension rides.

“We continue to see niche-ification — we’re not making the pizza bigger, we’re divvying it up into lots and lots of smaller pieces,” GT’s Seplavy said, citing the ping-pong development of wheel circumferences.

Design iterations are becoming even more specialized, and the bike market offers a wider range of bike products than ever before.

The industry is home to 2,000 companies involved in manufacturing and distributing cycling products to retailers, and nearly 150 bicycle brand names, according to the most recent 2015 National Bicycle Dealers Association Industry Overview.

Road bikes with narrower handlebars and gravel grinders — which generally feature frame clearance for wider tires, a higher strength-to-weight ratio for toting gear and disc brakes that are operable in dusty conditions — are likewise niched offerings, said Seplavy.

“On the consumer side, the world is their oyster.

They can get any variation of bike imaginable — or, if they wait six months or a year, the bike industry will figure out a way to make it,” Seplavy said.

“But, it’s a bottleneck on the backside.” Challenges include the limitations of retailers’ floor space and a forecast that’s leapt from 14 to 24 models; it’s a lot of products for employees to juggle.

Electric Empowerment Beyond electric bikes, innovative electronic components continue to surface, too. Historically, adaptive electric bikes (electric bikes with modifications such as seating or controls) have been functionally dependent on a tandem arrangement.

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One person with ability would ride with another of disability, in order to control the bike, not necessarily to power the bike. Now, with electronically controlled input devices — such as a chin joystick or head gyroscope — a disabled or injured individual is enabled to ride independently.

“That mechanical control opens up a world of possibility … it’s exciting and goes beyond strength problems. From the adaptive perspective, it solves control problems and helps people to be able to ride safely,” Outrider’s Ausherman said.

In another window, Haibike celebrates electric connectivity with a new commuter bike featuring a Cobi system. Now bikers can use their phone while on the roll to play music, take calls, check the weather and track their path.

Growing Groms An estimated 36 million American kids, age seven and up — “groms” in biking slang — hopped on a bike at least six times in 2015. That number, tracked by the National Sporting Goods Association, is up slightly from the year prior. The birds-eye view has been flat for the past decade.

Teaching kids how to ride a bike hinges on guidance from their parents and community. In Connecticut, where Seplavy lives, for example, the school district doesn’t allow the kids to bike to school, due to liability issues related to theft and safety concerns about accidents or collisions.

Instead, Seplavy ventures to dirt trails to ride bikes with the family.

One youth segment charged with big potential is mountain biking.

“I’ve been going to Whistler — the Disneyland for mountain bikers — for at least one week annually for 14 years,” Seplavy said. “The number of 12-yearold kids on that hill, riding bikes — jumping stuff bigger than I would safely jump — has grown like crazy. Five years ago, it wasn’t happening,” said Seplavy, and attributed the growth in part to the National Interscholastic Cycling Association.

Founded in 2009, the organization develops interscholastic mountain biking programs for student-athletes. Last year alone, the organization experienced a 51-percent leap in participation, tracking 7,500 student-athletes.

Before long, new kids will be steering their wheels down singletrack or through their home neighborhood, and doing so safely. As long as they’re encouraged.

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INDUSTRY NEWS SPORTS & FITNESS

Sara Cook, Founder, Mind + Body Battalion and Ryan Anderson, Owner, CrossFit Lodo Photos by David Clucas and Francesca Chiamulera

28 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

Yoga Meets Crossfit An expert in each field switched mats for a day to debunk the stereotype of the awkward first date

By Jahla Seppanen

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wo of the hottest active-lifestyle pursuits today couldn’t seem more opposite — CrossFit and Yoga.

One known for its brute force and aggressive moves, the other for its calm, quiet and introspective practice.

But do the two have more in common than meets the eye? What happens when you pit CrossFit versus Yoga? Could lifters suddenly swap kettlebells for Kombucha, or meditators discover a love of slamming weights on the floor?

The idea inspired us to conduct a little experiment. We took a local CrossFit expert, Ryan Anderson, and long-time Yoga disciple and teacher Sara Cook, and asked them to switch mats for a day. During the process we uncovered the ill-fitting stereotypes that drive many consumers to avoid one or the other training modality, which brands are most dominant in the studio and gym, and how the two very polar workouts aren’t so different at the core.

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RYAN ANDERSON

Owner, CrossFit Lodo, Denver, CO Men’s Fitness Certified CrossFit Levels 1, 2 and 3, CF Gymnastics, CF Endurance, USA-W Advanced Sport Performance Coach L2, USA-W Club Coach L1, StrongFirst KettleBell Instructor

W

hen we enlisted Ryan to act as our CrossFit guinea pig, his response was, “I’m game.” A former professional golfer, Anderson made the transition into CrossFit nine years ago after suffering from hip and knee pain. You wouldn’t think the cure would be CrossFit, which is commonly discerned as an injury-provoking workout. The CrossFit organization recently took to court certain falsified claims that pinned the workout as dangerous.

“My injury problems led me down the road to understand movement better, which, at its heart, is what CrossFit is,” Anderson said. From his

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perspective, this is one of the largest misconceptions around the sport — apart from the stereotype of a CrossFitter not being able to stop talking about being a CrossFitter. “It’s programmed around function movements and functional fitness. Someone from the outside of the industry who doesn’t understand or see the movement patterns could easily see the intensity of the workout as being unsafe.”

Anderson pointed out that the de facto Olympics of CrossFit — the Reebok CrossFit Games — are all about form. “For viewers who don’t have a sense of how difficult it is to lift a certain weight while maintaining perfect form, it’s not an art, but that’s what the athletes are being judged on.”

Other stereotypes with which the workout is saturated include users being “cult-like,” grungy, loud, hardcore and bulky tire-flippers.

The cliché demographic is young millennials, to which Anderson gives some credence. At 33, he’s considered “an old man” at his gym, but some clients in their 50s and 60s regularly attend WOD (workout of the day).

As for which brand lords over the space, we mentioned the big dog already: Reebok. In 2010, Reebok secured a 10-year partnership that gave its parent Adidas Group Brand a stranglehold on the CrossFit name.

This. Was. Huge. Since CrossFit is a trademark unlike yoga or running, which any brands can use, only Reebok is allowed to attach the qualifier to its products.

Most other brands in the space, like Nike or Under Armour, use the term “cross-training” to indicate its use for CrossFit-like exercise. Later in 2012, Reebok dropped its NFL contract and a year later became the title sponsor and official outfitter of the Spartan Race series. Reebok then signed a six-year deal with the UFC in 2014. When you pull everything together, modern-day Reebok has been forged by its ties with CrossFit capitalizing on that “hardcore” association to land other “hardcore” sports deals. The company even collaborated with DuPont Kevlar for a 2015 line.

Ironically for our purposes, Anderson also sees a lot of Lululemon apparel in the CrossFit gym, particularly shorts and tees.

SARA COOK

Founder, Mind + Body Battalion Denver, CO Yoga instructor specializing in Vinyasa Certified 2003, 2004 and 2014

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ike the majority of yoga professionals we’ve spoken with, Cook was kind and calm in the face of an offer to throw her into the eye of a CrossFit workout. The key to Cook saying yes was a deep understanding of her body. Before finding yoga almost 15 years ago, Cook managed Powder Tools — a snowboard shop in Littleton, CO. She found yoga through her manager’s friend. Flexibility came easy for Cook, and was the incentive that led her to go back … at first. “It’s simple: I liked it because I was good at it. That’s a natural response to anyone finding their niche in fitness,” Cook said. “But what really kept me coming back was learning about myself through the practice.”

Cook attested to yoga “filling holes in my relationship with myself.” She identified this as one of the biggest benefits of the practice that newbies don’t anticipate. “Someone coming to yoga is looking for the physical element: flexibility, strength and balance,” she added. “But that evolves into a mind-body connection that comes to fruition

through movement and into an intuition, wisdom and acceptance of self.”

The physical aspect that draws so many to the practice is also the leading cause of deterrence.

Cook said every other newbie begins with the fear, “I’m not flexible enough.” That’s because many social-media platforms seem to have skewed the look of yoga, where perfectly toned young people bend their spines in Scorpion pose.

But for all the glossy coverage yoga gets, it’s done a good deal of growing up and evolving into a wellness-based modality. “Sure, the more advanced your practice becomes the more strength it requires, but you are building to that concurrently with growing your reflective power.”

Consumers who were previously averse to yoga are following suit as its health benefits become more mainstream. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that in 2015, yoga was the most popular mind-and-body practice (9.5 percent of U.S. adults participating) alongside chiropractic manipulation, meditation and massage therapy. Apart from looking to yoga for a mind-body solution, The Yoga Alliance reported 36.7 million Americans practice yoga in the U.S. — a 16.7 million increase from four years ago.

Popular festivals like the Wanderlust series and booming studios like CorePower Yoga most likely have a hand in this expansion. And a trend pushing

yoga deeper into the entertainment and lifestyle arena is pairing the practice with another activity.

Cook calls it the “Yoga plus something” trend, and we’re seeing it with a plethora of sub-interest categories (i.e. yoga and beer at Poses and Pints, yoga with dogs, yoga with cars, glow in the dark specials like YogaGlo and Broga for men).

A dominant and not completely false stereotype of the practice is that it’s a female activity. American male participation grew from 4 million to 10 million from 2012 to 2016, but the femme stigma does contribute to men being less inclined to give it a try. As wellness grows as a national agenda for all genders, intense excercise is losing some of its allure. More acceptance is being put on mind-body health, whereas in the past this exploration was seen as soft. We’re also beginning to find just how sweaty and hardcore certain yoga styles can be.

Brands most commonly associated with the practice are beginning to include more outliers from apparel and mats. Cook calls out Suja juice and GT’s Kombucha as big names in the studio.

Then of course there’s Lululemon. “Everyone yoga and beyond knows about Lululemon, but the second tier of brands encompassing a broader scope of health and wellness products are more worth watching,” Cook said. Other household names are Manduka and Gaia (Gaiam’s former consumer-product segment that was recently sold to Sequential Brands).

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CrossFit Does Dolphin Into Chaturanga In early October, Anderson was the only male in a room of practicing females, with ages ranging from early 20s to late 60s. He took a mat in the center of the room and was quiet, almost solemn, through the 60-minute class, held at The Freyja Project in Denver.

Despite his obvious strength, the balance required of yoga poses made Anderson’s muscles shake. This seemed to surprise him and deepen his internal focus on the moves. He was concentrated on stabilizing and had some trouble incorporating the unique breath flow characteristic of Vinyasa (one breath to each movement). During a particularly difficult transition from Dolphin Pose into Chaturanga, the rest of the class froze. Anderson was the only one to go for the challenging transition (which he nailed).

“I feel relaxed and lengthened in places I haven’t had length in for a long time,” Anderson commented after class. “I’m aware of the stretch in the back of my body, where I’m normally focused on contraction. There was some comfortability and un-comfortability, but it’s completely different from the exhaustion I feel in CrossFit. Yoga quieted my mind, whereas with CrossFit by the end of a class I’m too exhausted to think.”

Yoga Does AMRAP Push Press Cook pulled a rower to the center of the CrossFit Lodo gym on a sunny October morning. At 8 a.m., the turnout was small (three women and two men), but the personality of the proud few brightened the space and brought humor to the class. Plus, the gym had been open since 5 a.m. “I’ve got butterflies,” Cook said, expecting to run laps around the property and lift heavy, hard and fast.

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“I’m hesitant about being put in a position between honoring my body and alignment and doing what they want.”

After rowing, the class learned the technique of a Push Press. Cook glued her eyes to the instructor and slowly mimicked the motions, while other CrossFitters rushed the rehearse. Then came the weight. Cook stacked 30plus pounds to a bar that already weighed 15. Everyone lifted in their own time, taking breaks to mill around the gym and recover before going for another set. Cook pressed on, going into squats and SplitJerks with some hesitation, but also success. She seemed surprised at her own strength and moved with the class without looking like a newbie. Toward the end of the hour, another woman came up, introduced herself and rushed to admit she herself had only been practicing for a couple months. There was never a time Cook felt excluded or pushed to a dangerous place.

“It’s more of a rush,” Cook said after class, “and more broken up than yoga.

I was encouraged to calibrate what I can handle for myself and test it out. It’s about getting to know your body.” Cook posed for an “after” shot and without prompting lifted her arms in a strong display of her biceps.

So, Who Won? CrossFit and Yoga can’t really go head-to-head because they both fit into a health and wellness system that boosts body-mind power. In terms of stereotypes, both modalities can appear daunting depending on the consumer, but in the words of Emerson, unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.

That’s the mindset driving the fitness industry forward today.

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First Lady of Innovation

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The Thirst For A New Brew A timeline of the science behind sports hydration and what you’ll be drinking next.

By Jahla Seppanen

34 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

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ater, sodium, sugar, potassium, phosphate and lemon juice.

As legend has it, those were the ingredients of what’s widely seen as the birth of modern-day sports hydration — Gatorade. Scientists at the University of Florida College of Medicine developed it in a lab after the Gators’ head football coach requested a drink to replace sweat, carbs and electrolytes. This was 1967 — the year Rolling Stone Magazine came to print and the first Super Bowl was played between the Packers and Chiefs.

Thirty-plus years later another hydration revolution is upon us, largely thanks to research developed by former triathlete turned Ph.D. exercise physiologist and expert sports nutritionist Stacy Sims.

For the past 25 years, Sims has been studying hydration — a topic that impacts overall health, injury prevention, disease, joint immobility, tissue function, nutrient absorption, muscular wellness and even cognitive function and mood.

King Carb Sims’ “a-ha” innovation moment came in the early 2000s as she raced in the pro-elite Ironman Kona event and had issues with her standard sports nutrition plan. She returned to old articles and research that existed before the category was founded. Her research broke new ground in the field of osmolality, and was the first overwhelming evidence that supported separating fuel from hydration in an overarching nutrition strategy.

“We’re a carb-focused world,” Sims said, “even when we look at our hydration.” She continued, “Hydration is the basic idea of fluid absorption.

When water goes into the blood, that’s what we call your plasma volume. I found that a higher carb solution actually works as a dehydrator and pulls water out of the blood and into the intestines. This can put your intestines under a lot of stress, and these are already a sensitive body part.”

Let’s break it down: • An 8-ounce serving of a standard sports hydration drink contains approximately14 grams of carbs.

• According to Sims’ research, a dangerous carb ratio is anything more than 4 grams per 100 milliliters in a sports drink.

• There are approximately 234.5 milliliters in 8 ounces. This puts many sports drinks in the “danger zone.”

Kindred Hydrators It’s one thing to know the intricate science behind hydration physiology. It’s another to bring that science to market in a digestible way.

Sims’ husband shared a booth at the annual Interbike cycling trade show with Tim Moxey, the founder of hydration-nutrition brand Nuun.

Following this chance meeting, Moxey came to base much of Nuun’s hydration tab chemistry from Sims’ Osmolality findings.

Nuun (pronounced “noon”) stakes its claim on being the first company to separate electrolyte replacement and carbohydrate refueling. Although its competitors were making effervescent tablets at this time, these hydration products were a blend of electrolytes and carbs. This means if you were a competing athlete sweating before 2004, you were probably drinking a sugar-rich, carb-heavy beverage, which many have identified as a big no-no.

Nuun’s self-dissolving, sugar-free electrolyte tab sparked a revolution in the sports drink space and over the last decade has become a leader in the Run Specialty channel within the Energy Drinks/ Tablets/Powders category, according to SSI Data*.

Appoint A Granola Hippie Innovation ain’t quick, and quick innovation ain’t true. It’s been about a dozen years since sports hydration felt a seismic shift on the scale of Sims’

Osmolality research. Now Sims and Nuun are working together to discover the next disruptive recipe.

In 2012, Nuun replaced its then CEO Mason Reay, formerly vice president of global consumer marketing for Dell, with a granola hippie. The resume of the new CEO, Kevin Rutherford, includes re-launching MGD Light beer as MGD 64 for Miller Brewing Company, growing the granola brand Bear Naked into a competing force at Kashi and putting the organic and green Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day brand on the map for The Caldrea Company.

Rutherford hit the ground running at Nuun, cleaning up its ingredient base and looking for faster, better ways to promote electrolyte absorption. “Not only endurance athletes but everyday athletes are pushing their bodies harder and for a longer period of time,” he told SGB. “We want something better, even for Nuun.”

Rutherford and Sims shared a panel at a running trade show and bonded over veganism and endurance hydration methods (Rutherford is also an Ironman triathlete). In September, they began a formal collaboration. Sims, now a senior research fellow at the University of Waikato, is developing active research in environmental (heat, altitude) considerations and sex differences in elite athletes and public health. She’s been making frequent trips back to the Nuun lab, experimenting to find the right formulary with Nuun’s Education and Innovations Leader and Chief Nutritionist Vishal Patel.

The new hydration formula and science backing won’t be unveiled until April 2017, but officials say it will be a “holistic” one. Rutherford added, “From a company perspective, it’s our responsibility to step up and figure out how to educate people about proper hydration.”

Miscommunication Nation Science has very much left the sports nutrition space after products “engineered in the lab” hit

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Alternative products, whether coconut water or kombucha, come with their own claims to health supremacy — no sugar, sweetened with Stevia, only the good fructose corn syrup, organic honey, agave, netame, neotame. Have we lost you yet?

Herein lies the new problem, according to Sims. Not only is the barrage of sports hydration products rife with misinformation, it’s overwhelming us. “You can go online and find 1,000 different ways to hydrate,” said Sims, “then go to the store and buy 100 different products.”

In reality, you can make your own sports drink from readily available ingredients — sugar, salt, hot water, lemon and orange juice — and the whole-foods movement made it vogue to fuel up with real plants that offer substantial nutrients, but there’s only so much that unprocessed ingredients can do.

In Sims’ view, it’s time to head back to the lab.

Ready The Beakers And Playbooks What Sims has locked down from her research is that to correctly hydrate, water doesn’t cut it. You need small amounts of sodium, potassium and glucose. At rest, you need sodium and potassium.

“Right now we’re trying to find the taste,” Sims said. “If it doesn’t taste right, people won’t want to drink it. We’re that primal.” Sims told us taste can be one of the most difficult aspects because it involves so many miniscule tweaks, which then play on the makeup of the overall formula. “Even the smallest differences can have significant effects on fluid absorption,” Sims added.

Meanwhile, Rutherford is head-down on a launch plan. In creating a new formula, Sims and Nuun will also co-author a playbook of sorts, putting Ph.D. concepts into layman’s terms so we can hydrate better.

This educational piece may not end up being an actual book (it could be an app, in-store display or within the new product packaging). But we can report that there will be education paired with the release.

“We’re getting asked by races to put our product on the course (marathons, triathlons, etc.), because we can communicate the science,” Rutherford said. “And we’re finding that even the elites are confused.”

“Everyone is looking for the edge,” he continued. “They say never alter your race strategy the day of, but athletes of all levels are asking before lining up at the start for a way to be better today.” This tells us that no brand has nailed down the perfect sports hydration product just yet.

Athletes stay tuned. their peak with the Powerbars of the category in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. Since then, the tide has turned toward home-made, with consumers and brands looking for organic, green, natural ingredient messaging that indicates a product is healthy and “real.”

“But don’t discredit science,” Rutherford said.

“There’s so much miscommunication out there, and the lack of true knowledge is a real challenge.”

Countless studies have been conducted in sports hydration, debunking many of the mainstream products as unhealthy. A 2012 study by Dr. Alison Field (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) looked at about 11,000 teens that consumed sports drinks and found those who drank the beverages weighed more. Dr. Field concluded, “sports drinks are promoted by professional athletes as a healthy drink, but they don’t really need to be used by kids.”

That’s just a small aspect of the evidence … if you need it. Look at the labels on sports drinks and you’ll see that a majority has more sugar than a can of soda. The backlash from consumers has been significant enough that sports drink alternatives have grown into an industry all their own.

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*SSI Data, powered by SportsOneSource, collects and analyzes POS data from more than 15,000 retail doors across nine channels of distribution. To learn more, call 303.997.7302 or email Solutions @ SportsOneSource.com

Osmolality — The concentration of all chemical particles found in the fluid portion of the blood.

Normal human blood osmolality sits at 280 to 290 mOsmol. This measure indicates the body’s water balance.

Plasma Volume — The watery part of the blood that is lost in sweat. The body tries to maintain it by pulling water from other spaces in the body. By drinking fluid that hydrates, plasma volume is better maintained without pulling from other spaces.

Why Separate Fuel And Hydration? When food or fluid is consumed, osmolality changes in accordance to the rate at which the nutrients are emptied from the stomach into the small intestines, which does 95 percent of all fluid absorption. Normal osmolality of the intestinal lumen — the inside space of the intestine — of a fasted individual sits between 270 and 290 mOsmol/kg. This organ is sensitive to osmotic gradients, thus the composition of a solution is critical for rapid fluid absorption. Solutions containing carbohydrates also achieve slower rates of water absorption and less plasma volume.

Wait, Isn’t Sugar Bad? To maximize water absorption, beverages formulated with glucose and sucrose enhance fluid uptake via co-transport mechanisms — when two substances are simultaneously transported across a membrane by one protein.

Dr. Stacy Sims, Ph.D.

Hydration Dictionary

By Dr. Stacy Sims, Ph.D.

Dr. Stacy Sims, Ph.D., Environmental Exercise Physiologist, Nutrition Scientist and elite and pro endurance athlete understands from experience how nutrition and hydration affect performance. She is currently working with Nuun and Co. on hydration education, product innovation and clean living initiatives. She has helped popularize a new approach to exercise hydration, with a focus on lowcalorie electrolyte drinks that are more easily absorbed than sugary exercise drinks. Through her latest research in the fields of exercise science and natural foods, Sims defines the hydration terms you need to know to fuel your body.

Clean Sport — Ingredients that level the playing field, are safe for sport, unbanned, get audited and contribute to less waste and fewer plastic bottles. Clean Sport also includes supporting and sponsoring clean athletes.

Look On The Label — Sugar substitutes to avoid include sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol (the sugar alcohols), acesulfame potassium, aspartame, neotame, saccharine and sucrolose.

Water Won’t Cut It — Plain water is associated with a poor rate of water absorption, due to the outward flow of sodium, pulling both water and sodium into the lumen.

At Rest — Once Sims and Nuun finalize their 2017 formula, their next project will look at the unique hydration needs of the body in action versus at rest.

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LEGENDARY INNOVATOR

GERT BOYLE SPANNING GENERATIONS

The First Lady of Innovation is more than an industry icon and philanthropist. She's a model for the power of the pioneering spirit — venturing into the unknown with vision and determination and leading by example for others to follow.

BY NANCY BOUCHARD, P.h.D. AND TERESA HARTFORD PHOTOGRAPHED BY TIFFANY RENSHAW

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G

ERT BOYLE IS AN AMERICAN TREASURE. If she takes time out of her busy schedule to read this, chances are she’ll laugh and make a witty, self-deprecating retort about her age, figure or relative position in the big picture of things. But no one can argue Gert’s value to the outdoor industry, Portland, OR, the U.S. economy, international philanthropy and in making the world a warmer, drier and all-around more fun place.

SGB was fortunate to have a morning to sit down with Mrs. Boyle in her office and chat about the past, present and future of Columbia. We hope you enjoy the conversation as much as we did.

An American Success Story Gert (you may know her as Columbia Sportswear’s Chairman of the Board, One Tough Mother, Ma Boyle or Mrs. Boyle) is also an American success story. She’s held the title of Columbia’s Chairman of the Board (she never liked the word Chairwoman) since 1998 and, at the age of 92, she still goes in to work daily. From 1970 to 1998, she was the company’s president. During Gert’s tenure at Columbia (she was thrust into running the company when her husband Neal Boyle died in 1970), she’s guided it to the $2.33 billion juggernaut [2015 net sales] it is today.

Columbia brand sales alone, not including the A-list brands Gert and her son Tim have added to their portfolios — Prana, Mountain Hardwear, Sorel and OutDry — is a cool $1.86 billion globally [2015].

Gert epitomizes everything that makes America great. Born in Germany, Gert and her family fled to the U.S. to escape the horrors of Nazi Germany when she was 13. Sadly, her maternal grandmother didn’t get out in time and was murdered in a concentration camp. Her father, the owner of one of Germany’s largest shirt factories, had realized the threat of Hitler’s Germany for Jews and began planning his family’s escape in 1936. Only because his mother lived in San Francisco and his brother in Portland was the family able to obtain U.S. visas. They boarded a ship in July 1937 that took them through the Panama Canal (with a brief stop in Cuba), up the Pacific Coast to San Francisco and then on to Portland, OR. Gert didn’t return to Germany for another 60 years.

ONE TOUGH MOTHER AND ONE GREAT COMPANY "I found myself wanting to succeed for non-financial reasons. The more people doubted me, the more I wanted to prove them wrong." – Gert Boyle

While her family was only allowed to bring $20 out of Germany, nothing could rob her father of his entrepreneurial spirit. The family was enthusiastically American, and there was no doubt Gert’s mother and father, Paul and Maria Lamfrom, would realize The American Dream. One of the first things the family did after settling in Portland was travel to Mount Hood to watch President Franklin D. Roosevelt speak for the dedication of Timberline Lodge.

After settling his family, Paul borrowed money to buy the Rosenfeld Hat Company and went to work. He changed the company’s name, picking Columbia after the mighty river that ran through the family’s new hometown. In Germany, he’d employed hundreds; in Oregon, he turned his energy to operating the small hat store. Gert, her two sisters Hildegarde and Eva and her mother embraced their lives as Americans. Gert helped put hatboxes together with her sisters, and like many Oregon children of her era worked during summer months for local farmers, picking strawberries and beans.

A Family Business Gert went off to college in the fall of 1943 — taking a train to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona. There, as the story goes, under a table after a fraternity party she met the love of her life, Neal Boyle, whom she married in 1945. Gert’s father offered Neal a job with Columbia, and the small family (they’d had Tim by that time) moved back to Portland.

Gert’s father and Neal worked well together and the company flourished. Her father was a “nuts and bolts” man who knew how to run a business, her husband a visionary with ideas on how to grow their customer base. Both were excellent salesmen. By the late 1950s, the men realized that the Pacific Northwest was attracting people who loved to hunt, fish, ski and hike. In 1959, they changed the name of the company to Columbia Sportswear, as they had started to sell outdoor products and ski wear.

The first foray from hats was gloves; Neal was then inspired by his friends and customers to design a fishing vest. Like most women of her generation, Gert had learned to sew as a child, and she went to work on the pattern and design. She didn’t fish, but talked with people who did and came up with what would be one of Columbia’s most successful and enduring products, The Henry’s Fork Vest. Soon the company added

"GERT MAY BE SHORT IN PHYSICAL HEIGHT, BUT HER COURAGE, HER COMMON SENSE, HER PERSEVERANCE, AND HER BUSINESS ACUMEN MADE HER TALL ENOUGH TO SHATTER ALL OF THE DOUBTS, MISCONCEPTIONS, AND GLASS CEILINGS THAT STOOD IN HER WAY." — MARK O. HATFIELD,

FORMER GOVERNOR OF OREGON AND UNITED STATES SENATOR

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rainwear to its lineup — a smart move in a region so famous for wet weather.

Gert’s father died in 1964 and Neal took over as president. Gert’s mother became more involved with the company’s daily operations — she went to work every day until shortly before her death at the age of 86. When Neal stepped up to run the company, it had $300,000 to $400,000 in annual sales. Over the next six years he grew the brand.

Gert stayed at home and raised the couple’s three children, Tim, Kathy and Sally, although once her kids were in school she would go by the office to talk with her husband and mother and to greet employees.

In December of 1970, she would begin to play a much larger role.

Gert Boyle And Her Son, Tim Boyle, Step Up To Lead Columbia Sportswear Tragedy struck when Neal died of a heart attack.

Gert had no experience with running a company, but as she relates in her autobiography, “One Tough Mother,” “If someone asked me to swim a mile, I would tell them I couldn’t. But if someone took me out on a boat and pushed me out into the ocean a mile from shore, you better believe I would start swimming.”

With the help of her son Tim, who had recently married and was a semester short of graduating from the University of Oregon, Gert went to work. At the time of Neal’s death, the company had $800,000 in annual sales. A year later, sales fell to $600,000 and the wolves (bankers) were at the door. Gert, with her youngest daughter at home, considered selling the company. A potential buyer made an offer, but after reading the contract’s fine print, Gert realized she’d end up with only $1,400. “For $1,400, I would just as soon run this business into the ground myself ” was her famously quoted response.

Gert and Tim (who in good Boyle tradition did finish college) formed a Board of Directors to elicit advice and guidance from local businessmen.

They slashed Columbia’s product line and started manufacturing private-label products for wellknown national outerwear companies, slowly pulling the company back from the brink — both Tim and Gert worked long hours. Gert bought a lawnmower with a headlight so she could take care of household chores after her long workday.

"EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE, WORK LIKE HELL AND ADVERTISE." – Gert Boyle

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During Gert’s tenure as president and CEO of Columbia, the company prospered. There were bumps, but the mother-and-son duo didn’t give up.

The company focused on quality, innovation, durability and the excellent customer service Paul Lamfrom and Neal had established. By 1977, Gert and Tim paid off the SBA loan and the mortgage on the company’s building. There were about 60 employees and annual sales of nearly $1.5 million.

Columbia Takes The Lead With the rise of appreciation for outdoor activities, Columbia began leading the nascent outdoor industry in developing its own technology. In the early 1980s, Gert and Tim worked together to create the world’s first three-in-one jacket, the “Interchange System,” so people would have flexibility in dealing with the elements (the coat had a fleece liner that zipped out of a waterproof shell). The jacket was named after The Bugaboos, one of Tim’s favorite mountain ranges, and sold more than five million.

Columbia had hit on a good formula. They made apparel tough enough to keep hunters, anglers and hikers warm. But they marketed to a much broader audience. As Gert deftly pointed out in “One Tough Mother,” only about 20 percent of outdoor apparel bought in the U.S. is actually worn for its intended purpose and the other 80 percent sells to people who like the “rugged outdoor look.” Gert also focused on “selling a great product at a fair price,” a formula that helped Columbia grow when others faltered.

One Tough Mother Gert and Tim’s hard work, keen understanding of consumer demand and ability to pull together a great team spurred Columbia’s success. But there’s no doubt that the “One Tough Mother” advertising campaign in the 1980s and ‘90s that focused on Gert with her “Born to Nag” tattoo, and Tim as her private crash test dummy, sparked the imagination of the global public and upped Gert’s rough-andtumble media persona into cult status.

The first ads introduced Gert, then in her late 50s, with her trademark spectacles perched low on her nose, as an “Overly Protective Mother,” but the game soon changed. “Bullheaded” soon replaced “Overly Protective.” Then in the late 1980s, the "LOOKING BACK, I owe a local business man a great deal. I would have sold Columbia [to him] if he had not tried to nickel and dime us at the last minute. [I would ] have missed out on the opportunity to build a great company, to work with fabulous people, and to have gained faith in my abilities." – Gert Boyle

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"FOCUS ON WHAT MAKES YOU UNIQUE. THERE IS SOMETHING THAT SETS YOUR BUSINESS APART FROM YOUR COMPETITORS — MAKE THE MOST OF THAT DIFFERENCE". – GERT BOYLE

ads got funnier and edgier. In one, Tim quoted Gert as saying that since the Bugaboo Jacket was such a great seller with its zip-out liner, jocks should sport zip-out fleece too. The ads started turning the humor toward Gert herself, with memorable lines like “Unlike our Chairman, It’s uncomplicated and lightweight,” or “Protective, but not overly warm, just like the parka.”

Throughout the campaign, Gert got tougher and tougher, and Columbia’s sales kept going up and up. The television advertising campaign was even funnier than the print ads. To prove the effectiveness of Columbia’s apparel, Gert encased her son under an ice skating ring and drove over him with a Zamboni. In another, she orders Tim through a car wash (sans car) to make sure Columbia’s latest jackets are truly waterproof. The mom-and-son duo was a hit with customers.

The ads made people laugh and showed Gert’s willingness to poke fun at herself (she posed with emo spiked hair, alongside leather-clad bikers and clinging to a rock face). The company even manufactured Gert Boyle greeting cards. There was no doubt that Gert and Tim were willing to go the extra mile to ensure their gear was field tested and field worthy.

on Omni-Freeze Zero, another groundbreaking technology that made fabrics “smart” by letting them react to the skin’s temperature for cooling. Omni-Heat Reflective introduced small, shiny dots on the inside of the fabric, reflecting body heat to keep people warmer with less weight.

Over the last few years, Columbia has upped the ante with waterproof OutDry, a patented and exclusive lamination process that bonds a waterproof, breathable membrane directly to the back of a shoe’s outermost layer creating a one-piece upper, and OutDry Extreme, an award-winning proprietary technique that eliminates a fabric layer for waterproof breathables and puts the waterproof membrane on the outside to prevent a “wet out.”

For 2017, Columbia sets the height of the environmental sustainability bar with OutDry Extreme Eco, the first membrane made without the use of PFCs, and instead made from recycled plastic bottles and a dye-free fabric that saves 13 gallons of water per jacket.

Is Gert’s focus on saving the world, one jacket at a time, something new?

Gert Shows The World That Her Toughness Isn’t Just Marketing Hype But no one realized how truly tough Gert was until 2010, when three men kidnapped the then-86-year old in front of her house after pretending to be fans bearing gifts. The armed thugs forced Gert into her garage. Despite being roughed up (she was bound when the police arrived), Gert managed to trigger a silent alarm, signaling that she needed help. Even under such dire circumstances, she kept her wits about her. One of the kidnappers was wearing a The North Face jacket. Gert’s statement as he was hustled into the police car? “I should have been suspicious to begin with — you’re wearing the wrong brand!”

Gert’s achievements in keeping people warm and dry in the outdoors are easy to identify. Under her tenure as president and then chairman of the board, Columbia introduced Omni-Tech, now one of the world’s leading waterproof/breathable systems for rainwear.

Gert’s Mission Well, not really. It turns out she’s been working on saving the world on her own time — with a tremendous amount of personal funds going to help abused children (CASA), cancer research and athletes with disabilities (Special Olympics). But Gert doesn’t talk much about her philanthropic giving. In fact, her practice is to donate anonymously. But sometimes, staying behind the scenes is tough, just like her tenure at Columbia. In 2011, she anonymously donated $100 million to Oregon Health & Science University for cancer research. A local Portland newspaper dedicated its staff to unveiling the donor.

Gert eventually fessed up, and said she didn’t blame the reporter for outing her.

She said she suspected the reason he’d revealed her secret was that he didn’t know how to spell anonymous! Once again, Gert stayed behind the scenes until stepping up made sense. This time, she realized that by allowing her name to be associated with the donation, it might encourage others to step up for the cause. Through philanthropy, Gert makes sure that other people who may have not started out with a fair shake in life have their shot at the American dream too.

Technology Drives Sales Omni-Shade came to market a few years later, revolutionizing how people protect themselves from the sun in hot climates. Then Columbia set its sights

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50 Years Of Innovation At The North Face The North Face celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2016; and through that half century, innovation runs deep.

BY DAVID CLUCAS ALL PHOTOS COURTESY THE NORTH FACE

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"From 1966 to today, the theme you see is problem solving through design and innovation,” The North Face Global Vice President of Product Joe Vernachio told SGB. While all the innovations are objects, they’re attached to larger ideas that make up the foundation of the brand, Vernachio said. The quest for durability, for example, can be seen in the Mountain Jacket or the Base Camp Duffel.

Many of the best new ideas are born from their athletes, he said.

“They bring in their gear and we ask them to make two piles — what they love and what they hate. We want to know their problems.”

So what are today’s problems that The North Face is working on for the future?

“People are moving much faster and lighter,” Vernachio said, “and they are sweating a lot. So how do we address that? Any time we see a problem like that, we get excited.” The additional challenge, he said, is a new breed of consumers — these that participate in a variety of recreational activities at a high level, but don’t identify with just one activity.

It all leads to problems for The North Face to solve in its next 50 years "of madness."

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1969 1969 Ruthsack "Backpacking” is Born

The North Face creates their first breakthrough piece, the Ruthsack. One of the first internal frame packs ever designed, this lightweight pack completely revolutionized “backpacking.” Before this, hikers and climbers were limited to bulky external frame packs with added weight and less function.

52 THEPhoto INNOVATORS ISSUE courtesy The North Face and Tim Kemple

1975 1975 Oval InTENTion Sphericity

The Oval InTENTion is introduced, revolutionizing the A-shaped tent. Inspired by noted Architect and Inventor R. Buckminster “Bucky” Fuller’s theory of sphericity, the tent was the first of its kind, incorporating maximum efficiency with minimum materials. Hikers now have a lightweight, roomy, aerodynamic shelter unlike any other.

1985 1985 Mountain Jacket & Pant

The Mountain Jacket and Pant are introduced, providing the same level of comfort and motion to climbers and trekkers as their skiing brethren.

With Gore-Tex in each piece, the suit is the genesis of an entire expedition apparel line based on GoreTex weather protection.

1986 1986 Base Camp Duffel

Made of bulletproof fabrics, thousands of these gear totes go on to circumnavigate the globe, survive the world’s roughest airport baggage handlers and are carried by porters, yaks and camels to every region on Earth. Photo courtesy Mickey Ross

1988 1988 Denali Jacket

A zip-in fleece compatible with the Mountain jacket is created and instantly becomes an iconic hit. Named the Denali jacket, it remains a popular mainstay of the line to this day. Photo courtesy Chris Noble

1991 1991 Steep Tech

The first-ever athlete-inspired ski clothing line takes lift lines and rope lines by storm. Described as “the motocross garment of the mountains, designed for those who live, work and climb in the mountains,” Steep Tech is the culmination of hundreds of hours of innovation and discussion between Scot Schmidt and The North Face design team. Photo courtesy Chris Noble

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1992 1992 Nuptse Jacket

Tibetan for “west peak,” Nuptse lies a mile southwest of Mt. Everest and is considered the western peak of this climbing gold mine.

Incorporating an innovative construction that decreases down shifting and increases warmth, the Nuptse Jacket instantly becomes the iconic puffy jacket that thrives in cold weather conditions.

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1994 1994 Himalayan Suit

This fully baffled down garment for high-altitude climbing and cold-weather survival, the Himalayan Suit, becomes the gold standard in the world of thin-oxygen and polar environments. It goes on to take hundreds of explorers to the highest and most frozen paths on Earth.

2004 2004 Ultra GTX XCR

UItra GTX XCR running shoe secures two of the industry’s most prestigious accolades. The relatively new shoe wins “Gear of the Year” by Outside Magazine for trail running, and Trail Runner Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award.

2012 2012 ABS Pack

The product features an inflatable dual airbag system that athletes can deploy if caught in an avalanche, and the surface area allows the athlete to float on or near the surface of an avalanche flow.

With a harness, hipbelt and ski/snowboard carry system, the ABS Pack puts function and alpine safety at the center of design.

2013 2013 ThermoBall™

After years of testing, which included two trips to Meru’s Shark’s Fin and Everest, The North Face launches ThermoBall™, a new type of synthetic insulation that closely mimics down clusters. The jackets are an instant success and become another iconic style for the brand. Photo courtesy Tim Kemple

2015 2015 Summit Series™

The Summit Series™ collection is unveiled, reimagined with cutting-edge innovation and purposeful design.

Built by, and specifically for, the core mountaineering and climbing community, the six-layer collection infuses cutting-edge technologies like FuseForm and ThermoBall™. Photo courtesy Tim Kemple

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THE NEXT 50 YEARS “AS WE LOOK FORWARD, WE WILL STAY FOCUSED ON OUR ULTIMATE PROMISE: TO EQUIP YOU TO PUSH YOUR LIMITS AND FEED YOUR SOUL. OUR COMMITMENT FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS AND BEYOND IS TO INSPIRE PEOPLE TO LIVE A LIFE OF EXPLORATION.” - TODD SPALETTO, PRESIDENT, THE NORTH FACE

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Photo courtesy The North Face

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CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF QUESTIONING MADNESS

Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk make the first ascent of Shark’s Fin on 21,700-foot Mount Meru in India.

Photo credit: Jimmy Chin 58 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

On October 26th, 1966 we opened our first store in San Francisco selling gear to dirtbag climbers, skiers, mountaineers and those pursuing alternative outdoor lifestyles.

Fifty years later, we remain committed to our community. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of product innovation, design and development.

We are dedicated to moving the relationship between the athlete, the product and the environment forward. thenorthface.com/50years

NEVER STOP EXPLORING SGBONLINE.COM

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SGB FALL 2016

THE INNOVATORS CENTER STAGE

Ingenuity defines the active lifestyle industry, but is rarer than you think.

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S

ure, there’s always a golf ball that goes a little farther or a jacket that keeps you a little warmer, but a true innovation is one that changes the way we do things. Let’s camp in trees instead of on the ground. Let’s print shoes instead of sewing them.

Let’s go outdoors on Black Friday instead of the shopping mall.

Not all innovations go on to be big sellers, but they can set the stage for a new category that goes on to attract millions of previously untapped customers.

With our inaugural SGB Innovators of the Year, we celebrate the ideas changing the way we run, hike or play the game.

Photo courtesy The North Face

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FORERUNNER FOR CONTINUED INNOVATION IN 3-D FOOTWEAR

ADIDAS, NEW BALANCE, NIKE, REEBOK AND UNDER ARMOUR

T

here seems to be new advances in 3-D printed or knitted footwear every day, too many to keep track of. But we’re pretty

sure that if you combine all the technologies from the leading athletic footwear brands (including 3-D printed soles, midsoles and knitted and printed uppers) the industry could create an entirely machine-manufactured shoe without it ever touching a human hand. Is it fast enough and affordable yet? Nope, but we’re getting there.

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Nike in March introduced a custom track spike for sprinter Allyson Felix made possible through 3-D-print prototyping. Photo courtesy Nike

Under Armour 3-D Printed Architech Photo courtesy Under Armour

Team New Balance Athlete Brenda Martinez with the New Balance 3D Printed Zante Generate Photo courtesy New Balance

Adidas Futurecraft 3D Photo courtesy Adidas

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CREATOR FOR SIMPLIFYING AND SPEEDING UP RETAIL INVENTORY REDUCTION

1. TOO MUCH RETAIL INVENTORY?

4. PRODUCTS THAT DON'T SELL TIE UP YOUR CAPITAL

2. SHOE IN STORE FOR MONTHS

5. INVENTORY BUYERS BID ON YOUR ITEMS AND YOU SELL IN ONE LARGE PURCHASE

3. SUPPLY AND DEMAND IS NOT WHAT YOU THOUGHT IT WOULD BE

6. UPLOAD YOUR PRODUCT AND BOXFOX TURNS YOUR EXCESS INVENTORY INTO CASH

BOXFOX MARKETPLACE

N

ot to be mistaken with the gift-box service of a similar name, BoxFox Marketplace greatly simplifies retailers’ ability to sell underperforming inventory to authorized resellers. Scan the

products via a mobile app, put them up for auction, choose to accept a winning bid and then use BoxFox to help manage shipping and payment. There are no minimum quantities for lot sizes. The service also is a good tool to gauge current demand and pricing for products in the B2B marketplace with instant appraisals.

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GROUND BREAKER FOR PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES ON ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

Columbia OutDry Ex Eco Jacket Photo courtesy Columbia

COLUMBIA SPORTSWEAR

T

he big environmental push by the outdoor industry of late has been ridding perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) from waterproof garments. The chemistry, used for most durable water repellency (DWR) treatments, has been found lingering in the environment with potential adverse consequences.

That’s meant going back to the drawing board to re-invent the waterproof jacket without PFCs and DWRs, something Columbia accomplished with its OutDry Ex Eco Jacket, plus more. The key innovation was making the waterproof-breathable layer durable enough to sit on the exterior of the jacket, and while they were at it, designers employed recycled materials (21 plastic bottles per jacket, to be exact) and saved 13 gallons of water per jacket by abandoning the dying process. All trims, labels, toggles, zipper pulls and eyelets are made from 100-percent recycled content.

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REBEL FOR SHAKING UP THE OUTDOOR TRADE-SHOW BUSINESS

GRASSROOTS OUTDOOR ALLIANCE

B

rands like to give GOA a hard time for all the black-curtain booths and regulations on product marketing at its annual spring and fall trade shows, but guess what? Business gets done at these events. This past year, the debut of Grassroots Connect added 100 non-member retailers and vendors

to the mix, which made enough waves to get Outdoor Retailer to pay attention. GOA, OR and Outdoor Industry Association now all partner on a wider trade-show season schedule which, come 2018, will have them working even closer together.

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PATHFINDER FOR PROVIDING NAVIGATION ON A HIKE WITHOUT HAVING TO LOOK AT YOUR PHONE OR WATCH

HI-TEC SPORTS

T

hree

words:

navigation

enabled footwear. This spin on GPS comes to fruition

through a pair of Hi-Tec smart shoes, designed in collaboration with Lechal, that directs its users via short vibrational patterns to a desired destination. Pods located in the footwear vibrate codes to turn left, right, stop, turn around or notify wearers that they’ve arrived at the destination. It eliminates being distracted from the view of the journey. The Navigator footwear also works offline, records steps and distance traveled and comes in the body of a waterproof boot with Michelin soles.

Hi-Tec Smart Shoes Photo courtesy Hi-Tec

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GUIDE FOR MAKING THE PROCESS OF FINDING AN OUTDOOR GUIDE AS EASY AS BOOKING A HOTEL

HINTERLANDS APP

F

or those who yearn for adventures but aren’t ready to tackle the wilderness solo, there’s Hinterlands, the app that matches prospective

thrill seekers with rigorously screened outdoor guides.

The app allows customers to browse professionally certified guides before booking, paying for and planning the excursion directly through the platform. The curated outdoor experiences are classified by date, adventure type and location. Hinterlands currently offers trips in Aspen, CO, but plans to roll out trips across North America. It brings the guide business to the booking level of Airbnb, Uber and Kayak, to help service a new generation outdoors.

Photos courtesy Hinterlands

68 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

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OUTSIDE THE BOX FOR TAKING CHANCES ON “UNEEK” FOOTWEAR

KEEN FOOTWEAR

F

rom its inception, Keen’s Uneek shoe was never about a single shoe, but rather the idea of establishing an entirely new platform

within the footwear industry with its simple twocord construction. Instead of building footwear out of flat materials that don’t naturally conform to the shape of the foot, the Uneek’s upper is made from two completely independent but engaged cords to mold to the foot. This year, Keen’s Director of Innovation Rory Fuerst, Jr. took the Uneek movement further by automating the process of footwear manufacturing with the introduction of the Uneek Robotic Cell, which produces a shoe in half the time of the current process.

70 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

Rory Fuerst, Jr., Director of Innovation, Keen Photos courtesy Keen

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CONNECTOR FOR GETTING CONSUMERS WHAT THEY WANT, LOCALLY

LOCALLY.COM

O

mni-channel, omni-channel, omni-channel … it’s been the retail buzzword for 2016 with the fundamental goal of getting consumers

the products and services they want through whatever sales channel(s) necessary, and fast. For some, that might mean direct-to-consumer or Amazon.com, but give consumers a quick, convenient and easy tool to find the exact product they want, guaranteed in stock at a local store, and it’s likely they’ll buy it there. Enter Locally.com, helping match local outdoor products to local demand in nearly 450 cities nationwide.

72 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

TRENDSETTER FOR GETTING KIDS (AND ADULTS) BACK OUTSIDE

Niantic CEO and Founder John Hanke joined Globe Telecom during the announcement of its exclusive partnership for Pokemon Go

POKÉMON GO

J

uly 6, 2016 went down in history as the day fitness changed. On that day Nintendo released its (free) augmented reality game Pokémon Go, developed by American software company Niantic. Via a mobile app, users walk around the world in search of Pokémon creatures, which pop up everywhere from

Central Park to your office desk. Catch em’ and battle with other users at “Pokémon Gyms.” Within a week of its release, kids and adults alike were opting to go for walks after school or on the weekend, swapping couch time for active play. Even the National Parks reported a boost in visitors. And players aren’t just trudging to the end of the block — they’re going on six-plus mile walks, as the game requires a certain traveled distance to hatch Pokémon eggs. For years it’s been a goal of the active-lifestyle industry to get more kids off the couch, and Nintendo did it in stride.

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USHER FOR GIVING INDEPENDENT TEAM DEALERS THE TECHNOLOGY TO COMPETE

ORDERMYGEAR.COM

O

rderMyGear.com Founder and CEO Kent McKeaigg, who was recognized as an SGB 40 Under 40 honoree in 2015, had a personal connection to improving the

team-dealer landscape — it was his dad’s profession. McKeaigg’s idea was not to replace team dealers, but rather enhance their strengths and capabilities, particularly when it comes to reaching some of the underserved sports and communities in the country. “Those sub-communities want equipment, uniforms and purchasing power just like everyone else,” he said. By keeping the dealers in play, the close relationships remain intact while OrderMyGear.com makes everything more efficient for the teams, dealers and brands to do more business.

In 2015, OrderMyGear (which takes a small percentage of the sales) saw $72 million of transactions go through its system. In 2016, the projection is between $130 million and $140 million.

Kent McKeaigg, Founder, OrderMyGear.com

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INVENTOR FOR INTRODUCING A ZERO-IMPACT RUN TRAINER THAT ACTUALLY MIMICS RUNNING

OCTANE FITNESS

R

unners bear the brunt of roughly seven times their body weight while on a jaunt. The blow is softened by

treadmills ‌ some, or you can turn to the lowimpact, albeit unnatural motion of ellipticals.

Enter Zero Runner by Octane Fitness (the latest version is the ZR8) in which engineers look to replicate the natural mechanics of running (without the repetitive stress) in a machine made of aluminum legs, independent hip and knee joints and a stride range up to 58 inches.

An accompanying app packs live stride-tracing technology to coach ZR8 riders on consistent, proper form, along with training plans for 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon distances.

The app has a CrossCircuit program too, which coaches users on and off the machine for a comprehensive routine that addresses weak links and corrects muscular imbalances and while boosting overall performance.

Photo courtesy Octane Fitness

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INTRODUCER FOR SPEARHEADING THE ACTIVE-INSULATION CATEGORY

POLARTEC

Y

ou’re sweating up a storm on a run, but its 30 degrees outside. As the trend for more active, physical and high-intensity workouts outdoors during the winter months ramped up, Polartec had the

perfect answer. It just so happens the fabric and insulation ingredient brand was addressing the same issue for the military — how to keep high-energyexerting servicemen and women warm in cold environments. Its solution — Polartec Alpha — created the “active insulation” category for the industry.

The ingenuity in of Alpha is that the insulation is a single sheet of lofty, lightweight and compressible material that doesn’t require complete encapsulation like other fills, resulting in a more breathable insulation that moves chill-producing moisture fast.

Polartec Alpha is at its best when part of a clothing system that doesn't need removing.

From high-output climbing to long hours in a sleeping bag, Alpha helps other fabrics dry by allowing heat to move thru layers.

76 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

TRAILBLAZER FOR DOING THE UNTHINKABLE IN RETAIL

REI

Y

ou know that idea that people say “is so crazy, it just might work?” That’s what outdoor

retailer REI did in 2015 (and plans to do so again in 2016) when it closed all its stores, online included, on what’s deemed the busiest shopping day of the year — Black Friday. In the face of more stores opening their doors earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving Day, REI summed up what many were feeling was a ridiculous race and started running backwards. It encouraged its employees and customers to take back Black Friday, not shop, and instead spend the day outdoors or what it tagged #OptOutside. It was a marketing coup, and spurred several others in the industry to follow suit.

And while there isn’t a wave of the nation’s largest retailers closing their doors for Black Friday 2016, some have begun closing again on Thanksgiving.

And that’s a welcome change.

Photo courtesy REI

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COLLABORATOR FOR BRINGING OUTDOOR BRANDS TO THE SNEAKER CROWD

Photo courtesy Kith NYC

RONNIE FIEG, KITH NYC

R

onnie Fieg is the owner and designer of Kith NYC, a footwear boutique with locations in NoHo and Brooklyn. Launched in 2011, the stores have become the go-to destination for those involved in streetwear culture and those seeking the most desirable kicks released each season in the New

York City area. But Fieg is best known for his footwear collaborations, a talent he began developing in 2007 at the age of 25 when he was handling special make-ups and product collaborations for David Z, the iconic New York City sneaker store owned by his uncle, David Zaken. His take on the Asics Gel-Lyte III in three colorways released that year sold out in a day and his collaborations over the years — including those with labels such as Red Wing, Danner and Sebago, largely unknown to the sneaker crowd — rate as some of the most coveted kicks of all time. In September 2016, Fieg launched his first fashion show at New York Fashion Week, debuting 90 styles to a front row packed with everyone from Bella Hadid and Teyana Taylor to Victor Cruz, Ja Rule, Rick Ross and A-Track. The event showcased the wide range of collaborations Fieg has planned for the remainder of 2016, including those with Adidas, Asics, New Balance, Columbia, Timberland and Capita snowboards. His show, called Kithland, featured three themes — City, Mountain and Beach — to signal his intention to move Kith beyond its streetwear roots with both design direction as well as destination. Kith stores are also in the works for Miami and Aspen, CO.

78 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

LEADER FOR CHANGING THE WAY WE SHIFT GEARS ON A BICYCLE

SRAM

E

lectronic shifting was inevitable in the bike industry, but ease of use was not. In designing the industry’s first wireless electronic shifting system, SRAM was determined not to complicate the act of riding

a bicycle, so it spent years testing its design on the professional WorldTour level. The result is SRAM Red eTap, which uses a shift logic (right lever makes it harder, left lever makes it easier, both levers to change the front ring) to make shifting more intuitive. When paired with the SRAM Red eTap front derailleurs, the eTap shifter optimizes shifts as needed throughout the gear range with no need for rider input. Even after adding a battery to the front and rear derailleurs, SRAM kept their weight at 187 and 239 grams. As a wireless system, the SRAM Red eTap also sheds the cables used by other electronic shifting systems and is widely recognized as easier to install.

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REVELATOR FOR CHANGING THE WAY SNEAKERHEADS BUY SHOES

STOCKX

W

hat if limited-edition

a deal. With a system rooted in the

issues

sneakers traded like

principles of financial trading, the

product quality or even surprise

stocks?

the

StockX exchange offers participants

shipping charges and delays that

idea behind StockX, which describes

a way to find historical price and

can come with auction purchases.

itself as first online consumer-

volume metrics, real-time bids and

All

stock-market of things. Sneakerhead

offers (asks), time-stamped trades

StockX serves as the middleman

Josh Luber first founded Campless.

and additional analytics on every

between

com,

on

sneaker model presented on the

authenticate the sale and ship the

sneaker sales, due to frustrations

marketplace. With prices moving

item to the buyer.

over the lack of transparency in

higher or lower based on bids and

the

market

asks, the goal is to set a “fair price”

explore

conducted on eBay and other

for both sellers and buyers at that

watches, comic books, baseball

niche websites. In other words,

moment in time — just like the stock

cards, coins and secondary sales

buyers often don’t know if they’re

market.

of other items featuring a similar

a

site

offering

secondary

That’s

stats

sneaker

getting ripped off and sellers don’t know if they’re offering too sweet Photo courtesy StockX

80 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

Launched

in

February

2016,

StockX also seeks to minimize

sales

StockX

around

are

counterfeits,

anonymous

buyer

and

seller

and to

eventually

wants

to

women’s

handbags,

high-resale-value and supply-anddemand dynamic.

DEVELOPER FOR MAKING FITNESS DATA ACTIONABLE AND PERSONALIZED

STYR LABS & MIO GLOBAL

C

ool, you walked 20,000 steps. Now what?

Connected fitness devices have been strong the past few years, evolving our health routines

but providing few tailored and actionable answers.

That’s changing with brands like Styr Labs and Mio Global making sense of the data for consumers. The Styr ecosystem uses an algorithm based on 250,000 scientific studies and the data drawn from the user’s motion patterns, behavioral inputs, environmental data, location information and nutritional preferences to provide customized nutritional recommendations.

This includes personalized supplement pills mailed to the user. The days of blanket one-a-days are gone.

Mio Global has trashed the one-size mindset as well, developing its personal activity intelligence (PAI) figure that’s simple, but effective. PAI makes sense of your heart rate, melding this data with other statistics like age and gender, translating the math into an understandable number, or PAI score. PAI’s algorithms are based on the largest health study conducted, with more than 20 years of activity data from 60,000-plus people. The goal for everyone is the same — keep your PAI score above 100 for optimal health — but since a person’s heart rate and other data inputs are different, what each needs to maintain 100 PAI is different, too.

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REBEL FOR RE-IMAGINING THE WAY WE SLEEP UNDER THE STARS

Photo courtesy Tentsile

TENTSILE, TEPUI TENT & YAKIMA

T

his trio of tent manufacturers will make campgrounds look a lot different in the coming years. At Tentsile, Founder Alex Shirley’s original inspiration for “treehouse tents”

came at six years old — mixing a concern for the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest with a fascination of Star Wars, Return of the Jedi. Fastforward to today, with Tentsile providing portable tents that suspend from trees with a flatter surface than a hammock, it brings camping off the ground and away from wet or uneven surfaces. And with the sale of every tent, the company provides funding to plant three new trees via weforest.org. Also uplifting the camping market is a surge of vehicle rooftop tents, in part, responding to the “van life” trend — home is where you park — and the desire to more easily camp on the go. Tepui Tent and Yakima are breaking ground with tents that are light yet strong and stable, with easy and fast set ups.

82 THE INNOVATORS ISSUE

Photo courtesy Tepui Tent & Yakima

EXPLORER FOR CHANGING THE WAY WE ACCESS GEAR ON THE FLY

THE NORTH FACE

T

he designers at The North Face set out to mechanically rethink the traditional backpack so that it had easy access with one hand or even one finger. The inspiration for the quick-release main-compartment on the Access Pack came from the old-school cassette-tape eject button that snapped open with

a quick, audible element to it. Inside, dedicated fleece-lined media pockets feature built-in ejector tabs for swift access to devices. An external laptop pocket with water resistant zippers features a pull handle that lifts a laptop up and out for easy removal.

The North Face Access Pack Photo courtesy The North Face

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REVITALIZER FOR REINVIGORATING THE GAME OF GOLF

Photo courtesy Top Golf

TOP GOLF

T

op Golf won’t solve all the sport’s problems, but it’s a great start. The concept modernizes the driving range by adding micro-chipped balls, lightup targets, games, music, TVs, drinks and food. Imagine a sports bar with

a technological driving range out the back door. While the business was founded in the United Kingdom back in the early 2000s, it’s only recently taken flight here in the U.S., with more 30 locations nationwide. The company’s research shows only half of its customers have played golf before, meaning it’s introducing the game to many newcomers.

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EXPANSIONIST FOR TAKING VERTICAL INTEGRATION MARKETING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

VAIL RESORTS

W

hy would the nation’s largest ski resort, with premier properties in Colorado, Utah and California, buy a couple of podunk slopes in the middle of the Midwest? Because it’s marketing genius. Vail didn’t acquire Wilmot Mountain

near Chicago, Afton Alps near Minneapolis and Mount Brighton near Detroit for their (lack of) steep verticals and fresh powder; it bought them for their access to the urban populations (Chicago has just about as many people as the entire state of Utah) that represent some of the company’s largest customer bases. In essence, the Midwest acquisitions are marketing pieces — introducing city-dwellers to the sport, then offering deals to travel out West to the big resorts where Vail can also capitalize from its lodging, dining and retail services. Vail knows travelers spend more money, and that’s why it’s building an impressive global resort network — including Perisher in Australia and Whistler Blackcomb in Canada — to attract skiers worldwide.

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TRANSPORTER FOR TAKING BIKE SERVICE TO THE PEOPLE

"People want things when they want them and where they want them." - Chris Guillemet, far left, Velofix, CEO & Co-Founder

Photo courtesy Beeline Bikes

VELOFIX & BEELINE BIKES

V

elofix and Beeline Bikes are to the bike-service industry what food trucks are to the restaurant business. Founded in 2013, they sell franchises for $75,000 to $125,000 that include vans equipped with everything an entrepreneur needs to take appointments, manage inventory and assemble,

service and deliver bicycles. The two companies have sold about 100 franchises, but face resistance from Trek, Specialized and Giant, which control an estimated 80 percent of U.S. independent bike dealer (IBD) sales. Yet Velofix and Beeline are growing thanks to entrepreneurs who believe in their value proposition — providing consumers a way to purchase and schedule service plans online at a place and time of their choosing using their smartphone. San Francisco-based Beeline went from zero to 31 franchises in the year leading up to Interbike 2016, where it announced it had partnered with Accell North America to begin fulfilling online sales for RaleighUSA.com. Velofix, based in Vancouver, B.C., has sold 70 franchises, including one a week during the 13 weeks leading up to Interbike 2016. 11 IBD bike brands, including BH, Ellsworth and Yeti, now offer fulfillment through Velofix Direct. "Unless you are a Trek or Specialized dealer you better find another way to get your bike to market," Velofix CEO & Founder Chris Guillemet told SGB at Interbike. "People want things when they want them and where they want them."

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ARCHITECT FOR GIVING RUNNERS AND HIKERS CONFIDENCE ON ICE

VIBRAM

W

ith

its

latest

footwear

traction

technology, Arctic Grip, Vibram took on wet ice, the slickest surface encountered

during the winter months. The new soles integrate a material that grips wet ice like a tongue to a cold flagpole. To warn wearers of an impending dangerous chill, Arctic Grip also features thermochromatic lugs on the outsole that turn blue when the temperature drops below 32 degrees. It also promises to be durable to maintain performance over miles of wear.

After more than two years in development, Arctic Grip launched this fall as an exclusive to six brands owned by Wolverine Worldwide — Merrell, Sperry, Hush Puppies, Wolverine, Saucony and Cat Footwear.

Photo courtesy Vibram

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For a full year calendar go to sgbonline.com/events

NOVEMBER 7-11

Grassroots Fall Summit & Connect

20-22

Imprinted Sportswear Shows

Knoxville, TN

Long Beach, CA

14-16

NBS Fall Athletic Show

24-27

PGA Merchandise Show

Fort Worth, TX

Orlando, FL

17-19

Athletic Business Conference & Expo

26-28

Surf Expo

Orlando, FL

Orlando, FL

20-22

Sports Inc. Fall Team Dealers Show

25-29

SIA Snow Show

Las Vegas, NV

Denver, CO

29-2

The Running Event

30-31

SIA On-Snow Demo/Ski-Ride

Orlando, FL

Fest & Nordic Demo

Copper Mountain Resort, CO

29-31

Worldwide Spring Show

Reno, NV

31

FFANY

New York, NY

30 FFANY

New York, NY

DECEMBER 1-2

FFANY

New York, NY

1-2

The Running Event

Orlando, FL

FEBRUARY 2017

6-8

MRA December Lansing Market

Lansing, MI

13-14

MRA December Market

Cincinnati, OH

1-2

Worldwide Spring Show

Reno, NV

1-2

FFANY

New York, NY

6-8

EORA SE Show

Greenville, SC

JANUARY 2017 5-8

CES

Las Vegas, NV

9-11

MRA Novi Market

Novi, MI

7-8

MWSRA New Model Demo

Afton Alps-Hastings, MN

15-18

Sports Inc. Outdoor Show

Phoenix, AZ

16-20

NBS Semi-Annual Market

Fort Worth, TX

9

Demo Day Outdoor

Retailer Winter Market

Salt Lake City, UT

MARCH 2017

10-12

Outdoor Retailer Winter Market

21-22

SFIA National Health

Salt Lake City, UT

Through Fitness Day

Washington, D.C.

23-25

Imprinted Sportswear Show

Atlantic City, NJ

10-12

Archery Trade Association Show

Indianapolis, IN

15-17

NRF Retail's BIG Show

New York, NY

MAY 2017

17-19

Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show

18-20

Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS)

Las Vegas, NV

Nashville, TN

17-20

NBS 2017 Winter Market

21-24

NSGA Management Conference &

Fort Worth, TX

19th Team Dealer Summit

Scottsdale, AZ

17-20

NSSF SHOT Show

Las Vegas, NV

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TRADE ASSOCIATIONS | BUYING GROUPS

INDUSTRY CALENDAR

Athletic Dealers of America 1395 Highland Avenue Melbourne, FL 32935 t 321.254.0091 f 321.242.7419 athleticdealersofamerica.com National Shooting Sports Foundation Flintlock Ridge Office Center 11 Mile Hill Road Newtown, CT 06470 t 203.426.1320 f 203.426.1087 nssf.org National Sporting Goods Association 1601 Feehanville Drive I Suite 300 Mount Prospect, IL 60056 t 847.296.6742 f 847.391.9827 nsga.org Nation’s Best Sports 4216 Hahn Blvd.

Ft. Worth, TX 76117 t 817.788.0034 f 817.788.8542 nbs.com Outdoor Industry Association 4909 Pearl East Circle I Suite 300 Boulder, CO 80301 t 303.444.3353 f 303.444.3284 outdoorindustry.org Sports & Fitness Industry Association 8505 Fenton Street I Suite 211 Silver Spring, MD 20910 t 301.495.6321 f 301.495.6322 sfia.org Snow Sports Industries America 8377-B Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102 t 703.556.9020 f 703.821.8276 snowsports.org Snowsports Merchandising Corp.

235 Cadwell Drive Springfield, MA 01104 t 413.739.7331 Snowsportsmerchandising.com Sports, Inc. 333 2nd Avenue North Lewistown, MT 59457 t 406.538.3496 f 406.538.2801 sportsinc.com Sports Specialists Ltd. 590 Fishers Station Drive I Suite 110 Victor, NY 14564 t 585.742.1010 f 585.742.2645 sportsspecialistsltd.com Tennis Industry Association 1 Corpus Christi Place I Suite 117 Hilton Head Island, SC 29928 t 843.686.3036 f 843.686.3078 tennisindustry.org Worldwide 8211 South 194th Kent, WA 98032 t 253.872.8746 f 253.872.7603 wdi-wdi.com

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