Verde voice blog

In this episode, our guest is Dr. Len Necefer, Ph.D., CEO & Founder of NativesOutdoors – a native-owned athletic and creative collective. The company began as a social media project in March 2017 by Len Necefer (Diné), highlighting stories and photos of Native people in outdoor recreation and addressing the lack of representation of Indigenous people in the outdoor industry. The organization has expanded to providing advisory and consulting services to the outdoor industry on topics within the intersection of tribes, public lands, and outdoor recreation. NativesOutdoors is working directly with tribal governments, community organizations, and individuals on increasing access to outdoor recreation and connecting resources and opportunities within the outdoor industry.

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Today’s guest is Adam Ruggiero, Editor-in-Chief of GearJunkie. GearJunkie leads the outdoor industry in breaking news and product reviews in the active-lifestyle world. From offices in Denver and Minneapolis, GearJunkie’s journalists, writers, and video producers advance the conversation online and beyond. Millions of monthly readers follow GearJunkie online through multiple channels.

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Today’s guest is Jeremiah Bishop, a professional mountain bike racer in cross country, short track, ultra-endurance stage races, and gravel. Jeremiah is an athlete ambassador for Canyon Bicycles, a freelance cycling consultant, and a content creator (co-founder of the hit documentary series The Impossible Routes).

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Bryce Phillips, CEO & Founder of evo, a premier international outdoor retail business joins Kristin on the Channel Mastery Podcast. Bryce and Kristin speak about consumer evolution and the data behind it, de-risking investment and evo’s development, and Bryce’s new approaches to complex problems. They also chat about evo’s recent real estate acquisition of Blue Agave, America’s Best Value Inn in Tahoe City, building a hub similar to their latest project in Salt Lake City. The new SLC site houses a hotel, retail location, a bouldering gym, and a skate park inside a 100,000-square-foot old warehouse space.

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Kristin is joined by Ashley Korenblat, Managing Director for Public Land Solutions, to talk about how business leaders can support climate change solutions within their organizations. While there are many ways that business leaders can help combat climate change, Ashley explains how supporting public lands and informing policy around public lands is essential for the outdoor industry and its consumers.

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In this episode, guest Steve Dennis chats with Kristin about Steve’s latest book, Remarkable Retail, and the overarching state of retail today. Steve has a wealth of experience in the space, and we are delighted to have had him on the show. A major facet of the new book is the ‘8 Essentials of Remarkable Retail’ framework, crafting what’s necessary to adapt to an ever-changing landscape.

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Leta Kalfas, the CEO and Founder of MTNSTUFF joins the show to chat about the growth of the outdoor industry, retail stakeholders, vendor relationships, differentiation in a crowded market, and the evolution of relevancy between retailers and a vendor. Kristin and Lita also dive into trade shows, buying patterns, developing relationships in the industry, pandemic pivots, lengthening the buy-sell cycles, and more!

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In this episode, we have Anne Mezzenga in the chair, and she’s brought her A-Game! Yes, she over-delivers insightful broader-market retail trends that bring a ton of consumer insight as we head toward 2023. Anne also brings creative and actionable strategies to combat the myriad of challenges in retail today, including the inventory glut.

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In this episode, Kristin reflects on how our “best-laid plans” continue to elude even the most disciplined of teams and shares tips on adopting new approaches with quick execution to further growth and traction. This episode also covers the outdoor rec consumer’s resemblance to luxury consumers, a Q3 view on consumer ‘buying vs. spending,’ and hand-selected resources, including an ‘ode to evolving the legacy supply chain’ by Doug Stephens, the “Retail Prophet,” and Euromonitor International's take on the luxury consumer, and more.

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The newest guest on the show, Adam Cramer, is the founding Executive Director and present CEO of Outdoor Alliance, a national coalition of outdoor recreation advocacy groups that has breathed new life into the conservation movement by harnessing the outdoor community’s passion for place and combining it with a modern approach to organizing and digital engagement. During his time as CEO, Adam has brought new sensibilities to conservation work that have resulted in hundreds of thousands more acres of protected landscapes, improved management for outdoor recreation, and thousands of outdoor enthusiasts awakened to conservation and advocacy work.

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The current economic climate is volatile and at times confusing for consumers. This can make for a challenging time for brands and speciality retailers. We were grateful when Scott wanted to come back on the podcast and talk about how brands can navigate the current times. Kicking off by talking about inflation and the importance of knowing how inflation will affect your consumers. He continued on with his recommendations on how leaders can end the year on a strong path forward. Leaving with his best piece of advice - taking data seriously and using data to make the best business decisions for your brand or retailer.

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In this special solo cast episode of the Chanel Mastery podcast, Kristin dives into the level setting we’re seeing in the business landscape and, more specifically, in the outdoor industry as we head into one of the largest buying periods of the year. Kristin touches on the regression of the Covid-timed consumer, economic slowdown, consumer spending trends, held inventory, and the important months ahead that can not only shape how we finish this year but also set the tone for the partnerships we have and how we work to maintain and build trust with our consumers in 2023 and beyond.

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During our conversation with Kimo, we discussed overarching themes that relate to the excitement for Life Time events, specifically Sea Otter Classic and Unbound, and how the Life Time consumer base drives the company forward. Furthering our conversation on in person events, Kimo gave us insight into the vision behind the Grand Prix race series and its launch this year. We also touched on the spirit of cycling and the community that Life Time hosts at their events, which comprises of athletes from all backgrounds, local community members and the greater Life Time team!

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We are excited to have Liza Amlani on to discuss accelerating speed to market in the retail space, how to successfully address inefficiencies by limiting waste and using customer-focused digital technologies across channels in the retail space, and the importance of preparing for unprecedented events like COVID-19, and more. In a rapidly changing climate such as the one we live in, it is vital for companies to be confident in making swift changes to their business to ensure longevity.

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We are elated to have Bradley Schurman on to discuss the shift in perception of what it means to be “old,” how industries are changing their approach to attracting different age groups, the way Bradley and The Super Age approach this ever-changing climate, and more. It is clear that the definition of what it means to be “old” is changing. As a medicine, healthier lifestyles, and technology continue to advance, companies will need to adjust internally and externally.

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We chat with Shane Kinkennon - an executive coach and master facilitator. Shane knows a lot about how wise business leaders respond to the pressure to change. We asked him to explain what exactly he observes from his CEO-level clients. He makes a compelling case that now is the time for brand leaders to think not only about the mechanics of adapting to change but the ins and outs of how they lead their teams and employees.

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