Trailheads

Last month at Switchback Spring, Clayton Hume, co-founder of Rustek, had a big fish stop by his small table on the show floor, which hosted over 230 outdoor brands.

“I’m glad I was here for that,” he says to his booth neighbor. “That was REI!”

Portland, Oregon-based Rustek makes plastic-free hats using natural materials like bamboo and cork. Hume and his partner began making wood inlay products in 2017 with promotional trucker hats. But when they realized no one was making all-natural hats, they pivoted exclusively to selling hats only in 2023. Their half-million-dollars in hat sales that first year has bumped two-to-three times since then.

Rustek doesn’t have their own booth like most brands at Switchback. Rather, they are a sort of spoke in a wheel of six startup brands with small tables at the Oregon Business booth. Other brands included NuuSol from Ontario, OR, a small brand of 100% American-made sandals, slides, and clogs. Another brand is Eyeonize, a father-son tandem from Bend, OR promoting their energizing eye balm designed to help dry eyes and stimulate wakefulness. This booth is not only made up of small startup brands seeking connections though; there’s many other advisory and advocacy-focused groups supporting this localized network, too. It is a physical representation of the support network that state Outdoor Business Alliances (OBA) create.

A first-of-its-kind Bend Outdoor Worx is a for-profit incubator that supports, usually in exchange for a small equity stake, emerging outdoor brands with guidance on post-product development, scaling, forecasting PNLs, structuring payment terms and more. There’s also Prosper Portland and Business Oregon, public government agencies that help small businesses through grants and technical assistance. And tying it all together is Oregon Outdoor Alliance, the statewide membership organization that supports brands and retailers with networking, collective action, and, sometimes, access to state funds.

“There’s a lot of peer-to-peer learning within our alliances, starting with monthly meetups in a few towns,” says Sharon Kim-Geib, a Global Trade Specialist at Business Oregon. “And we offer 50% cost-sharing (registration fee and travel) for these companies to take part in a trade show like Switchback. We also come to the show to attract new companies to Portland and Oregon.”

Across the aisle from the Oregon booth was Maine Outdoor Brands (MOB), Maine’s OBA. The growing number of OBAs, there are currently 24, each brings a unique approach that reflects their specific economic, outdoor recreation, and political environments.

“Maine’s known for its forestry and its seafood,” says Kordick. “Those industries have a lot of name recognition and influence. We’re working on building that for the outdoor economy. It’s a small industry relative to what Colorado or Utah have, but we’re a small state and when you look at the total proportion of our state’s economy, we’re sixth in the country in the value outdoor recreation adds to our state’s economy.”

Kordick feels fortunate to have the big local brands like L.L. Bean and Old Town Canoe as MOB members since they see the value of fostering a supportive, productive community for emerging outdoor businesses. Over half of MOB’s board has founded companies, so there’s a real entrepreneurial spirit within the organization.

Dan Marston is one of six brands with a display at the MOB booth. In 2018, he and his wife started FLYN, a small wearable art company that uses Marston’s wife, Flyn’s, paintings to create hats, shirts, bags, and more. Seeking advice, they discovered MOB online and were immediately welcomed in through the regular, in-person meet-ups with other brands and founders.

“The MOB scenes, as we call them, were a great way to get advice on sourcing materials and marketing,” Marston says. “And grants to subsidize trade shows are huge for us.”

FLYN now has two brick-and-mortars (Portland, ME and Boston) and sells in 60 stores. But they don’t intend to step away from MOB anytime soon. It’s become a foundation of relationships and support. “I could see us shifting into more of a mentor role and giving back now that we’ve become part of this community.”

One of Switchback’s final sessions in the Trailheads Theater featured a panel of five brands and business alliance leaders speaking to the value of OBAs and another powerful supporter of outdoor businesses, state Offices of Outdoor Recreation (OREC).

“In Oregon in 2017, Oregon Outdoor Alliance (OOA) began work to establish an Office of Outdoor Recreation at the state level,” says OOA President Mike Wallenfels. “A lot of our legislators love the outdoors, so it’s an industry they appreciate. In 2023, they were able to pass the OREC into law. It takes time to get these bills passed, but it’s worth it. Last year, the office contributed roughly $2.5 million to Oregon State University extensions for outdoor businesses and to OOA.”

Connections between state universities and the outdoor industry can be pivotal. OOA helped coordinate a program between Oregon State University and Bend-based Hydro Flask to develop a product engineering degree. Portland State University now has a fabric science degree focused on outdoor gear, too.

Wallenfels believes in the power of a shared love for the outdoors, especially in a state like Oregon. But tying that passion for the outdoors with job growth was the key to selling it on the legislative side. “Finding the funding source on the state level can be tough,” Wallenfels told the Switchback audience. “We got creative and positioned this budget as strategic funds to compete with other states in jobs and innovation.”

Perhaps the most powerful tool in the OBA model is its fundamental emphasis on coalition-building. Networking a diverse collection of businesses—from apparel to outfitters, peak performance sports to the hook-and-bullet and OHV crowd—and luring in the bigger brands, as with Maine’s L.L. Bean, is crucial. Monthly meetups at a local brewery can seem quaint, but over time the bonds formed over IPAs can translate into a statewide voice with real influence and the ability to support the next generation of innovators and job creators.