Trailheads

Colin Maneval opened Summit Bound Outfitter in Boston only about six months ago. As a first-time store owner with no formal training in the retail business, he attended Switchback Spring 2025 in Nashville, hoping to learn more about business fundamentals.

“The education side of the convention was definitely the most rewarding and useful part for us,” says Maneval, noting that he especially appreciated the session on cash flow strategies, presented by Dan Jablons of Retail Smart Guys. “It’s great to know there are people who know how to deal with the numbers to find weaknesses and strengths and improve a business,” says Maneval, adding that he plans to hire Retail Smart Guys to examine his operations.

Switchback Spring devoted the entire first day to education sessions that included business fundamentals, outdoor industry trends, critical issues affecting retailers and brands, and presentations from inspiring business leaders.

Retail Fundamentals

Similar to Maneval, Cody Whelan is a relatively new store owner. He opened Treeline Outfitters in Portsmouth, NH, less than two years ago. He echoed Maneval, noting that his favorite sessions at Switchback Spring concerned store operations.

“For me, the most valuable part was hearing about the operational processes and thinking about how we can apply those to our systems to improve efficiency, participation, and staff engagement,” says Whelan.  “It’s important to learn how other brands implement the smaller, day-to-day cultural practices, like how they lead meetings, interact with staff and customers, or manage inventory systems. These often-overlooked processes may not seem flashy, but they’re incredibly impactful.”

David Jones, founder of The Excellence Advisory, led a popular session titled “Reduce Your Hassles, Improve Your operations, Increase your profits.”

“It created a really good mentality shift for us,” says Maneval. “We realized we need to sit down with our staff and make sure everyone is on the same page about what an employee experience or customer experience should be and how we get there. Can we do better in how we train our employees, how we welcome customers into the store, and how we treat the cash wrap in the front of the house.”

Another impactful session was “Building Successful Wholesale Relationships with Emerging Brands,” presented by Katie Doherty of Founded Outdoors, Lloyd Vogel of Garage Grown Gear, Jen Loofbourrow of Alpine Fit, Eoin Comerford of Outsize Consulting and Mike Mojica of Outdoor Element.

“They talked about getting on a personal level with the people you’re dealing with when buying,” says Jennifer Talley, co-owner of O.V. Yonder Outfitters in Graham, NC.  “It was helpful to hear them talk about how to onboard new brands and understand what the challenges might be and how to handle things like training staff on new products, marketing, and handling inventory.”

During the session, the speakers emphasized the importance of making sure a brand is a good fit for a store. “They talked about the challenges of making sure that the brand’s going to work for you and that it’s the right price point and fits with your customer base,” says Talley.

Important Industry Issues

While many retailers gravitated to sessions concerning business fundamentals, the panel discussion on ways to improve retailer and vendor relationships was standing-room-only. The panel included the owners of two independent outdoor retailer stores as well as representatives from Merrell and Rab.

Panelist Brian Mildenstein, owner of Fin & Feather in Iowa City, IA, pointed out growing issues with MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) pricing, noting that he’s seeing brands offer deeper and more frequent discounts. “As a retailer, you’re navigating a lot of brands, and they have different dates and different percentages,” says Mildenstein. “We’ve tried to match and coordinate and synthesize all the different brands and what they were doing, but it’s impossible for me to do that.”

While MAP pricing is a growing concern, the panelists also discussed dwindling margins for retailers. “We’ve had to look for creative ways to find products that can fill in where we’re losing margins with some of the bigger players in the game,” says panelist Kerri Olson, a longtime buyer for Piragis Northwoods Company in Ely, MN.

During the panel discussion, Mildenstein of Fin & Feather also objected to manufacturers increasing their direct-to-consumer sales. “I have a brand that’s on a chopping block right now,” he says. “I’m not ready to torch it, but they’re making me upset. There’s so much good product in this industry that if somebody’s not wanting to be a good partner, then go with somebody who says they want to partner with you.”

Broader Industry Trends

As retailers and manufacturers struggle to maintain healthy relationships, the entire industry is grappling with a new business landscape shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic and significant shifts in consumer behavior.

In a session titled “On the Horizon: What’s Next for Outdoor,” the RANGE trend forecasting company shared research showing that consumers are overwhelmed by the stresses of everyday life. “Consumers say they crave emotional relief and lightness amid the chaos,” says Jeanine Pesce, founder of RANGE. “The good news is that in today’s shifting landscape, that also means access to the restorative powers of nature are also taking precedence over the things we once inherently valued. The outdoors is the antidote to everything we’re suffering through.”

While the outdoor industry can benefit from helping to heal a stressed-out nation, it’s essential to recognize that most people are seeking calm, relaxing activities rather than adrenaline-filled adventures. “People are craving a more inclusive approach to recreation as well, setting a pace that fosters connection, not records,” says Pesce, noting that casual consumers are increasingly important for the outdoor industry.

While the outdoor industry traditionally caters to hardcore enthusiasts, new research by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and Diversified Communications reinforces the growing influence of casual consumers.

At Switchback Spring, Kelly Davis, OIA’s director of research, shared the results of the study, noting that core enthusiasts represent about 5.1% of participants in outdoor activities, while 50% fall into the less-hardcore “active” category, and 42% are in the “casual” category. According to Davis, active and casual consumers are responsible for about 90% of the dollars in the market.

Davis says a big blind spot for the outdoor industry is that most of its members fall into the hardcore category, and businesses should employ people with a broader range of perspectives and interests, including more active and casual people who enjoy the outdoors. “If you don’t have those voices in the room, you are going to miss out,” she says.

Inspiring Messages

While the first day of Switchback Spring included revealing research and sage advice, it also offered inspirational moments. The keynote speech was a conversation between Jim Weber, former CEO of Brooks, and Melanie Strong, founding partner at Next Ventures. They discussed Weber’s approach to leadership and how a battle with esophageal cancer reshaped his life.

“He was very down to earth and not what you would expect out of a big corporate CEO,” says Talley of O.V. Yonder Outfitters. “He could get down on everybody’s level while talking about his challenges with his health issues and how he was able to overcome them. It gives you perspective when you face a life-threatening disease.”

Weber emphasized that it’s more important than ever for leaders to behave in a way that makes them trustworthy. “There’s such a deficit of trust in every area of our culture—trust in government, trust in institutions, trust in leaders, trust in companies,” says Weber. “Being a trustable leader is an opportunity. Being a trustable brand is an opportunity. But, for a leader today, trust has to be earned. It’s not about what you say, it’s about what you do. It’s about your behavior.”

From the keynote presentation to the sessions on industry trends and retail operations, the first day of Switchback Spring resonated with attendees and drew overwhelmingly positive reviews. For Mandeval of Summit Bound Outfitter, his only regret is that he couldn’t attend more of the programs. He says the education programming is the most critical component of the conference, adding, “I wish I could have gone to more of them.”v