SOAR Blog

In what I believe is a new record, 45 total companies from Utah are exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market this year.

To the best of my recollection, the most number of Utah companies to ever exhibit at OR in previous years was less than 30. So if my memory serves me correctly, this year’s turnout of Utah-based companies exhibiting at OR Summer Market marks a BIG jump from past years.

Shown below is a list of all the Utah-based companies that are exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008. [NOTE: Companies are listed in alphabetical order, followed by booth number at OR-SM, city where each is located, their Web address (unless none is available), and a brief description of the products/services offered.]

1. Adjust-A-Grill, #BR851, Sandy, http://adjustagrill.com/, adjustable campfire grills
2. Backside Group, #36209, Salt Lake City, http://backsidegroup.com/, outdoor camping gear
3. Black Diamond Equipment, #8026, Salt Lake City, http://www.bdel.com/, mountain-climbing, skiing & camping gear
4. Camp Chef, #38044, Logan, http://www.campchef.com/, outdoor cooking gear
5. Cataract Oars (Advanced Composites), Salt Lake City, http://advancedcomposites.com/index.aspx, Cataract Oars makes wound composite oars
6. Chums-Chisco, #13019, Salt Lake City, http://chisco.com/, performance sports accessories
7. Dickies (NOTE: This is a Utah-based dealer for Dickies), #40181, Springville, http://www.dickies.com/web/default.asp, clothing manufacturer
8. E.K. Ekcessories, #32043, Logan, http://ekusa.com/, outdoor and motorsports accessories
9. Easton Technical Products, #38057, Salt Lake City, http://eastonsnowshoes.com/, snowshoes & other winter gear
10. Excalibur DMM, #5043, Sandy, (no Website), a distributor of climbing gear
11. Field Sanitation Solutions, #ESA334, Orem, (no Website), portable toilet products
12. Gator Sports, #56013, Salt Lake City, http://gator-sports.com/, cold weather clothing & accessories
13. Go Towels (White Towel Services), #BR613, Salt Lake City, http://wtowel.com/, pre-moistened cotton towelettes for outdoor use
14. Hammaka Hammocks, #BR536, Kaysville, http://www.hammaka.com/, hammocks & chairs
15. IDFL Institute, #155-224, Salt Lake City, http://idfl.com/, the International Down & Feather Laboratory & Institute
16. Kahuna Creations, #34143, Ogden, http://www.kahunacreations.com/, surfboards, longboards, snowboards & more
17. Kapitol Reef Aquatics, #32219, St. George, http://kapitolreef.com/, snorkeling gear
18. Kuhl, #16027, Murray, http://www.kuhl-usa.com/, outdoor clothing
19. Kuru Footwear, #32549, Salt Lake City, http://kurufootwear.com/, a new mountain footwear company
20. Ledge Sports, #BR747, West Jordan, http://ledgesports.com/, sleeping bags & other outdoor gear
21. Liberty Mountain, #10027, Salt Lake City, http://libertymountain.com/, outdoor & climbing gear
22. Lifetime Products, #68000, Clearfield, http://www.lifetime.com/, basketball standards, trailers & more
23. Liston Concepts, #10051, Salt Lake City, http://liston.com/, lunastix juggling sticks
24. Mutts It To Ya, #86071, St. George, http://muttsit.com/index.htm, a clothing company that supports homeless pets, particularly dogs
25. NOAA River Forecast Centers, #BR340, Salt Lake City, http://www.cbrfc.noaa.gov/, (NOTE: This is the URL for the Colorado Basin River Forecast Center)
26. Ogden City, #32052, Ogden (Duh!), http://ogdencity.com/, one of Utah’s largest cities, Ogden is working to position & promote itself as the top city in the U.S. for outdoor manufacturers looking for a new location
27. Peak UK, #32229, Salt Lake City, http://peakuk.com/, paddlesports clothing company
28. Petzl, #5014, Clearfield, http://en.petzl.com/petzl/Accueil, rock climbing, mountaineering & ice climbing gear & techniques
29. Powerex, #86022, West Jordan, http://powerexmasts.com/, windsurfing gear
30. Probar, #BR537, Heber City, http://theprobar.com/, energy bars
31. Red Star Marine, #68014, Salt Lake City, http://redstarmarine.com/, inflatable marine products
32. Revolution Climbing, #2051, Salt Lake City, http://revolutionclimbing.com/, climbing gear & products
33. Rock Exotica, #BR849, Clearfield, http://rockexotica.com/, climbing gear for expert climbers
34. Rocketship Design, #86062, Provo, http://rocketshipdesign.com/, a product development & design company
35. Rossignol, #38189, Park City, http://www.rossignol.com/, outdoor clothing, ski, snowboard & gear company
36. Salomon USA, #32201, Ogden, http://www.salomonsports.com/us/#, outdoor clothing, ski, snowboard & gear company
37. SanSegal Sportswear, #38197, Sandy, http://sansegal.com/, a private label sportswear company
38. seven2, #38140, Salt Lake City, http://seven2.com/, carbon fiber kayak paddles
39. Spectator Blanket, #86085, Salt Lake City, http://spectatorblanket.com/, blankets for the outdoors
40. Spiro-Sport Foods, #BR336, Park City, http://spirosportfoods.com/, natural beef or turkey sport snacks
41. Suunto USA, #20015, Ogden, http://www.suunto.com/suunto/main/index.jsp?bmLocale=en_US, outdoor instruments ranging from watches, heartrate monitors, compasses & performance devices
42. TXT 89800, #86120, Kaysville, http://txt89800.com/, text message marketing company
43. Watchful Eye Designs, #34069, Park City, http://www.watchfuleyedesigns.com/index.cfm, protective storage products for outdoor & home use
44. Whitewater Research & Safety Institute, #33119, Salt Lake City, http://whitewaterhelmet.com/, protective helmets for outdoor use
45. Zeal Optics, #164, Moab, http://www.zealoptics.com/, outdoor eyewear

Taken in concert, this is a great group of companies, but nowhere near to the total number of outdoor manufacturers or related companies from Utah.

Hope this list is helpful to you. And good luck at OR Summer Market. 

Jay Adamson, husband, father, outdoorsman and friend

A day-and-a-half after his family reported him missing, Jay Adamson’s body was found at the bottom of a rocky cliff, the apparent victim of an accidental fall in the Lakeside mountain range approximately 50 miles west of Salt Lake City.

The 40-year-old Draper, Utah man leaves behind his wife, Marcie, and six children between the ages of 19 and six, including son Riley, who arrived in Stockholm, Sweden last Monday as a full-time volunteer missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).

As a former next door neighbor, I knew Jay as a true friend who would drop everything to help out anyone, including me, his mechanically challenged neighbor.

An avid outdoorsman who liked to hike and hunt in the Lakeside mountains on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake, Jay had enrolled at Brigham Young University last fall to obtain a bachelor’s degree and improve his wage-earning potential beyond the revenue-producing capabilities of Glow Tec, Inc., the family business.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a college fund for the Adamson children. An account will be opened tomorrow for such donations at America First Credit Union.

Jay’s funeral is now set for 11 a.m. (MDT) on Wednesday, August 6, at the LDS Stake Center at 1187 E. Draper Parkway in Draper, with a viewing also scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Rest in peace, Jay. My thoughts and prayers are with Marcie, your children and your family.

And vaya con Dios, my friend. Vaya con Dios.

= = = = = = = = = =

For more information, please see http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3918823 and http://www.sltrib.com/ci_10079909.

While I doubt I spent even a minute of yesterday pondering my appreciation for Washington’s cherry tree or Lincoln’s walk to return a borrowed book, I did celebrate a day off work with a ski day at Snow Basin (located about 33 miles north of SLC).

Leading up to our day there, I heard mixed reviews about the resort and honestly didn’t know what to expect when we arrived. By the time we were parked and suited up, we were in line for the (heated) gondola by about 10:30 a.m. Once at the top of the mountain, I spent most of the morning warming up with runs like Eas a Long, Bear Hollow, Powder Puff and Little Cat. I am sure by the names alone, you can determine my skill level.

However, after a delicious (yet, ridiculously over-priced) bowl of chili in the lodge, I was ready to expand myself during the afternoon. I began exploring runs like Needle’s Run, Sweet Revenge and Wildcat Bowl. Again the names tell all. With literally no lines between runs and a fairly long run to begin with, I finished the afternoon feeling like I had skied my $51 worth and then some.

My husband and mom spent most of their time combing through several blacks and seemed pleased with the amount of powder. My brother, however, went exploring and ended up hitch hiking his way back to the resort.

For those of you who think Snowbasin is still a hokey, slow-paced mountain for Odgen locals who ski in their jeans, you will be pleasantly surprised by the extensive, well-groomed runs not to mention the beautifully renovated lodge. With a few more visits I hope to be cruisin’ through Last Chance Loop!

It’s been a busy week for SOAR and Interbike staff. Last weekend, David and Maura attended the Bicycle Leadership Conference (see David’s posts below) and yesterday I went up to the Outdoor Retailer Backcountry Base Camp outdoor demo at the Snowbasin ski resort and walked the exhibit area with Rich Kelly of Interbike fame.

As of a few months ago, Rich’s job has became a lot busier. He now oversees marketing communications for not just Interbike, but also Nielsen’s Outdoor Retailer (OR), Action Sports Retailer (ASR), FlyFishing Retailer and Health+Fitness Business (HFB) trade shows. Rich has been really busy getting ready for last weekend’s BLC, the OR show that started yesterday and the ASR show that starts Thursday. He even had a chance to write a post about his exploits on InterbikeTimes yesterday in Snowbasin lodge.

Similar to Interbike’s OutDoor Demo, the OR Backcountry Base Camp gives retailers a chance to try out upcoming products. There were more than 50 exhibitors there. The majority of the products there were more for backcountry use rather than resort skiing, but Snowbasin was a perfect venue. Retailers could ride the lifts up to try out telemark skis and boots, head up into the hills on snowshoes or cross country skis and even slide down the hill on sleds.

I don’t know how Rich finds the time to blog, but he does. As I‘m writing this the indoor portion of the show is going on and I need to get over there (It’s at the Salt Lake City Convention Center, about 5 miles from my house). One of our other clients, Delta 7 Sports has a couple of its Arantix IsoTruss carbon fiber mountain bikes in the Miōn Footwear booth connected to generators that when pedaled generate electricity for the booth, making Miōn’s booth the first human-powered booth in the history of the OR show.

Stay tuned for more pictures.

Chip

I haven’t seen a weather report yet, but last night’s snow storm pounded the greater Salt Lake City area.

When Allisha and I got back around 10:30 p.m. last night after attending the 11th annual Bicycle Leadership Conference in San Diego, it was a warm 34 degrees in Sandy, Utah and most of the snow had melted from our front lawn. Not any more.

That’s me below taking a break from shoveling what I estimate to be 14- to 16-inches of fluffy lake effect snow that had fallen overnight and was still falling when this picture was taken at 11 a.m. earlier today. Amazing! (Final tally probably hit 18- to 20-inches. FYI: We’re at an elevation of approximately 4,800 feet above sea level.)

David (”Poppa P”) Politis taking a break from shoveling out

his home from a massive snow dump in Sandy, Utah. 

This is probably the worst (or best depending upon your preference) single snowfall we’ve had at our house in the 10+ years we’ve lived here.

So for any of you out-of-towners planning to attend the 2008 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market and Backcountry Base Camp this week in Utah (Jan. 22-26), bring your mukluks and snow boots, ’cause you’re probably gonna need ‘em.  

Burke challenges bike manufacturers to actively support advocacy efforts, including boosting donations to advocacy organizations to 0.5 percent of annual sales

SAN DIEGO, January 20, 2008 — John Burke, president of Trek Bicycle Corporation, started his closing keynote presentation at the Bicycle Leadership Conference by stripping off his sweater to reveal a No. 4 Brett Farve jersey and show his passionate support for the Green Bay Packers. 

He closed his speech by quoting President Abraham Lincoln who said his pastor had not delivered an excellent sermon because “He did not ask us to do anything great tonight,” and then Burke delivered an impassioned challenge to BLC attendees to do something great and increase their support of bicycle advocacy programs to half-a-percent (0.5 percent) of their annual sales.

Continue Reading »

Following the Saturday morning presentation at the 11th annual Bicycle Leadership Conference by Interbike industry consultant, Lance Camisasca, it seems pretty clear to me that the 2010 Interbike International Bicycle Expo and the Interbike Outdoor Demo will likely be held in Anaheim, California. (And no, I did NOT know what Camisasca was going to present prior to Saturday morning.)

Although it’s possible that Nielsen Business Media (Interbike’s parent company) will renegotiate an extension of its current contract with the Sands Expo Convention Center(assuming it’s still standing after 2009), Camisasca’s presentation provided quite convincing arguments as to why Interbike should be moved to cycling-friendly Southern California and away from Sin City.

Watch for more details from Interbike in the months ahead for greater clarity on this matter.

[DISCLOSURE: SOAR Communicationsis the public relations agency for Interbike.]

BPSA crafts new Bicycle Owner’s Manual language to help its members meet the new standards

SAN DIEGO — January 19, 2008 — Cycling manufacturers are about to be regulated by an entire set of European-crafted standards, whether such companies know about or agree with those standards. In response, the BPSA has crafted a new Bicycle Owner’s Manual that meets these new standards and can be licensed by any member of the Bicycle Product Suppliers Association.

This was one of the key issues raised during the Friday afternoon session of the 11th annual Bicycle Leadership Conference being held this weekend in this sun-drenched southern California coastal city.

According to Bob Margevicius, head of the Safety Committee for the BPSA (presenters of the BLC event), the BPSA-led effort took the better part of 2008 to craft the language, look and feel for the new manual, an effort he feels will meet all aspects of the implementation date for the looming standards.

Continue Reading »

How can I not include Picabo Street as one of the first entries in my list of great names?

Wikipedia’s got some good info on the 1998 Olympic Gold Medal Winner, as does Sports Illustrated in its 6/27/07 issue.

And she now lives in Utah. How ’bout that?

Media now have easier access to suggested retail prices, product images (low and high res) and spec sheets for Scott USA merchandise as a result of a newly launched marketing/press only Web site and portal.

Scott USA marketing team members say they hope the site will help on-deadline media get a logo or product fact quickly without having to rely on a member of the marketing team. (See today’s BRAIN article)

From my perspective, this Web site is yet another example of bike industry leaders showing the importance of using the Internet to better communicate with media and how better business practices can improve the industry’s environmental impact, one company at a time.

A few years ago, the Interbike Expo announced its Green Steps program. The program offsets energy used to operate the show by purchasing Renewable Energy Certificates (REC), recycling aisle and booth carpeting and increasing electronic communication with exhibitors, attendees and media.

New this year, Interbike provided downloadable press kits of more than 40 participating exhibitors for the media to cut down on the amount paper used in the press room.

My hat goes off to these two companies who know how to work with the media and protect the environment as well!