Outdoor Insight

N E W S / A N A L Y S I S OUTDOOR EYE What's the Outlook for the Outdoor Industry in 2019? "I'm certainly excited about the opportuni- ties ahead for us in 2019 with the new Congress. We have 100 new members in the House of Representatives and around 11 new Senators. It's an opportunity to really engage these new members and educate them on the $887 billion economic impact that the outdoor industry has on the U.S. economy and the 7.6 million jobs that are directly created by the industry. So, this will be a huge prior- ity for the OIA. "Additionally, having a little more balance of power with the House turning to Democrat control and the Senate still controlled by the Republicans will also provide an opportunity to get more things done." Policy Opportunities "We have a changing of the guard in the Interior Department with Secretary Zinke moving on to new opportunities. We at OIA are very interested to hear who the new nominee will be because we really want to get in there and talk to the new secretary about setting forth an outdoor recreation agenda that will be proactive and that will drive economic growth across the country. "There is a real opportunity to look at the outdoor recreation industry, particularly in rural areas, and really take advantage of what those opportunities could be for small businessmen — outfitters, guides and retail. There is just so much opportunity there. We'd like to have that discussion with the new Secretary of the Interior. "We also hope that the new Secretary will take a more balanced approach to public lands manage- ment. We don't feel we had that with Secretary Zinke, but we're hopeful that with the new secretary, there will be some more balance." Business "With regards to the business side of things, we (OIA) are definitely focused on the tariff issues. The Section 301 tariffs on China are impacting our industry. A lot of small businesses across the coun- try are telling us that these tariffs are hurting them and are concerned about new costs, what we call a tax, on the consumer. But it's not just the small busi- ness owners. You've seen what's happening with the stock market. Everyone is very concerned about the long-term health of our economy. "We think putting 25 percent tariffs on outdoor gear coming out of China is just unfeasible and will have detrimental impact on the broader U.S. econ- omy. American families need to have some certainty that they won't be taxed on the goods that they use to get outside and be more healthy." l # T H E B U Z Z Keep an eye on the France-based sporting goods retailer Decathlon. In its latest U.S. move, Decathlon is partnering with a San Francisco Bay running organization, Represent Running, to become the official retail and apparel sponsor for five races. Decathlon has more than 1,400 stores worldwide and it re-entered the U.S. market on San Francisco's Market Street last April. Decathlon plans to open a 47,000-sq.-ft. store in Emeryville, CA this spring. Apparel designer Poppy Gall has launched a new headwear brand called Popia. The brand will launch a colorful collection of premium Merino wool hats for Fall/Winter '19. The hats are designed in Vermont and crafted in Italy in small batches. Popia is the newest of Gall's ventures as an apparel and knitwear designer – she previously co-founded Isis for Women, a pioneering brand among women's-only outdoor clothing companies. Royal Robbins, in the wake of significant investments from its parent company Fenix Outdoor International AG, has brought 11 key new hires on board in the last six months. The company also opened a new global HQ in downtown San Francisco, and has moved its distribution operations into a new state-of-the- art distribution facility in Louisville, CO. Company hires since July have included four new members of the Royal Robbins executive team: Tom Shores as Director of Sales, Annelene Cura-Penos as Director of Operations and Supply Chain, Kari Rice as Director of Marketing, and Erik Tjerneld as European General Manager. In honor of its 35th Anniversary, Costa Sunglasses partnered with Surfrider Foundation to host beach cleanups in 35 locations throughout the U.S. over the past few months. Thirty-five beach cleanups took place between September 15 (International Coastal Cleanup Day) and December 22, 2018 with thousands of volunteers joining the brand to help Kick Plastic. The Snowsports Industries America has launched a climate advocacy platform called United by Winter to educate and provide tools to its members about climate change and its impacts on the snow industry. SIA says the key to United by Winter's development is the deconstruction of the "all or nothing" barriers that have prevented more widespread action in the past. The reality is, SIA says, addressing climate change is not a one size fits all approach and may require individual stakeholders to address the issue on their own terms. The United by Winter platform will educate SIA participating members and provide a road map for them to engage via a range of opportunities. The trade organization intends to work with members on a case-by- case basis to better understand their goals and limitations. More information about the United by Winter campaign is available at: snowsports.org/climate. Dakine has appointed outdoor industry veteran David Orr as global general manager for the Hood River, OR company with responsibility for all aspects of product creation, sales and operations. He will report directly to Jonathan Hirshberg at Dakine parent, JR286 in Southern California. Orr's 30-year career has included stops at Keen, Timberland and Adidas among others. 6 • Outdoor Insight • January 2019 outdoorinsightmag.com PODCAST Looking Ahead Patricia Rojas-Ungar, VP–Government Affairs, Outdoor Industry Association This is an edited version of a podcast conducted by Sports Insight Extra editor Bob McGee. Listen to the full interview on the Sports Insight Extra podcast page at sportsinsightextra.com/podcast.html or on Soundcloud at soundcloud.com/sportsinsightextra.

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