Team Insight

teaminsightmag.com May/June 2023 ~ Team Insight • 11 recognized in your industry is very hum- bling. And to be honored with this award in light of the people who have also received it means so much. It is honestly hard to be- lieve. It makes me proud of the team side of the business. Although it may not be as sexy as retail, it plays a critical role in the overall industry. And the men and women that are a part of it are great people. You are perhaps the youngest inductee. Being one of the youngest feels confusing, honestly. When I first got the call from Matt Carlson from the NSGA I was shocked. Having attended the ceremony many times and being aware of the people inducted, I felt like I was getting invited to a club where I didn't belong, but I certainly wasn't going to turn down the invitation. The HOF Committee recently decided to change the eligibility criteria from 20 years in the business to 15 to accommo- date companies such as OMG. I think that shows "impact" is important in addition to "accomplishment." It shows future entrepreneurs that the sporting goods industry welcomes change and innovation. You have mostly transitioned out of OrderMyGear. How did that come about, how difficult/easy was it? I le OMG as an employee in late 2019 and continue as a board member. We did a pri- vate equity deal in 2018 with the intention of filling out our executive leadership team in 2019. Although I had no intentions of leaving, I realized it was best for OMG and myself to move on. It was an interesting couple of years and at times it was difficult to try to keep the main thing the main thing. e reality was OMG had outgrown my skill set and it was time to figure out the next chapter. I learned a ton through those years. By the end of 2019, I was excited to dream again. My role today is to help in any way I can without sticking my nose in areas where I don't provide any value. Now tell us what you are up to with your new venture, Team Gear Flow. While OMG solved the problem of managing group orders paid individually, it created a problem for a rep as their volume through OMG grew. Managing the fulfill- ment process from purchasing and printing to delivery becomes more difficult. Team Gear Flow solves this problem by bringing an on-demand solution so reps don't have to deal with the fulfillment burden that exists with online team stores. As the demand for online team stores has grown it has become more difficult to provide the service reps were able to provide in the early days. We aim to help them provide that same level of service without having to do the work. Any message you want to send as you enter the Hall of Fame? I would just say thanks for letting me be a part of it. I am truly grateful for those that I have been able to work with over the years. It was such a privilege to be in a spot to have so many conversations with vendors, dealers and industry partners where we were collaborating on innovative solutions for the industry. n

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