Archives: Press Releases

The best just got even better. Thule Verse sets the new standard for safety, durability, and ease of use for hitch-mounted platform bike carriers. Developed from the award-winning Thule T2 line, the original platform hitch rack that pioneered the no-frame contact design nearly two decades ago, this revolutio- nary bike carrier has been redesigned from the ground up. With a sleek aesthetic and premium styling, Thule Verse has a greater range of bike fits, easier-to-use features, and even more capacity than its predecessor. Thule Verse will be available on March 4, 2025, in the United States and Canada.

Award-winning rack design

Thule Verse comes to market with a patented outboard release handle, providing easy hand-activated tilting for rear cargo access with or without bikes mounted on the rack. The release handle also allows the rack to quickly tilt up and stow vertically when not in use, reducing the amount of space it occupies behind the vehicle.

As is expected with any Thule bike carrier, Thule Verse provides superior bike protection and security. The independent single attachment arm secures your bike by safely clamping down on the front wheel, eliminating frame contact and securing the bike to the rack quickly. With 11.4” of spacing between bike positions, independent on-the-fly tray adjustments for the wheels, and a new soft-touch attachment arm with increased fork clearance, bikes are loaded easily with the peace of mind that they’ll be safe on your journey.

Thule Verse offers improved carrying capacity and versatility by accommodating wheelbases ranging from 34-53” and larger tire sizes up to 5”. Each bike tray can carry bikes up to 60 lbs and accepts the Thule foldable loading ramp to assist with heavier e-bikes. And with the included 12 mm, theft-deterrent locking cable, security is offered when you’re away from your vehicle, too.

Accessories that add to the experience

Thule Verse is designed around a full line of purpose-built accessories that add to the experience, on and off the trail. The Thule Verse bike repair holder provides a perfect solution for repairs when you need it most, keeping you on the trails as long as possible. When the sun sets, stay safe and visible on the road with the Thule lights & license plate kit that attaches directly to the rack and connects to the vehicle’s trailer light hookup. For even greater convenience, attach the Thule transport wheels to the bottom of the rack to roll it on and off with ease.

 

SAN FRANCISCO (March 6, 2025) – JAM Collective, a premier boutique agency specializing in public relations, social media, communications, events, and strategic partnerships, proudly announces its 25th anniversary. Over the past quarter-century, JAM Collective has established itself as a trusted partner for some of the world’s most innovative and influential brands.

JAM Collective, founded in 2000 by Julie Atherton, has grown from a single-person endeavor to a thriving agency with a diverse team of experts known for delivering exceptional results that move the needle while building brands for the long haul. The agency has consistently demonstrated its ability to blend creativity, strategy, and deep industry knowledge to connect brands with consumers in authentic and impactful ways.

“Celebrating 25 years is a milestone that reflects the incredible relationships we’ve built with our clients, media, and partners,” said Julie Atherton, founder and CEO of JAM Collective. “I’m immensely proud of our team’s dedication and creativity, which have driven our success and will continue to shape our future.”

JAM Collective has worked with an impressive roster of brands across outdoor, lifestyle, fashion, and sustainability sectors, including these current clients: Arc’teryx, Snow Peak, OtterBox, LifeStraw, Thermos, Red Wing Heritage and Glerups. Known for crafting compelling stories and executing innovative campaigns, the agency has helped its clients achieve remarkable visibility and engagement in competitive markets.

A Legacy of Innovation and Impact

Throughout its history, JAM Collective has remained at the forefront of the industry, adapting to changing landscapes and leveraging its expertise to deliver tailored solutions. The agency’s work includes award-winning campaigns, virtual and in-person events, influencer partnerships, and thought leadership initiatives.

Testimonials from clients and media professionals underscore JAM Collective’s reputation as a leader in public relations:

• “We started working with JAM Collective for a specific product segment, but were so impressed with the team’s work that we quickly moved all of our consumer PR efforts there. The JAM team understands our business needs and our brands from top to bottom and are so creative about how to bring our stories to life via earned media and events. I don’t know of any PR firm that has a better reputation among media contacts.” – Kristen Tatti, Director of Integrated Marketing at OtterBox
• “Julie and her experienced team at JAM Collective have made a very real impact on Snow Peak’s reach and success in North America. Their hard work knows no bounds, and they’ve helped grow our brand to places we would have never aspired to be on our own.” – Mike Andersen, Senior Brand Manager
• “JAM works in lockstep with our team to deliver exceptional results and provide invaluable feedback, making them an integral part of our team.” – Marion Young, Director, Brand Communications, Arc’teryx

Looking Ahead

As JAM Collective celebrates this milestone, the agency remains committed to its mission of connecting brands with the people who will love them. With a steadfast focus on innovation and collaboration, JAM Collective is poised to build on its legacy, by delivering meaningful results for its clients while helping them navigate during economic, consumer and societal changes.

For more information about JAM Collective and its services, visit www.jamcollective.net.

About JAM Collective

JAM Collective is a boutique public relations and communications agency based in San Francisco, California. Since 2000, JAM Collective has partnered with leading brands to deliver strategic planning, media outreach, social media management, and event execution. With an emphasis on building authentic connections, JAM Collective has become a trusted name in the industry, representing some of the most respected names in outdoor, lifestyle, and sustainability markets.

Greenville, S.C. (March 6, 2025) – Now in its second year, the Greenville Cycling Classic presented by Prisma Health will return to downtown Greenville, S.C., on April 24, 2025, to kick off Speed Week 2025, a series of criteriums featuring some of the fastest cycling in the states. The Greenville Cycling Classic p/b Prisma Health will welcome some of the top men’s and women’s professional racers from around the United States, including thousands of spectators, to the heart of downtown Greenville for this fast-paced style of road cycling.

This event reinforces Greenville’s reputation as a premier cycling destination by drawing on its rich history of professional races. In 1986, the Michelin Cycling Classic became the first official pro race held right downtown—a tradition that continued for many years. Following that milestone, Greenville emerged as a favored venue for high-profile competitions like the Tour DuPont, the Olympic Torch Relay, and several US Professional National Championship events. Since 2012, the Hincapie Gran Fondo has attracted thousands of cyclists to the city each year to experience the scenic terrain of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Additionally, in 2024, EF/ONTO Cycling began a junior development arm of the Hincapie Sportswear professional team, designed to create opportunities for emerging North American talent. Its junior riders have produced five National Championships, nine appointments to the US National Team, eight professional contracts, seven World Championship appearances, and a World Championship medal. A handful of EF/ONTO Cycling team junior riders will be participating in the Pro 1/2 Races at the Greenville Cycling Classic.

Now, with the return of the Greenville Cycling Classic, the legacy of professional cycling in downtown Greenville endures. Set on a compact, enclosed circuit, the intricate course winds its way through the vibrant city center, giving spectators an up-close view of the thrilling action. The Greenville event unfolds on an exhilarating one-kilometer loop featuring tight turns and rapid straightaways through downtown. The start/finish line, along with the evening festivities, will be centered on North Main Street at One Plaza.

“I’m excited to bring high-speed crit racing back to Greenville for its second year,” said George Hincapie, 17-time Tour de France veteran and five-time Olympian. “This event is a fantastic spring highlight for the entire community to enjoy, further enriching our blossoming cycling culture here in the Upstate.”

Schedule of events (view the course map here):

• 3:15 p.m. – Men’s Category 4/5 race
• 3:50 p.m. – Masters 35+
• 4:25 p.m. – Masters 50+
• 5:15 p.m. – Ride with the Tour de France Legends
• 5:55 p.m. – Men’s Category 2/3 race
• 6:55 p.m. – Women’s Pro 1/2/3 Category race
• 8:05 p.m. – Men’s Pro 1/2 Category race

The Tour de France Legends ride is free and open to all (riders must be aged 12 and older) and allows community members to join Greenville locals and retired professional cyclists George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, and Bobby Julich for a cruise around the course.

“I am thrilled to see the Greenville Cycling Classic return for its second year,” said Tim Brookshire, Chief Executive Officer, Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Campus. “This event not only showcases the incredible talent of professional cyclists but also highlights Greenville’s commitment to promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. Engaging in sports like cycling is a fantastic way for people to improve their health and well-being. Prisma Health is proud to support this exciting event that brings our community together and inspires people of all ages to embrace the joy of cycling and the benefits of an active lifestyle.”

The full event schedule, list of sponsors, volunteer opportunities, and additional details can be found on the event website: GreenvilleCyclingClassic.com. To register to ride, please visit https://www.bikereg.com/greenville-cycling-classic-pb-prisma-health. The registration deadline is the day before the race, April 23.

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About Prisma Health:

Prisma Health is a private nonprofit health company with over 32,000 team members, 19 acute and specialty hospitals, 3,131 licensed beds, 320 practice sites, and more than 5,900 employed and independent clinicians across its clinically integrated inVio Health Network. Along with this innovative network, Prisma Health serves more than 1.6 million unique patients annually in its South Carolina and Tennessee service areas. Connect with Prisma Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter/X. Visit PrismaHealth.org.

About Hincapie:

Cycling is our life. It’s what we know, and it’s who we are. But we are not a bike company. We’re a people-who-ride-bikes company. We are cyclists, and we are makers. We are master craftsmen of custom-made, high-performance cycling apparel. Our team is our family. Not only do we design our cycling apparel, but we also make it in our family-run factory. We also create and run upscale cycling events. We have a restaurant and hotel that hosts visiting cyclists from all over the world. We manage a spring series of races. Cycling inspires everything we do, and every day we work even harder to improve the sport, make it more accessible to others, and build a strong community for future cyclists. Join us on our journey. Visit https://hincapie.com/.

About NOTUS Sports:

NOTUS Sports is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to attract, create, and manage high-profile sporting events to showcase the Upstate of South Carolina to everyone. Its efforts focus on strategically attracting and hosting sporting events to meet objectives such as: inclusive access to health, wellness, and outdoor recreation; economic and community development; quality of life enhancement; tourism impact; and international exposure for Greenville, South Carolina. More information can be found at www.notussports.org

About Speed Week:

Speed Week, now in its 19th season, is a collection of criteriums in Georgia and South Carolina. Criterium bicycle racing is an eco-urban sport that engages fans, young and old, in exciting racing action and downtown festivities. Speed Week is a highlight of the pro cycling season and draws cyclists from around the world, including Olympic medalists and world and national champions. More information can be found at www.speedweek.bike

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{Dover, NH—March 5, 2025} — Dagger OSMO™, a top-selling ​tent in specialty outdoor stores, and a favorite among backpackers and campers, is now a bluesign® PRODUCT. This milestone highlights NEMO’s commitment to clean chemistry and responsible manufacturing, adhering to the industry’s most rigorous environmental and worker safety standards. Made with solution-dyed, 100% recycled, PFAS- and FRC-free fabrics, the 2025 Dagger OSMO has more livable space without adding ounces thanks to new custom hardware and painstaking attention to every detail of the tent’s construction.

The bluesign® PRODUCT designation represents one of the highest standards of sustainability in consumer goods. It eliminates harmful chemical substances at the start of the textile supply chain, minimizing impacts on both people and the planet. This achievement for Dagger OSMO marks a significant milestone, as tents have traditionally been a challenging category for sustainability with their diverse components and high expectations for performance. Elite backpacking tents require materials that are lightweight, durable, water-resistant, and UV-resistant, often relying on chemical treatments like PFAS and flame retardants—substances that pose significant environmental and health risks. NEMO’s breakthrough OSMO tent fabric has forged a path to that high level of performance while bypassing these harmful substances.

Built for backpacking and camping enthusiasts, Dagger OSMO is a versatile, lightweight tent that features an updated pole structure equipped with NEMO’s custom Elements™ hardware to expand its already roomy interior and increase the door opening and peak height. A standout of the Elements collection is the Axial™ corner anchor, which allows for a quick and easy setup and tensioning without re-staking. Each vestibule also gets 22% more usable storage space thanks to the new, near-weightless Stash™ volumizing strut. And the improved Divvy Cube™ is now easier to pack, fits efficiently in a backpack, and can be compressed when splitting the weight with a partner. Dagger OSMO is available in a 2- and 3-person capacity with a minimum weight of 3 lbs., 5 oz for the 2P and an MSRP of $499.95.

“In the fall of 2023, our Product team set out to take Dagger further by not only using 100% recycled fabrics that are free of PFAS and added fire retardant chemicals, but by creating the industry’s first bluesign® tent,” said Gabi Rosenbrien, Product Development Director at NEMO. “Partnering with bluesign® was a natural evolution of our collaboration in other product categories and highlights NEMO’s dedication to responsible chemicals management. The development process involved close cooperation with both new and existing suppliers to ensure that all 65+ materials used in the tent met rigorous performance and chemical compliance standards.”

“Achieving bluesign® PRODUCT for the Dagger OSMO tent demonstrates the progress we can make when brands are willing to challenge the status quo in product design,” said Daniel Rufenacht, CEO of bluesign®. “By prioritizing clean chemistry and sustainability, NEMO is setting an inspiring example for the outdoor industry, proving that exceptional performance and responsible manufacturing can go hand in hand.”

For more information on NEMO’s sustainability efforts, please see their 2023 Sustainability Report and their line of fully recyclable sleeping bags and backpacks.

About bluesign® 
The bluesign® SYSTEM is the solution for sustainable textile production. It eliminates harmful substances from the start of the manufacturing process, setting and controlling standards for environmentally friendly and safe production. This ensures that final textile products meet stringent consumer safety requirements and instills confidence in sustainable and safe-to-wear products. Since its founding in 2000, bluesign® has partnered with over 850 manufacturers, brands, and chemical suppliers worldwide, driving transformative change in the textile industry. bluesign® is part of the $7 billion+ SGS family of companies, the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification organization.

About NEMO
NEMO is a New Hampshire-based outdoor gear company known for creating award-winning products that are built to last, comfortable, and fun to use. The brand has been named Outdoor Brand of the Year by Outdoor Retailer’s The Daily, and one of Outside Magazine’s and Business New Hampshire’s Best Places to Work. NEMO has also been recognized as a small business leader for the environment by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility. NEMO’s reputation for design innovation across its product lines—tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, luggage, camp accessories, and furniture—is an outgrowth of its design philosophy to never bring anything to market that doesn’t offer a meaningfully better experience. NEMO’s team of designers and engineers are motivated by a passion for outdoor adventure and sustainability.

Adventure Anywhere. Adventure for Anyone. Adventure Forever.®

 

 

 

[Seattle, WA] – March 5, 2025 – Black Diamond Equipment, a global leader in mountain sports gear, is excited to announce the grand opening of its largest and most immersive retail store to date, located in the heart of Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood. This new flagship location reflects Black Diamond’s deep commitment to the Pacific Northwest’s thriving outdoor culture and mountaineering heritage, bringing together best-in-class gear, expert advice, and a dynamic community space for climbers, skiers, runners, and mountaineers.

Adding to the wealth of climbing and mountain resources in Seattle, the Black Diamond Flagship store will showcase the full Black Diamond catalog—from technical climbing gear and backcountry ski equipment to performance apparel and accessories—and partner with local ski shops like Evo and Cripple Creek Backcountry for gear maintenance services. Visitors to the Seattle location will eventually be able to access ReRoute and repair services, in line with the brand’s commitment to sustainability and keeping gear in use longer.

Strengthening Community Relationships

The new flagship store builds upon Black Diamond’s deep-rooted ties to alpinism and outdoor education as it strengthens the brand’s valuable partnerships throughout the outdoor recreation community. Customers can find a satellite activation kiosk for local guiding service RMI Expeditions that offers direct engagement with top-tier mountain guides on Rainier and the North Cascades. The store will host opportunities for the community to connect with resources from National Outdoor Leadership School, local mountain guides, and other regional organizations as well.

Further, the Fremont location is perfectly positioned alongside industry leaders like Evo, Seattle Bouldering Project, and Brooks, as well as award-winning cafes, breweries, and restaurants—meeting outdoor enthusiasts where they already gather.

“We are very excited about the Seattle flagship concept,” says Neil Fiske, President of Black Diamond Equipment, “which is uniquely adapted to serve the Pacific Northwest customer and celebrate the region’s rich mountaineering heritage. We’re also aiming to bring fresh thinking and innovative approaches to the retail experience by combining the best of Black Diamond with local partners like RMI that have long served this mountain community. The store is modern, progressive, and beautifully harmonized with its local environment, including some of the most advanced sustainability practices in retail. We think it will be something truly special and hopefully a source of pride for the Seattle area.”

“The opening of our Seattle flagship marks a major milestone for Black Diamond,” adds Ethan White, Director of Stores at Black Diamond Equipment. “Seattle is a city that embodies adventure, and this store is our way of fully embracing that energy. It’s more than just a place to buy gear—it’s a place to connect, learn, and get inspired for your next big pursuit.”

Grand Opening Weekend: March 8-9, 2025

The Grand Opening Celebration will feature:

• Exclusive giveaways, including chances to win a Freeride kit and other Black Diamond gear and apparel
• Community events and engagement opportunities
• Custom swag, grand opening weekend discounts, and first looks at new products coming for Spring 2025

About Black Diamond Equipment:

Black Diamond Equipment is a global leader in designing innovative outdoor-engineered equipment and apparel for climbing, skiing, and a wide range of other year-round outdoor activities. Headquartered in Salt Lake City at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, Black Diamond is synonymous with performance, innovation, and durability in the outdoor community. For more information on Black Diamond Equipment, visit www.blackdiamondequipment.com.

Visit Black Diamond Seattle:

3524 Stone Way N
Seattle, WA 98103

Phone: (206) 865-0009

Email: seattle.flagship@bdel.com

Website: https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/content/retail-stores/

Store Hours: Mon-Sun 10am – 7pm