OIA Elects One Returning and Four First-Term Board Members

We would like to thank all the member companies who participated in the 2020 election. We are happy to announce and introduce the one returning director as well as the four new incoming directors, who will officially begin their three-year terms at the upcoming board meeting on June 22:

  • SCOTT BUELTER, CEO – Ascent360
  • TRINA FORNERETTE, Brand Manager – Waypoint Outdoor
  • ALISON HILL, CEO – LifeStraw
  • JENNIFER MCLAREN, President & CEO – Smartwool
  • KEVIN WINKEL, Founder & GM – Wayward Collective

FULL BIOS BELOW

We appreciate the continued service of the existing directors and look forward to bringing on four new directors representing the outdoor industry. It’s more important than ever that OIA represent the breadth of brands, retailers and consumers who love the outdoors.

The OIA board of directors provides guidance for the organization’s overall strategic direction, establishes policies and positions, monitors the association’ financial health, programs and overall performance and prepares the industry and association for the future, ensuring OIA’s success as an organization and for its members. The five directors in the class of 2020 bring the experience, perspectives, skill and diversity the board is seeking, while meeting the criterion of a personal passion for and commitment to outdoor recreation.

 

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Scott Buelter

Ascent360, CEO

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?

As the leader of a software company that serves the outdoor community, Scott brings a unique mix of skills to the OIA board. His deep love of the outdoors brought him and his family to Colorado over 15 years ago. Since then, he has worked with the outdoor community to help small outdoor companies become successful. His passion for the environment and his interest in spending time outside – skiing, hiking and running – have helped Scott see that there is a balance the industry must strike between the consumer, the environment and business. Scott has broad experience in many industries, including manufacturing, software, retail and travel – all which OIA supports. This perspective helps him align with the sometimes conflicting goals of the industry.

Background:

Scott Buelter is a seasoned executive with broad experience, both inside and outside of the outdoor industry. Currently the CEO of Ascent360, a venture capital-backed software company, Scott works closely with outdoor brands, resorts, retailers and event management companies, such as Smartwool, Thule, Ragnar Relay and Alterra Mountain Company. In this role, Scott leads a team that helps outdoor companies better understand their end consumers and effectively communicate with them.

Over the past 15 years, Scott has been gaining a unique perspective of the outdoor industry by understanding the data that supports the industry – retail sales data, consumer habits and ecommerce / web behavior. With Scott’s breadth of knowledge in both the outdoor industry and technology, he provides cutting-edge, data-driven marketing to an industry that has not traditionally utilized those capabilities. Prior to his work at Ascent360, Scott ran the CRM practice for the Leisure Trends Group and worked with many outdoor companies across the globe. Scott has also been responsible for the digital marketing and data analysis at Merkle and Experian, after helping another software company grow from a startup through IPO. Outside of the outdoor industry, Scott has experience working with global brands including Nike, Disney, Royal Caribbean, Loews Hotels, American Express, Samsung and many others. Scott holds his MBA from the University of California at Irvine and has studied at the University of San Diego and the London School of Economics, as well as IES in both Berlin and Vienna.

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Trina Fornerette

Waypoint Outdoor, brand manager

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?

I have 10+ years in the Outdoor Industry at a management level setting strategies, leading teams and working cross divisionally and externally to achieve the goals. I’m solutions driven with a willingness to have tough conversations to look for resolve. With my passion of the evolution of the outdoor industry, I led the transformation of the Apparel Division at REI, influencing internal partners and external brands to align to the strategy and partner through the execution of it.

Background:

In April 2019, Trina joined the Waypoint Outdoor Agency as the Brand Manager of Smartwool. In this role, she’s responsible for partnering with the Smartwool brand on the assortment direction and positioning in the marketplace to achieve sales goals for Key and Specialty accounts. Her responsibilities also include driving the partnership of key accounts, such as REI, and representing their business needs to the Smartwool brand and leading/developing a high-performing sales rep team to deliver on sales targets. As part of the leadership team for Waypoint, she oversees P&L and makes business decisions in partnership with co-brand managers and the CEO to maximize profitability for the agency, as well as oversee day to day office needs to ensure efficient operations.

Prior to Waypoint, she was with REI for 9 years. There, she was a category merchandise manager of footwear and most recently the senior category merchandise manager of womenswear. During her tenure, she was responsible for developing department buy strategies and leading cross- divisional partners and external brand partnerships to achieve financial goals. More notably, as the senior category merchandise manager of womenswear, she led, influenced, and collaborated the transformation of the apparel strategy. This included launching plus sizes, launching the partnership with the Athleta brand, leading an evolved/transformed private brands assortment architecture, implementing a quarterly and transitional buy strategy, leading the creation of a merchandising playground to help inform the buy and create the visual experience, and leading the execution of the broader apparel strategy with the visual and marketing teams.

Prior to REI, she was with Eddie Bauer for 12 years in varying buying roles and launched her career at Nordstrom, there for nine years.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, spotting trends and spending time with family.

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Alison Hill

LifeStraw, CEO

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?

As the leader of a humanitarian company, I bring a unique perspective on social impact business models that can provide impact at scale and the financial acumen to leverage social impact as a revenue driver in a retail business. As a female brand leader in technology innovation and product design for the outdoor industry, I bring an under-represented perspective to help the industry design for their female consumers.

Background:

Alison Hill is the CEO of LifeStraw, a global company providing safe water through technological innovation and product design. For the last 10 years, Alison has built the LifeStraw brand through retail, humanitarian water programs and emergency preparedness and response.

Under Alison’s leadership, the LifeStraw business has grown more than 80% in the last five years in the outdoor sports retail markets, and in 2019, the company entered the household market. The growth of Lifestraw’s retail business drove the success of one of the largest private investments providing kids with safe drinking water. As of 2019 this program has provided over three million kids with safe drinking water for a year through its giveback initiative.

Alison began her career in Zambia, focused on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, aiming to gain experience in infectious disease. After four years leading a staff of 100, caring for more than 600 patients at any given time, she concluded that she could make a greater impact by influencing public health. She returned to the U.S. and got a master’s in public health and an MBA from John’s Hopkins University.

In 2009, Alison joined Vestergaard, LifeStraw’s previous parent company, focusing on innovative financing for health programs. She spearheaded the first program ever to link carbon finance to safe drinking water – providing water filtration to 4.5 million people in Kenya. In 2012, Alison was named managing director of Vestergaard’s LifeStraw business. She drove LifeStraw’s entry into retail but kept the brand true to the company’s humanitarian DNA. In 2020, she was officially named CEO.

At 40, Alison has emerged as one of a handful of women business leaders successfully managing an international brand that brings together retail, social good and public health, and she has infused the company with female leaders and diversity at all levels of LifeStraw.

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Jennifer McLaren

Smartwool, president & CEO

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?

I have spent the majority of my career in financial leadership positions responsible for strategic planning, financial planning and driving execution to achieve strategic and financial goals. I have a passion for doing good (for the world) and doing well(financially). This philosophy was instilled in me early in my career at Timberland where we focused on using our business platform to make a positive impact in the world through community service, corporate social responsibility efforts and environmental protection platforms. This passion has helped me to evolve Smartwool to use our business platform for good (focusing on providing access to the outside for everyone and protecting our natural environment) that is in turn good for business. My financial and strategic leadership also helps the brand to stay focused on sustainable business growth initiatives. I believe my skillset is an important match for the OIA Board as we continue to focus on the strategic pillars of OIA, helping to ensure the industry continues to evolve and thrive with the ever-changing consumer and marketplace landscape.

Background:

Jen McLaren is the current president and general manager of Smartwool, located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Jen is responsible for the oversight and strategic direction of the Smartwool global brand. She has been with Smartwool for more than eight years as a member of the senior leadership team and chief financial officer. Prior to Smartwool, she served as North America CFO, Timberland®. She joined the Timberland brand in 2003 in the global financial planning and analysis organization. Jen holds a B.S. in business administration from the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics. She began her career in public accounting at Arthur Andersen and then moved into various finance roles in start-ups and SoftBank Capital. Jen is a dedicated outdoor enthusiast and believes that businesses have an obligation to make the world a better place. She is active in the Outdoor Industry Association, Camber, The Nature Conservancy and SOS Outreach nonprofit organizations.

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Kevin Winkel

Wayward Collective, founder & GM

What relevant business or industry experience would you bring to the OIA Board to help achieve and promote OIA’s work?

As an OIA Board member, I am excited to bring my passion, experience and commitment to the following:

  • Building opportunities for people across all communities through education, access and protection of our natural playgrounds
  • Developing long-term, sustainable guides relative to OIA goals to inspire, support and grow participation, conservation and membership
  • Collaborating across retail, brand and manufacturing industries and lifestyles to build synergies for win-win-win opportunities
  • Connecting with explorers across generations and communities with a shared mindset and removing barriers for participation and advocacy
  • Challenging our businesses to adapt and thrive in today’s ever-changing landscape
  • Challenging the status quo of retail and driving new perspectives of how to engage communities, drive inspired action and connect the ingredients to inspire participation
  • Strong financial balance and goal setting of model forecasting and analytics
  • Generational psychographic research of current Millennials, Gen X and Gen Z and beyond

It would be my goal to learn and contribute in any way possible to support the growth of our industry through awareness, policy and good business practices that will aid in the continued growth of a great organization. I believe my experience can bring an additional perspective to an already great group of people to support OIA goals and grow opportunities for explorers of all ages and backgrounds.

Background:

Kevin Winkel is the Founder of Wayward, a lifestyle retail brand with stores in the greater Seattle and Chicago areas. Wayward has been focused on supporting the adventure and creative communities to enrich and enhance participation and growth through exploration since its launch in 2017. Prior to this, Kevin has held global roles for brands like Burton and K2 Sports as well as leading brand, culture, marketing and loyalty initiatives for the North American retailer Zumiez.

Born and raised in Northwestern Montana, Kevin grew up living on a llama farm surrounded by the beauty of Glacier Park and Flathead lake. In his earlier years, Kevin had a strong eye for photography and has spent years traveling the world and living in places such as Bellingham, WA; Lake Tahoe; Los Angeles; Burlington, VT; and Bend, OR.

Kevin is a graduate of Cal Poly and has served on the SOS Outreach NW Advisory Council as well as a previous participant and supporter of NOLS. Today Kevin lives in Seattle, WA, with his wife Lindsay and two kids, Ruby and Cole.

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Thrive Outside Atlanta: Connecting With the Outdoors During COVID-19

In its first year, The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Community Initiative has made multi-year grants to four regions across the country (San Diego, Oklahoma City, Atlanta and Grand Rapids) to build and strengthen networks focused on providing children and families with repeat and reinforcing experiences in the outdoors. Our communities are finding unique ways to positively impact their communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

We’re proud to share the ways one Thrive Outside Atlanta organization, West Atlanta Watershed Alliance, are continuing to connect with and serve their local youth.

 

 

“Providing accessible, sensory-based, outdoor programming through technology”

With a curriculum that typically encourages the use of our senses for learning and exploring, shifting to online curriculum initially seemed to be a daunting task for us at West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA).

At WAWA, we believe that the power of play, inquiry instruction, social constructivism and cultural relevance are foundational principles of environmental education pedagogy. We quickly identified a crossroads between our pedagogy and technology in order to offer sensory-based livestreams in lieu of O-ACADEMY, our spring break camp.

When developing content for digital audiences in response to COVID-19, there were a few important factors to consider including digital accessibility, exercises that can be completed outdoors, and sensory-based engagement with youth. Because some residents in our community struggle with access to technology to complete daily tasks such as school-based distance learning, we decided to use accessible social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram to host content, because we know many of our constituents utilize these channels. With COVID-19 anchoring us all at home, we chose programs that could be done outdoors and with little supplies. Lastly, we wanted to ensure the programs feel participatory, and so, we encourage families to grab household items and participate in programming that draws on our senses to enhance our understanding of the outside world.

One of our programs “Sensory with Soils” provides youth a learning opportunity from simply playing in the dirt. During this program, we encourage the touch and observation of soil types to understand the benefits and best uses of each soil.

We also generated a survey among our online communities to determine if the increased digital content was useful or overwhelming. The results of this survey will help us to determine how we continue developing digital content and through which platforms we deliver it. WAWA will continue to provide accessible, sensory-based outdoor programming for digital audiences throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and we look forward to adding more digital offerings to our environmental education moving forward.

Anamarie Shreeves,
Environmental Education Programs Manager,
West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA)

Thrive Outside Grand Rapids: Connecting with the Outdoors During COVID-19

In its first year, The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Community Initiative has made multi-year grants to four regions across the country (San Diego, Oklahoma City, Atlanta and Grand Rapids) to build and strengthen networks focused on providing children and families with repeat and reinforcing experiences in the outdoors. Our communities are finding unique ways to positively impact their communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

The following work, led by our partner organization Our Community’s Children in Thrive Outside Grand Rapids, has applicability in other regions across the nation that are trying to help people experience the outdoors during coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

 

 

With governments issuing stay-at-home protocols, it became clear to one Grand Rapids-based nonprofit that parents and children didn’t realize that it was still ok to venture outside to boost mental and physical health. “We talked with after-school providers and found out that parents didn’t know what they could do outside. So, we reviewed local, state and national standards and developed a resource for parents on the subject,” said Lynn Heemstra, executive director of Grand Rapids’ Our Community’s Children program.

The resource comes in the form of a brief publication titled “Yes, You Can Go Outside” and is available to families in both English and Spanish. To create the document, Our Community’s Children worked closely with local city staff and leaders from Grand Rapids Public Schools. The publication honors the importance of maintaining social distancing, and reminds families that children should not be interacting with friends other than online, and they should not use playground equipment or engage in any close-contact sports such as basketball, soccer or football.

The resource provides other suggestions to help families get a nature break, including going for walks, biking, fishing, listening to birds and exploring trails. All this is packaged with some common sense tips (such as taking your own water bottle, avoiding public restrooms and water fountains). Be sure to check local guidelines when applying this resource to your region, and good luck getting outside to enjoy some fresh air during these challenging times.

Thrive Outside OKC: Connecting with the Outdoors During COVID-19

In its first year, The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Community Initiative has made multi-year grants to four regions across the country (San Diego, Oklahoma City, Atlanta and Grand Rapids) to build and strengthen networks focused on providing children and families with repeat and reinforcing experiences in the outdoors. Our communities are finding unique ways to positively impact their communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

We’re proud to share the innovative work from our Thrive Outside Oklahoma City Community through one of their leading organizations RIVERSPORT.

 

 

Staying connected to the outdoors right now is challenging. We want to offer families a fun, easy activity that uses everyday items, and we want to tie it into getting more kids and families involved in kayaking and canoeing.

We launched the RIVERSPORT Cardboard Canoe Challenge inviting Thrive Outside partners and families across the community to “think outside the box” and transform household cardboard into canoes of their own design. While some people are building boats large enough get on the water, others are building mini versions to float in their backyard ponds, pools or even bathtubs. The creativity has been impressive!

This can also be a STEM activity for kids. RIVERSPORT is providing online worksheets exploring the concepts of buoyancy, boat design, engineering basics, Newton’s Laws of Motion and boat vocabulary to help parents who are suddenly teaching science and math at home.

This curriculum is part of RIVERSPORT’s SOAR initiative – Success through Outdoor Adventure and Recreation – a collaborative learning adventure that brings together Thrive Outside and STEM education in a teamwork experience. It begins in the classroom where kids divide into teams to build cardboard canoes, then culminates in a field trip to RIVERSPORT where they race and every student has the opportunity to go paddling. Our goal is to offer the experience to every seventh-grader in Oklahoma City metro area Title 1 schools.

Once shelter-in-place restrictions are lifted, RIVERSPORT is planning a community-wide Cardboard Canoe Challenge day as way to celebrate being back on the water. RIVERSPORT is also encouraging other communities to join the Cardboard Canoe Challenge by either launching their own promotion or sharing RIVERSPORT’s. Everyone can use #cardboardcanoe as a way to connect on social media.

For now, the focus is on the fun of spending time with family and staying connected to the outdoors. RIVERSPORT hopes that time spent thinking about and building canoes will encourage families take the next the step and try kayaking or canoeing this summer.

To learn more or download the STEM worksheets, visit riversportokc.org/cardboardcanoe or email info@riversportokc.org.

Elizabeth Laurent
RIVERSPORT

Thrive Outside San Diego: Connecting with the outdoors during COVID-19

In its first year, The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Community Initiative has made multi-year grants to four regions across the country (San Diego, Oklahoma City, Atlanta and Grand Rapids) to build and strengthen networks focused on providing children and families with repeat and reinforcing experiences in the outdoors.  Our communities are finding unique ways to positively impact their communities during the COVID-19 crisis.

We’re proud to share the innovative work from our Thrive Outside San Diego Community through one of their leading organizations Outdoor Outreach.

“Our youth need connection now more than ever. In this unprecedented time, young people are especially impacted by a lack of resources, feelings of uncertainty and fear, and separation from supportive role models and peers. This is even more true for the teens we serve, many of whom are affected by poverty, abuse, family dysfunction, and chronic health conditions.

Outdoor Outreach is committed to helping our participants thrive through the COVID-19 crisis. Our programs look different right now, but the focus of our work hasn’t changed: building support systems that help youth face adversity in their lives with strength and courage. Instructors can’t lead group outings in the outdoors, so they’re innovating ways to maintain critical connection with youth including virtual meetings and leadership trainings, live-streamed mindfulness and physical wellness activities, and youth-led community outreach promoting responsible outdoor activities.

Our Leadership Program is a great example. When social distancing measures were implemented just one week into the 12-week program, participants insisted that we shouldn’t cancel or reschedule. They wanted to meet on the phone or through video conferencing to stay connected, share challenges and resources, and provide much needed support for their peers.

For most participants, the Leadership Program is their only extracurricular activity still meeting during the crisis. The teens are combating feelings of social isolation through twice-weekly virtual meetings and learning to safely enjoy outdoor spaces by practicing OO’s 10 Principles of Getting Outside Responsibly During COVID-19. Reporting a new appreciation for little things that nearby nature has to offer–like a cool breeze on their face and time watching the clouds with family–participants have taken leadership in their communities by encouraging friends and family to adopt the same principles and to meet-up virtually instead of in-person. 

I’m proud of our team for helping youth gain a sense of agency over their circumstances and maintain resilience through the COVID-19 crisis. I encourage you to visit our website, follow us on social media, and, if you can, make a gift to support connection for youth who desperately need it.”

Ben McCue
Executive Director
Outdoor Outreach