In this episode, our guest is Dr. Len Necefer, Ph.D., CEO & Founder of NativesOutdoors – a native-owned athletic and creative collective. The company began as a social media project in March 2017 by Len Necefer (Diné), highlighting stories and photos of Native people in outdoor recreation and addressing the lack of representation of Indigenous people in the outdoor industry. The organization has expanded to providing advisory and consulting services to the outdoor industry on topics within t...
Mar 30, 2023•30 min
Today’s guest is Adam Ruggiero, Editor-in-Chief of GearJunkie. GearJunkie leads the outdoor industry in breaking news and product reviews in the active-lifestyle world. From offices in Denver and Minneapolis, GearJunkie’s journalists, writers, and video producers advance the conversation online and beyond. Millions of monthly readers follow GearJunkie online through multiple channels. Adam has been with the publication since 2015 when he started out as a news reporter. He spearheaded the creatio...
Feb 09, 2023•46 min
Today’s guest is Jeremiah Bishop, a professional mountain bike racer in cross country, short track, ultra-endurance stage races, and gravel. Jeremiah is an athlete ambassador for Canyon Bicycles, a freelance cycling consultant, and a content creator (co-founder of the hit documentary series The Impossible Routes). In this episode, you’ll hear stories about the beginning of The Impossible Routes in Hawaii, building up the stories and videos during the pandemic, meeting and partnering/co-starring ...
Jan 26, 2023•43 min•Ep. 203
Today’s guest is Alison Tetrick - professional cyclist, biochemist, storyteller, and entrepreneur. Alison is also a global ambassador focusing on brand activation, product development, and innovation. Alison believes sports, science, and stories can make a powerful difference in changing the world and loves to do the work to make it happen. She is passionate about creating opportunity, education, and access to cycling for all through scholarships and community engagement. You’ll hear how Alison ...
Jan 12, 2023•49 min•Ep. 202
Today’s guest is Steve Lee, President of US Sales at Hot Chillys, a legacy outdoor recreation brand that has been leading the winter sports apparel industry since 1985. Their performance base layers include socks, leggings, turtlenecks, fleece, and accessory products, focusing on comfort and fun. Hot Chillys offers a comprehensive line of apparel for men, women, and children using next-level materials for seamless comfort, function, and fit. In this episode, you’ll hear how Hot Chillys progresse...
Dec 22, 2022•34 min•Ep. 201
Welcome to the 200th episode of the Channel Mastery podcast. Today’s guest is Dan Kihanya, Director of Corporate Development and Investment with REI. Dan is also the creator and host of Founders Unfound, a podcast that profiles tech startup founders from underrepresented backgrounds. He is an experienced serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in the start-up ecosystem - including founder, early executive, investor, and advisor. In this episode, you’ll hear about Dan’s role with Path Ahead...
Dec 15, 2022•44 min•Ep. 200
Tiffany is a results-driven and transformational leader with more than 15 years of experience in nonprofit development, generating revenue, and effective marketing strategies for organizations. Tiffany is the Chief Executive Officer at Camber, aligning with the mission in providing resources and tools in creating diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplaces by expanding Camber’s visibility, strengthening partnerships, and increasing revenue. She will foster a culture of mission- and value-focuse...
Nov 03, 2022•33 min•Ep. 199
Featuring: Bryce Phillips studied finance, juggling school while living in Whistler BC, skiing professionally for companies including Patagonia and K2, and chasing winters around the world. In 2001 Bryce started Evolución Innovations, Inc. (www.evo.com), an action sports and outdoor lifestyle retail business, and in 2005 opened a flagship store in Seattle, Washington. Originally launching the site with one employee from his living room, evo has grown to over 600 employees, is one of the fastest ...
Oct 01, 2022•32 min•Ep. 198
Featuring: Ashley Korenblat is a founding Managing Director for Public Land Solutions , a non-profit recreation economy consultant that works from the bottom up directly with communities transitioning away from fossil fuel extraction, and from the top down, on public land legislation and policies that affect this transition, such as oil and gas leasing and land management planning. Ashley’s involvement with public land began when she served as President of Merlin Metalworks, a bicycle manufactur...
Sep 22, 2022•39 min•Ep. 197
Featuring: Steve Dennis is a consultant, keynote speaker and author focused on retail growth and innovation. He has been named a top global retail influencer by multiple organizations. His thoughts on the future of shopping are regularly shared in his role as a Forbes Senior Contributor. Steve's best-selling book-- "Remarkable Retail: How to Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption"-- was released in a completely revised and expanded 2nd edition last year. He is also the host of the Rem...
Sep 16, 2022•46 min•Ep. 196
Featuring: Leta Kalfas is the CEO and Founder of MTNSTUFF. Growing up in Ohio, Leta dreamt of a life surrounded by mountains, trees, and trails of Colorado. She loved the terrain, the hiking, the skiing, the beauty. As a history major from the University of Michigan with a passion for entrepreneurship, Leta found herself in Southern California, in a brief life detour, working in the electrical distribution industry. With a little luck, a few glasses of wine, and an invitation to join the rep age...
Sep 09, 2022•38 min•Ep. 195
Guest: Anne Mezzenga is a Top 100 Retail Influencer, podcast host, and the Co-CEO of Omnitalk Retail , a post she shares with Chris Walton. This dynamic team continues to build their podcast, Youtube Channel, and blog into a leading retail media empire, and both hail from Target’s “Store of the Future” concepting team. Anne and Chris were speakers at the inaugural Sea Otter Classic Summit this past April and stand for ‘consumer centricity’ on a level no other retail media organization comes clos...
Sep 01, 2022•38 min•Ep. 194
Featuring: Kristin Carpenter is the founder of Verde Brand Communications and the host of the Channel Mastery podcast. She earned her stripes in the $873 billion outdoor recreation industries through a decade-long career as a journalist. In 2001, she pivoted from reporting on stories to helping brands create their own stories in the launch of Verde Brand Communications, award-winning brand communications, PR, and digital marketing agency. In 2018, Verde launched the Channel Mastery podcast to he...
Aug 26, 2022•20 min•Ep. 193
Guest: Adam Cramer is the founding Executive Director and present CEO of Outdoor Alliance, a national coalition of outdoor recreation advocacy groups that has breathed new life into the conservation movement by harnessing the outdoor community’s passion for place and combining it with a modern approach to organizing and digital engagement. During his time as CEO, Adam has brought new sensibilities to conservation work that have resulted in hundreds of thousands more acres of protected landscapes...
Aug 18, 2022•34 min•Ep. 192
Featuring: As CEO and president, Scott Buelter guides Ascent360’s strategy and vision. His mission is to bring enterprise-level marketing capabilities to midsize businesses through a powerful CDP, allowing them to better understand their customers and achieve continual growth. Buelter draws upon his data analysis and digital marketing experience at companies such as Nike, Disney, Royal Caribbean, Loews Hotels, American Express and Samsung, as well as upon his academic background. Buelter receive...
Aug 09, 2022•32 min•Ep. 191
Featuring: Kristin Carpenter is the founder of Verde Brand Communications and the host of the Channel Mastery podcast. She earned her stripes in the $873 billion outdoor recreation industries through a decade-long career as a journalist. In 2001, she pivoted from reporting on stories to helping brands create their own stories in the launch of Verde Brand Communications, an award-winning brand communications, PR, and digital marketing agency. In 2018, Verde launched the Channel Mastery podcast to...
Aug 02, 2022•23 min•Ep. 190
Show Highlights: During our conversation with Kimo, we discussed general trends around customer excitement with Life Time events, specifically Sea Otter Classic and Unbound, and how the Life Time consumer base drives what they do as a company. Furthering our conversation on live events, Kimo gave us insight into the vision behind the Grand Pre and its launch this year. We also touched on the spirit of cycling and the community that Life Time creates which is made up of athletes of all different ...
Jul 22, 2022•42 min•Ep. 189
Show Highlights: We are excited to have Liza Amlani on to discuss accelerating speed to market in the retail space, how to successfully address inefficiencies by limiting waste and using customer-focused digital technologies across channels in the retail space, the importance of preparing for unprecedented events like COVID-19, and more. In a rapidly changing climate such as the one we live in, it is vital for companies to be confident in making swift changes to their business in order to ensure...
Apr 22, 2022•39 min•Ep. 188
Show Highlights: We are elated to have Bradley Schurman on to discuss the shift in perception of what it means to be “old,” how industries are changing their approach to attracting different age groups, the way Bradley and The Super Age approach this ever-changing climate, and more. It is clear that the definition of what it means to be “old” is changing. As medicine, healthier lifestyles, and technology continue to advance, companies will need to adjust internally and externally. Historically, ...
Apr 13, 2022•41 min•Ep. 187
Show Highlights: In this episode of Channel Mastery, I chat with Shane Kinkennon - an executive coach and master facilitator. Shane knows a lot about how wise business leaders respond to the pressure to change. We asked him to explain what exactly he observes from his CEO-level clients. He makes a compelling case that now is the time for brand leaders to think not only about the mechanics of adapting to change but the ins and outs of how they lead their teams and employees. Shane argues that bra...
Apr 01, 2022•39 min•Ep. 186
Show Highlights: I’m delighted to introduce Tim Parr, CEO and Founder of CADDIS, to the show as we evaluate the founding story of his eyewear brand - an online direct-to-consumer platform, business wholesaler, and brick-and-mortar store. We discuss turning a product into a platform by going against the grain in the “age business” and how the market is reacting. In this episode, we dive into fear of aging that helps to drive Tim and the business, data around the 50 plus age market of consumers, g...
Mar 29, 2022•41 min•Ep. 185
Show Highlights: I’m excited to welcome Jacques Rene, a 25-year veteran from Gore who is trailblazing in fabric sustainability, introducing expanded polyethylene (ePE), a newly released environmentally-conscious performance fabric. In this episode, we talk about leading through climate change and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible due to brand and consumer demands - higher levels of performance with a lower environmental footprint. We also chat about gaining organizational insight within ...
Mar 18, 2022•26 min•Ep. 184
Show Highlights: In this episode of Channel Mastery, I had the pleasure of speaking with the newest member of USA Cycling, CEO Brendan Quirk. Brendan is a veteran in the cycling industry and brings a background in racing to his new role at USA Cycling, the nation’s governing body for cycling that oversees the disciplines of road, track, mountain bike, cyclocross, and BMX. We discuss Brendan’s career and racing trajectory and what landed him at USA Cycling, how the pandemic has accelerated the ...
Mar 04, 2022•32 min•Ep. 183
Show Highlights: NFTs, also known as non-fungible tokens, are dominating the news and now the outdoor recreation market. In this episode, I sit down with the co-founder of Bike Club NFT, Tyler Benedict, and ambassador, Louise Vardaman to talk about how the community was started and how others can get involved. Bike Club NFT is a new community concept that pairs nonfungible tokens with real-world benefits. It begins with bike rider artwork created by Rich Mitch, a ten-year creative in the bike in...
Feb 25, 2022•43 min•Ep. 182
Show Highlights: We’re excited to welcome Jason Blevins as we discuss what sparked him to start The Colorado Sun, a member-owned public benefit corporation, and his career covering the outdoor industry on the Western Slope of Colorado. We discuss his recent article about the optimistic outlook for the ski industry based on the demand for ski lift infrastructure in the US. As a result of the pandemic, the outdoor industry was granted its wishes of increased participation and diversity in a matter...
Feb 11, 2022•25 min
Description: We’re humbled to welcome back to the show, Scott Buelter, CEO of Ascent360 - a data-driven marketing platform that has grown tremendously in the past couple of years as a result of the pandemic directing more and more purchases online. We discuss the newcomers to the outdoor marketplace (hint: they’re here to stay!) and how you can create loyalty in the face of supply shortages and price increases. In this episode, you’ll also learn how utilizing a tailored marketing strategy - usin...
Feb 04, 2022•30 min•Ep. 180
Description: We are delighted to welcome back friend of the show and President of AKvertise, Akvile DeFazio. Akvile and I chat about trends in digital marketing space, iOS14’s effect on cookies, supply chain’s unexpected impacts, diversifying social advertising, and more. Join us to learn from an industry leader in the digital marketing and social media space who works with brands like Thermos, Johnson & Johnson, and Postmates. As someone who lives for connecting people bringing together con...
Jan 28, 2022•27 min•Ep. 179
Episode Highlights: W.L. Gore’s Global Sales and Marketing Leader for the Fabrics Division, Nora Stowell, and Global Technical Leader for the Consumer Fabrics, Matthew Decker, join Kristin Carpenter on this week's episode of Channel Mastery. Nora and Matthew have been instrumental in launching GORE-TEX’s latest iteration of advanced micro-porous polyethylene, the ePe system, over a decade in development in partnership with brands like Arc'teryx, Patagonia, Adidas, Solomon, and Dakine. Hear how G...
Jan 21, 2022•28 min•Ep. 178
Episode Highlights: Hear how Gathr Outdoors rebranded and expanded its offerings with numerous acquisitions CEO, Keith Bornholtz does a deep dive into his leadership theory, a new role with Gathr, and the importance of devotion in a passion-driven outdoor industry And I think, at least for this business, it's just essential that that entrepreneurial passion and the spirit of each and every one of the brands continues to survive and thrive. As Gathr creates a larger community of brands, Bornholtz...
Jan 14, 2022•28 min•Ep. 177
` Episode Highlights: Hear how Bureo expanded their reach and mission by partnering with brands like Costa Sunglasses and Patagonia Dave Stover and Kevin Ahearn share their founding story of Bureo and their clear mission of ending net pollution in the oceans As consumers continue to align with brands that share their core values, it’s more important now than ever for specialty businesses and brands to be transparent about their initiatives and efforts when it comes to sustainability Description:...
Jul 23, 2021•43 min•Ep. 175
