Lloyd Vogel, CEO of Garage Grown Gear and keynote speaker at the upcoming KORE Summit, returns to the podcast for a timely conversation about leading a growing business, why ultralight backpacking has become backpacking and the future of independent outdoor retail. Episode Highlights: The personal evolution from doing everything to leading everything — how Lloyd shifted from solopreneur to CEO. Garage Grown Gear’s framework for saying “no” to good ideas to make room for great ones. Why ultraligh...
Jul 22, 2025•54 min•Ep. 31
In this episode, Christian talks with Tony McWilliam, founder of Faction Skis, about the realities of starting and scaling a product-focused brand. Drawing from his design background, Tony shares how design thinking helps with branding, problem-solving, and decision-making. He dives into the risks of expanding too quickly, the importance of staying focused, and why early-stage founders should do every job themselves. They explore the value of deep relationships with factories, retailers, and men...
Jun 25, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 30
In this episode, Heather Kelly, founder of Heather’s Choice, shares the raw, real story behind building her food company from scratch. She talks about how outdoor adventures shaped her confidence, what she learned from raising early-stage capital, and the emotional toll of nearly going bankrupt. Heather also reflects on her Shark Tank appearance, the big move from Alaska to Oregon, and why she’s choosing to scale her business her way. This is a conversation about ambition, resilience, and stayin...
Jun 11, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 29
This episode is a conversation with Dawson Westeknsow, a seasoned product leader in the outdoor industry who has held key roles at Thule, REI, and Oboz Footwear. Now working as a professional EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) Implementer, Dawson shares the principles of EOS and how it can dramatically improve leadership, structure, and clarity for businesses—especially those in the outdoor industry. Key Topics: Dawson’s Journey into Outdoor Product Management From sales at a power tool comp...
May 28, 2025•59 min•Ep. 28
Tina Thompson, co-founder of Seniq, joins us to talk about the deeply intentional process behind launching a new kind of outdoor apparel brand. From obsessing over product development to creating grassroots buzz without paid influencers, Tina shares the highs, lows, and learnings from Seniq’s first year in business. Topics We Cover: The origin story of Seniq and what makes it different Prioritizing product over marketing—and why that’s working Building relationships instead of transactions with ...
May 14, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 27
This episode features a deep dive into the evolving world of outdoor content creation, brand partnerships, and community building with Aaron Lutze, former Red Bull field marketing manager turned full-time content creator and YouTuber behind "Super Rider." The conversation is rich with insights on how challenger brands can effectively partner with creators, the value of long-term brand relationships, and the future of media in the outdoor industry. Aaron shares his journey from being an OG trials...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 26
In this episode, Cassie Abel, founder and CEO of Wild Rye, joins the podcast to share the real story behind building a women-first outdoor apparel brand rooted in the mountain town of Ketchum, Idaho. Cassie opens up about the early chaos of launching Wild Rye, including a flawed first product run, a last-minute brand name change, and the realities of navigating co-founder dynamics. She also talks through the years-long process of expanding into snow outerwear and what it means to lead with intui...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 25
The one and only Kelli Jones joins host Christian Rawles to talk about how she's grown Noso Patches from creating a patch to repair her beloved puffy jacket to a thriving business on a mission to keep outdoor apparel out of the landfill. Kelli has been instrumental in creating the Title 9 Pitch Fest and has worked hard to support and advocate for other female founders in the outdoor industry. This conversation covers how Kelli puts the 'show' in trade show, how she decided to go all-in on Noso, ...
Apr 03, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 24
Andy Bethune has spent his career developing brand and marketing strategies for the biggest names in the outdoor industry and founder-led startups just getting started. In this episode, Andy breaks down the components of branding and provides actionable steps to creating a clear brand strategy. This conversation covers topics such as consumer psychology, branding fundamentals, marketing strategies for startup brands, and what the outdoor industry can learn from the hunting industry. Andy is the ...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 23
In this episode of the KORE Outdoors podcast, host Christian Rawles talks with Rob Owens, the founder and president of Onward Up Sales and Marketing, an outdoor sales agency in Western Canada. Rob shares his journey from a sponsored climber and mountain guide to building a successful sales agency representing top outdoor brands. The discussion covers the crucial role of sales reps, strategies for early-stage brands, and the intersection of alpinism and entrepreneurship. Rob provides valuable ins...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 22
In this episode of the KORE Outdoors Podcast, host Christian Rawles talks with Dan Durston, founder of Durston Gear. Based in Golden, British Columbia, Durston Gear is renowned for its innovative ultralight backpacking gear. The discussion covers valuable insights on product innovation, inventory management, and authentic marketing within the outdoor industry. Dan also emphasizes the importance of nurturing a passionate community and staying true to core values while leading a product-driven com...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 21
Jen Loofbourrow is the founder of Alpine Fit, an Anchorage-based brand focused on making functional outdoor apparel. As the name suggests, Alpine Fit has created multiple fits for its apparel so that customers can find the perfect size for them. In this conversation, we discuss the challenges that come with creating multiple fit styles and how this is an advantage that smaller brands have over larger ones. Jen talks about her experiences working for Lululemon and how the different seasons of her...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 20
Wylie Robinson is the co-founder and Chairman of Rumpl. Up until November of 2024, Wylie was the CEO of Rumpl. In 2024, Wylie stepped down as CEO and brought in Josh Simpson to be the General Manager of Rumpl. This conversation covers the early days of Rumpl, building a brand, riding the wave of changes in social media, balancing the wholesale and e-commerce channels as well as how to build a team. Show Notes: Jeremy Koreski Old Growth photo Shawn Palmer - mountain biker Rumpl's original Kicksta...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 19
Bill Amos is the Founder & CEO of NW Alpine based in Salem, Oregon. NW Alpine has been producing technical outdoor apparel in the US since 2010. For many of those years, NW Alpine produced everything in-house and was the contract manufacturer for several other brands. Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode: How alpinism prepared him for entrepreneurship Starting a USA-made brand in response to the 2008 financial crisis Lessons learned from starting, growing and eventually closi...
Jan 08, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 18
Lloyd Vogel is the CEO of Garage Grown Gear, the online retailer that has become the go-to site for ultralight backpacking gear as well as the place to discover new brands and craft gear makers. Here are a few of the topics covered in this episode: The Importance of Differentiation: Why specialty retail needs to focus on unique, valuable, and convenient offerings. Taking Risks to Stand Out: How embracing lesser-known brands can lead to success in the outdoor industry. Lessons from GGG’s Journey:...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 17
Brendan Madigan is best known for his role as the owner of Alpenglow Sports , an independent outdoor retail shop in Tahoe approaching its 50th year of business. But Brendan's real superpower is his ability to build communities. Brendan also runs the Winter Speaker Series which will hit $2 million raised for local charities in 2024. He's the co-owner and race director of the Broken Arrow Sky Race as well as the co-founder of TrailCon . Here are a few of the topics that Brendan discusses in this c...
Nov 12, 2024•57 min•Ep. 16
Cam Brensinger is the founder and CEO of NEMO Equipment, the outdoor equipment company renowned for its innovative tents, sleeping pads and sleeping bags. In this episode, Cam shares some of his mountaineering adventures that led him to start NEMO. He also tells the story of spending 12 years and $10 million before reaching profitability and how he's continued to buy out investors on his way to building a family-owned brand that will last for decades. Other topics in this episode include: * The ...
Oct 29, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 15
Casey Shaw is a product designer who has played an important role in outdoor apparel design and fabrication through his work at Cloudveil, Arcteryx and Patagonia. There’s a good chance he has contributed directly or indirectly to one of your favourite pieces of outdoor apparel. This episode is a wide-ranging conversation about how Casey approaches product design, how he thinks about innovation and the stories behind some of his favourite projects. He truly is a polymath and this conversation bar...
Oct 17, 2024•1 hr 38 min•Ep. 14
Eoin Comerford was the CEO of Moosejaw Mountaineering for 12 years, from 2012 to 2024. During his time at the Michigan-based outdoor retailer, he launched many new initiatives including the Outdoor Accelerator, a topic discussed in this episode. He also led Moosejaw through an acquisition by Walmart and, later, by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Eoin is currently an advisor to, and investor in, early-stage outdoor brands. He is the Principal at Outsize Consulting where he spends his time advising founder...
Oct 01, 2024•54 min•Ep. 13
Raquel Vélez is the founder and CEO of Alpine Parrot, a company that makes technical outdoor apparel for sizes 14-30, which, until now, has been a category that the outdoor industry has all but ignored. Raquel has a background in engineering and she used her experience working with Bay Area tech companies to springboard her journey into entrepreneurship. In this conversation, she breaks down how apparel patterns are made and why previous methods for creating plus-size apparel didn’t work. She al...
Sep 25, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 12
Georgia Grace Edwards is the co-founder and CEO of outdoor apparel brand Gnara . She is a driven business person who has raised millions of dollars for her company by winning pitch competitions and winning over investors. Gnara is well-known for its patented Go Fly zipper technology, which allows women to pee outside without removing clothing. They produce their line of apparel, like the popular Go There Pants, as well as license their Go Fly technology to other brands. In this episode, Georgia ...
Sep 11, 2024•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 11
Alex Lauver is the Senior Director of Materials, Innovation and Sustainability at Outdoor Research. As his title implies, he operates at the intersection of multiple disciplines. He works on projects that bring innovation to market as well as on the operations side of the business. It's a position that requires the ability to take complex topics and explain them in a way that makes them easy to understand. In this episode, Alex discusses the role that innovation can play in product development a...
Sep 03, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 10
James Friedrich is a senior merchant at Mountain Equipment Company and a consultant at his firm Venturing Up. James has experience on the brand side as well as on the retail side, which provides him with a unique perspective. In this episode we learn how to position your product in the market, the importance of the value equation, how to price your product and how to work with retailers to have successful sell-through of your products.
Aug 14, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 9
Robin Hall is the co-founder of Town Hall Outdoor Co, based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, which produces high-quality, sustainable outdoor apparel for kids. In this episode, we talk about utilizing in-person events to gain traction as a new brand, working with co-founders to bootstrap the business and the importance of finding the right retail partners to work with. Robin loves the outdoor industry and helping other up-and-coming brands grow. She is a founding member of the “Rural is Rad” move...
Jul 22, 2024•57 min•Ep. 8
Wes Allen owns Sunlight Sports in Cody, Wyoming with his wife, Melissa and both are advocates for strengthening the outdoor industry through independently owned retailers and brands. Wes has enjoyed a wide-ranging career in the outdoor industry: he's worked in sales at REI and Chaco and he's president of the US-based Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, a community of independent outdoor specialty retailers and brands. This episode is full of actionable advice for smaller brands looking to grow in the o...
Jun 27, 2024•54 min•Ep. 7
Mallory Ottariano is the founder and Chief Everything Officer at Youer Apparel . She started her brand as a creative side project making one-of-a-kind apparel and has grown it into a full line of active lifestyle apparel for women. Today, Mallory owns her own factory in Missoula, Montana where they produce thousands of pieces of apparel every year. Mallory has been a vocal advocate for domestic manufacturing and has grown her loyal customer base by being transparent about what it takes to run an...
Jun 13, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 6
Jamie Bond is one of the founders of RUX, the Squamish, BC-based innovative gear storage brand. In this conversation, we learn about how he and his team took RUX from an idea to a reality through a successful Kickstarter campaign. We dive into the do’s and don’ts of running a crowdfunding campaign, how to grow an early-stage e-commerce company and the importance of building a brand as well as innovative products.
May 27, 2024•56 min•Ep. 5
Greg McDonald is the General Manager of Ridley’s Cycle, an independent bike retailer with three locations in Calgary and a very successful online store. Greg is also a board member of the National Bike Dealer’s Association and, prior to Ridley’s, he was a sales rep in the outdoor and bike industry. In this episode we discuss the current situation in the bike industry and the challenges many retailers and brands are facing. We learn about some of the issues that led to the situation as well as so...
May 14, 2024•58 min•Ep. 4
Eleven years ago Ryan Popov began Popov Leather as a passion project, hand-crafting wallets on his dining room table during nights and weekends. Since then, his company has shipped over 120,000 orders through Shopify and it now employs over 20 people at a workshop in Nelson, British Columbia. The latest episode of the KORE Outdoors Podcast is a deep dive into e-commerce and digital marketing. Ryan has turned his focus on learning as much as he can about running a successful e-commerce business a...
Apr 30, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 3
Louis-Julien Roy is the Founder & President of Mountain Exposure , a sales agency in Western Canada serving both the outdoor and cycling industries. Mountain Exposure is also the Canadian distributor of Ibis Bikes. In this episode, we discuss the role of sales representatives and best practices for early-stage brands to work with reps. We dive into the tactics of selling your products to retailers and the art of relational selling. This episode is full of actionable advice on how to sell you...
Apr 15, 2024•51 min•Ep. 2
