KORE Outdoors Podcast
Give your ears something to smile about.
The outdoors and the office unite in a new podcast that helps entrepreneurs, designers, and makers improve the way they do business in the gear manufacturing sector. Through conversations with various professionals, the KORE Outdoors podcast shares strategies and insights that can help every creator working in the outdoor equipment space to take their craft gear from here and catapult it into the global marketplace.
Episodes will be found on all major podcast platforms as well as on KORE’s YouTube channel starting April 2024 and will include conversations with various business people. Follow KORE’s social channels for more info about the KORE Outdoors Podcast.
EPISODE #20 – Jen Loofbourrow of Alpine Fit: Alaskan-made Apparel
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 career prepared her for launching Alpine Fit.
EPISODE #19 – Wylie Robinson of Rumpl on Creating a Brand & Building a Business
Wylie Robinson is the co-founder and Chairman of Rumpl, an American-based manufacturer of outdoor gear such as blankets, towels, and mats. 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. Other discussion topics include Rumpl’s original Kickstarter page and its iconic image, the company’s website, mountain biker Shawn Palmer and Canadian photographer Jeremy Koreski.
EPISODE #18 – Bill Amos of NW Alpine: From Alpinist to Entrepreneur
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, the company produced everything in-house and was the contract manufacturer for several other brands. A few of the topics covered in this episode include 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 closing a factory; why manufacturing in the US is critical for the future of the economy.
EPISODE #17 – Making Specialty Retail Truly Special
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. A few of the topics covered in this episode include why specialty retail needs to focus on unique, valuable, and convenient offerings, how embracing lesser-known brands can lead to success in the outdoor industry, the role of strategic partnerships and supporting vendors with innovative solutions like small loans, and tips on leveraging giveaways, email lists, and existing communities for growth.
EPISODE #16 – Building Community Through Business
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. He’s the co-owner and race director of the Broken Arrow Sky Race as well as the co-founder of TrailCon even and his Winter Speaker Series has raised $2M for local charities in 2024. In this episode Brendan discusses a lot including how he trains and retains long-term staff at Alpenglow, how he is building a community of customers through Alpenglow Sports and the events he runs, why specialty retail shops have a responsibility to give back to their community and the important role that challenger brands play in the outdoor industry.
EPISODE #15 – Building a Company With a $0 Ad Spend
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 bravery that comes from ignorance, how adventure brings out the best of us, the benefits of being a privately-owned company and the importance of having people who will challenge you.
EPISODE #14 – The Theory of Comfort
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 also talks about why climbing is the best activity for testing apparel, what it’s like working for Yvon Chouinard, designing the world’s best down parka and the theory of comfort.
EPISODE #13 – Your Plan To Profitability
Eoin Comerford was the CEO of Moosejaw Mountaineering for 12 years, from 2012 to 2024. During his time at the 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 founders and working with retailers and investors in the outdoor industry. A few of the topics covered in this episode are: 3 things every founder should focus on; pitfalls to avoid when raising investment capital; how to create a plan to profitability; and the advice Eoin gives every founder he works with.
EPISODE #12 – The Importance of Mentors & Peers
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 also discusses the important role that mentors, peers and her time in accelerator programs have played in keeping her going through turbulent times.
EPISODE #11 – The Power of Pitch Competitions
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 Grace talks about the power of pitch competitions, how to grow customer loyalty by being transparent, and why solving a real problem is the best inspiration for facing the challenges of growing a brand.
EPISODE #10 – The Future of Innovation
Alex Lauver is the Senior Director of Materials, Innovation and Sustainability at Outdoor Research. In this episode, he discusses how to foster innovation within an organization and shares his perspective on sustainability within the outdoor industry as well as the challenges we face moving to a more circular economy. He also gives an overview of PFAS substances, what they are, and how new regulations will change the way technical apparel is manufactured.
EPISODE #9 – How to Price Your Product
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.
EPISODE #8 – How to Gain Traction as a New Brand
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” movement, which helps shine a light on the brands that are being started in smaller communities.
EPISODE #7 – The Importance of Independent Brands and Retailers
Wes Allen is the co-owner of Sunlight Sports in Cody, Wyoming and is an advocate for strengthening the outdoor industry through independently owned retailers and brands. He has worked with REI and Chaco in the past and is the 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 outdoor industry. Wes explains omni-channel selling and why he believes it’s the best way for both brands and retailers to succeed. He also gives some excellent tips brands can incorporate to improve their selling to retailers.
EPISODE #6 – Building a US Clothing Factory
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. In this episode, we talk about what it takes to get a brand started, her struggle to find reliable factories, and how her loyal customers funded her expansion to start her own factory.
EPISODE #5 – Reinventing Gear Storage
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.
EPISODE #4 – Bike Industry Deep-Dive
Greg McDonald is a board member of the National Bike Dealer’s Association and the General Manager of Ridley’s Cycle, an independent bike retailer with three locations in Calgary and a very successful online store. 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 some potential solutions. We also get into the details about how brands can better support retailers through improved sales programs and partnerships that create win-win situations at every level of the industry.
EPISODE #3 – The Secrets to E-Commerce
Ryan Popov began Popov Leather as a passion project. Today, the Nelson, BC-based company has shipped over 120,000 orders through Shopify and employs 20 people at a workshop in Nelson, British Columbia. This episode is a deep dive into e-commerce and digital marketing. We discuss digital ads, where to start with email marketing, the importance of customer reviews, and the most important hire he made that helped fuel his growth.
EPISODE #2 – Selling To Retailers
Louis-Julien Roy is the founder and 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. This episode of the podcast touches on the role of sales representatives and best practices for early-stage brands to work with reps. We dive into the art of relational selling and share actionable advice on how to sell your products in the outdoor and bike markets.
EPISODE #1 – Founding a First-of-its-Kind Product
Carina Hamel and Robby Ringer are the wife and husband partners behind Bivo, the performance hydration company that hit the market in 2020 with the first-of-its-kind stainless steel water bottle built specifically for cycling. In this episode, they touch on the R&D that went into creating a stainless steel bottle, which outperforms a plastic squeeze bottle, their grassroots tactics to build a following before even creating a product, the heartbreak of a faulty first production run, the power of live events to find customers, and much more.
