Channel Mastery

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 agency of her brother-in-law, Tom Gordon, she packed her bags and moved to Boulder, CO, in 1994. At that time, Tom and she were pioneering a few small, unknown brands: Osprey Packs, Chaco Footwear, and Atlas Snowshoes, which dominate the outdoor industry today. Over the years, Mtn Stuff has grown quite a bit, and with Tom’s retirement, Leta found herself at the helm of an agency with a dynamic and experienced sales team.

The life she found as a rep in the outdoor industry is beyond any profession she could have imagined. What struck her immediately when she started were the people. The people with whom she works with, her team, retailers, and vendors have all been nothing short of wonderful. It seems as though she picked this industry because it’s what she loves and loves to do: play in the outdoors.

Leta loves to find the activities that can be done with her team, retailers, and vendors because it brings them all together to experience nature and the outdoors in its proper place and away from computers, registers, boxes, and polybags.

Show Highlights: 

Leta Kalfas, the CEO and Founder of MTNSTUFF joins the show to chat about the growth of the outdoor industry, retail stakeholders, vendor relationships, differentiation in a crowded market, and the evolution of relevancy between retailers and a vendor. Kristin and Leta also dive into trade shows, buying patterns, developing relationships in the industry, pandemic pivots, lengthening the buy-sell cycles, and more! 

The largest takeaway from the show relates to where retailers are currently at. Returning to the early pandemic days, outdoor recreators multiplied as the outdoors became a safe haven. Retailers, larger brands, and .coms saw large surges in the space. While 2020 and 2021 saw immense growth, then came supply chain issues that have resulted in canceled orders, extensions in cancel dates, and more. Leta is hearing that supply chain issues will last into at least 2024, and orders are 

RELATED LINKS

Leta on LinkedIn - linkedin.com/in/leta-kalfas-7947a14

MTNSTUFF Website - ​​mtnstuff.com

Outdoor Market Alliance - outdoormarketalliance.org

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 close to. 

Show notes:

We produce the Channel Mastery podcast for one reason: To equip and inspire our audience of executive leaders in outdoor recreation to drive their businesses toward expansion during an unprecedented time of change and opportunity. That only works when we commit to trying new strategies and approaches in our businesses. Let’s face it: We know well that what got us here will not get us to the expansion, growth, and purpose we know our teams and brands are capable of going forward.

Part of bringing our mission to life is to recruit the best experts from broader retail and business and tailor their insights to our audience of outdoor recreation executive leaders. And by tailoring, we mean customizing new approaches into actionable strategies you can build into your company. That’s what we brought to life with our sponsor Life Time, Inc., at the Sea Otter Classic Executive Summit this past April, and that’s what we’re bringing to life every week here and going into the 2023 Summit.

Today’s guest is one of the most exceptional resources we have to date to bring the mission of Channel Mastery and the Sea Otter Classic Executive Summit to life. Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton served as Co-CEOs of Omnitalk Retail and were featured speakers at the Summit, and are repeat guests on the Channel Mastery podcast. 

In this episode, we have Anne in the chair, and she’s brought her A-Game! Yes, she over-delivers insightful broader-market retail trends that bring a ton of consumer insight as we head toward 2023. Anne also brings creative and actionable strategies to combat the myriad of challenges in retail today, including the inventory glut. Through this episode, you’ll be challenged to reconsider the retail experience we’re responsible for creating in outdoor recreation. Anne shares what she’s discovered in other retail sectors in her visits this summer with Omnitalk. One of the most powerful facets of this interview is when Anne shares her approaches to empowering the consumer with unexpectedly simple ideas and experiences that bring your store and brand into the consumer's day-to-day in a way that just wasn’t possible before. And who would have thought that retailers could double as banks to their consumers and build trust while doing so? You’ll learn so many new approaches to being far more than a retailer (and all brands are also retailers today) in this show!

This is exactly the type of inspirational big thinking that’s relevant and replicable to the outdoor recreation space and just what we’re proud to offer you on Channel Mastery every week. We hope you enjoy and share this episode! Let us know your thoughts on LinkedIn, and thank you for listening! 

The Channel Mastery podcast is presented by Verde Brand Communications, a consumer-centric brand strategy and communication agency serving the outdoor recreation industries. We are also grateful for the sponsorship and partnership of Life Time, Inc., owner of the Sea Otter Classic and producer of the Sea Otter Classic Summit outdoor recreation executive gathering, taking place April 18-20, 2023, in Monterey, Calif. Learn more at Seaotterclassicsummit.com.

Links:

• OmniTalk.blog
• Anne Mezzenga’s LinkedIn profile - https://www.linkedin.com/in/annemezzenga/
• Omnitalk episode / show¹ with Alviere, and the website² for Alviere’s full-stack commerce platform
  • 1 - https://omnitalk.blog/2022/08/15/spotlight-series-the-411-on-embedded-finance-with-alviere-ceo-yuval-brisker/
  • 2 -  https://alviere.com/
• Omnitalk episode with Volumental show link¹, here is the link to Volumental’s website²
  • 1 - https://omnitalk.blog/2022/03/27/spotlight-series-making-sure-the-shoe-fits-so-you-can-wear-it-with-volumental-cmo-brent-hollowell/
  • 2 - https://volumental.com/

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 help outdoor recreation brand leaders modernize their businesses to be exceptional to today’s connected shoppers. 

Show Highlights: 

In this solo-cast episode of the Channel Mastery podcast, Kristin brings resources and a call to action to leaders of outdoor recreation brands to boldly adopt and execute new approaches, minimizing risk along the way. The year 2022 is proving to be one of the most unique to date in terms of leading through a challenging business climate, considering headwinds from inflation, supply-chain woes, softening consumer sentiment, and global political unrest, all underscored by one of the most divisive times in history. This episode of the Channel Mastery podcast declares 2022 to be: The Year of The Great Weirdness. 

In this episode, Kristin reflects on how our “best-laid plans” continue to elude even the most disciplined of teams and shares tips on adopting new approaches with quick execution to further growth and traction. This episode also covers the outdoor rec consumer’s resemblance to luxury consumers, a Q3 view on consumer ‘buying vs. spending’, and hand-selected resources, including an ‘ode to evolving the legacy supply chain’ by Doug Stephens, the “Retail Prophet,” and Euromonitor International's take on the luxury consumer, and more. 

RELATED LINKS

Listen to More Channel Mastery Episodes Like This:

• Channel Mastery: 191 with Scott Buelter

• Ecommerce Times: Luxury Consumers Dismiss Inflation, Say ‘Full Shopping Ahead!’

• Euromonitor International’s: Five Trends Shaping the Global Luxury Goods Landscape

• Remarkable Retail: Understanding 'Buying' vs. 'Shopping'

• Retail Prophet: The Future of Retail in the New Era of Risk

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, improved management for outdoor recreation, and thousands of outdoor enthusiasts awakened to conservation and advocacy work. He is an avid whitewater kayaker and mountain biker, but is always on the lookout for a good skatepark. Adam lives in Maryland with his wife and two kids

Show notes:

On Friday, August 12, 2022, Congress passed the largest ever climate package in the Inflation Reduction Act, an absolute landmark piece of legislation. Channel Mastery has never done an episode on any sort of legislation before today; but know that this show was prioritized. Why? Because of the landmark impact that the IRA is destined to have on our businesses. What’s more, this is a far-reaching (both in scope and timeframe) bill that will create new awareness among our consumers – the outdoor recreation enthusiast. Channel Mastery is 100-percent about understanding our brand fans and target consumers and this bill will ‘train’ them to expect more responsible businesses and brand practices concerning climate mitigation going forward. 

The bill is sweeping and complex, and we’ve procured the perfect guide for our episode today in Adam Cramer, the CEO of the Outdoor Alliance, the only non-profit organization in the U.S. that unites the voices of outdoor enthusiasts to conserve public lands and ensure those lands are managed in a way that embraces the human-powered experience. The Outdoor Alliance connects conservation with climate, which positions Adam’s perspective as critical to you, Channel Mastery’s executive audience of outdoor rec business leaders. The Outdoor Alliance is a coalition of national advocacy organizations that includes American Whitewater, American Canoe Association, Access Fund, International Mountain Bicycling Association, Winter Wildlands Alliance, the Mountaineers, the American Alpine Club, the Mazamas, the Colorado Mountain Club, and the Surfrider Foundation. 

The Inflation Reduction Act will be on President Biden’s desk by the time you listen to this show, but the interview you’re about to hear in episode 192 is evergreen in that it underscores a tipping point moment in climate and conservation.

Paul Krugman, Opinion Columnist with The New York Times, in his piece “Did Democrats just Save Civilization?” wrote: “This is a very big deal. The act isn’t, by itself, enough to avert climate disaster. But it is a huge step in the right direction and sets the stage for more action in the years ahead. It will catalyze progress in green technology; its economic benefits will make passing additional legislation easier; it gives the United States the credibility it needs to lead a global effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions.” Senator John Hickenlooper (D) Colorado, summed up the bill in his newsletter by describing it as the largest climate rescue investment by any country ever. 

The Outdoor Alliance website has informative summary blog posts about the IRA, outlining how the $373 billion funding package will mitigate climate change through investments that will accelerate our transition to clean energy. The bill also includes billions of dollars for wildfire mitigation, forest management, and conservation. 

While this hard-fought legislative win most certainly benefits humanity as a whole, it’s crucial to highlight what this means to the business of outdoor recreation and how we, as corporate citizens, have an opportunity and responsibility to step up and heap on awareness and visibility of what’s going to emerge from this game-changing legislation. Whether it's sharing the details and impact of the IRA on the health of the planet and the places we cherish as outdoor recreationalists with our internal teams or on how your brand and reach can further the traction on climate change mitigation, the time to elevate this to our important stakeholders in our outdoor rec businesses is now. 

Also, note that consumers will vote with their dollars more than ever before as the road to doing the right thing will be highlighted in the coming months and years, thanks to the IRA. 

The Channel Mastery podcast is presented by Verde Brand Communications and Life Time, Inc., owner of the Sea Otter Classic and producer of the Sea Otter Classic Summit outdoor recreation executive gathering, taking place April 18-20, 2023, in Monterey, Calif. 

Links:

• Show sponsors: Verde Brand Communications, Life Time, Inc. 
• The Outdoor Alliance website makes it easy to thank local / state Lawmakers and has numerous blog posts about climate and conservation, and the many bridges between the IRA and outdoor recreation
• The New York Times, Did Democrats just Save Civilization? August 8, 2022, Paul Krugman 
• The National Wildlife Federation writes “Inflation Reduction Act a “Historic” Win for Climate, Wildlife
• As Congress funds high-tech climate solutions, it also bets on a low-tech one: Nature

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 received an MBA from the University of California–Irvine and a Bachelor of Science in economics from the University of San Diego, in addition to studying at the London School of Economics and the Institute of Education Sciences in Berlin and Vienna.

Show Highlights:

The current economic climate is volatile and at times confusing for consumers. This can make for a challenging time for brands and speciality retailers.  We were grateful when Scott wanted to come back on the podcast and talk about how brands can navigate the current times. Kicking off by talking about inflation and the importance of knowing how inflation will affect your consumers. He continued on with his recommendations on how leaders can end the year on a strong path forward. Leaving with his best piece of advice - taking data seriously and using data to make the best business decisions for your brand or retailer.

Related Links:

https://ascent360.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/ascent-crm/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottbuelter/

https://twitter.com/Ascent360

https://www.verdepr.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kcarpediem/

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 help specialty brand leaders modernize their businesses to be exceptional to today’s connected shoppers. 

Show Highlights:

In this special solo cast episode of the Chanel Mastery podcast, Kristin dives into the level setting we’re seeing in the business landscape and, more specifically, in the outdoor industry as we head into one of the largest buying periods of the year. Kristin touches on the regression of the Covid-timed consumer, economic slowdown, consumer spending trends, heald inventory, and the important months ahead that can not only shape how we finish this year but also set the tone for the partnerships we have and how we work to maintain and build trust with our consumers in 2023 and beyond. 

RELATED LINKS

Listen to More Channel Mastery Episodes Like This:

Jay Townley: “The future ain’t what it used to be”

Tackling Inflation and Margin Pressure in the Sporting Goods Industry

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 levels. 

RELATED LINKS

Lifetime

Kimo on Twitter

Kimo on LinkedIn
Kristin on Instagram
Verde Brand Communications

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 longevity. 

Traditionally, companies debuted new products once or twice a year in conjunction with industry trade shows, but times are changing. Today’s consumers want new products to be delivered fast and within their timeframe, and they also want their products to be sustainable.  As it stands now, legacy brands seem to face challenges in meeting these demands. During the pandemic, we also saw that many companies are unprepared for massive events that impact production. With climate change, retail production will continue to be impacted in the future, so companies need to think ahead to meet these challenges. Join us to hear the advice Liza gives to retailers and other companies to help them be prepared for unpredictability, and at the forefront of the industry in a fast paced world. 

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, outdoor-focused businesses targeted younger audiences, but times are changing. More so now than ever, older generations are getting outside and participating in outdoor recreation. Within the next 10 years, we could see one out of five outdoor participants in the over 65 age group, as stated by Bradley. These companies who once focused so heavily on younger audiences will need to adapt to the new marketplace. 

It is imperative that businesses begin to take a look at how they perceive and approach older people. How exactly does Bradley think these businesses should tackle that problem? How can companies take advantage of these older generations who are eager to enter the outdoor workforce? Join us to hear Bradley answer these questions and discuss much more in this informational episode. 

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 brands can’t wait until insane external pressures are in the rear-view mirror. To the contrary, the brands that will effectively adapt today and go on to sustain competitive advantage are helmed by leaders who invest their days not in infrastructure, system, and process, but what matters most: their people.