With it’s long history in the industry and new leadership, Eagle Creek is a welcome addition to our group. We are excited to be working with Michael Millenacker and his team at Eagle Creek. Their devotion to outdoor specialty retail is clearly evident by their commitment to the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. Eagle Creek will compliment our commitment to bringing quality products to our neighborhoods.

Eagle Creek was founded in 1975, and is credited with inventing the adventure travel gear category by introducing the industry’s first convertible backpack on wheels, and is revolutionizing the way travelers pack with its PackIt  folders, cubes, sacs and toiletry kit organizing system.

2010 SNEWS® / Backpacker Retailer of the Year awards were presented at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market during an after-show gathering at the Red Door on Jan. 21. Rod Johnson, president of Midwest Mountaineering, in Minneapolis, Minn., was all smiles as he accepted the award for the overall 2010 Retailer of the Year (see image to right — picture left to right are Michael Hodgson, president of SNEWS, Jon Dorn, editor in chief of Backpacker, and Rod Johnson). Johnson and his team also garnered a best-in-class award for community involvement.

This is the second year in a row Midwest Mountaineering has been honored with a Retailer of the Year (ROTY) award. Last year, the store took top honors for encouraging the growth of outdoor sports. This year, as overall winner, Johnson wins an all-expense paid trip to Munich, Germany, sponsored by the ispo trade show, to attend the ispo winter show Feb. 7-10, 2010.

Five other stores were recognized for being best-in-class in each of the following categories:

•     Sustainable business: Dynamic Earth Equipment Company – Springfield, MO
•     Conservation: Great Outdoor Provision Co. – Raleigh, NC
•     Youth involvement: Rutabaga Paddlesports – Madison, WI 
•     Growth of outdoor sports: Appalachian Outdoors – State College, PA
•     Online: Backcountry.com – Salt Lake City, Utah

SNEWS and Backpacker magazine congratulate all of these winners, and all of those nominated. Nine other stores — Backwoods, Campbound.com, Half Moon Outfitters (winner of the 2009 best-in-class award for sustainable business), Mountain Gear, Nantahala Outdoor Center, REI, Pack & Paddle, The Trailhead, and Rock/Creek (winner of the 2009 best-in-class award for online business) made the final 15 in the rounds of judging and will, along with the six award winners, be honored with feature stories over the next few months in SNEWS.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Welcomes Peregrine Outfitters as a Vendor Partner

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is proud to announce  another new vendor partner, Peregrine Outfitters.   

Peregrine Outfitters is a wholesale distributor supplying outdoor retailers worldwide with over 6000 outdoor accessories, equipment and books. Peregrine stocks products from hundreds of manufacturers and publishers to make business easier and more profitable. Peregrine is consistently rated as one of the top vendors to do business with by industry surveys. Since providing excellent products service is a foundation of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, Peregrine Outfitters is a welcome addition to our list of vendor partners.

Visit Peregrine Outfitters at the Winter Outdoor Retailer Show at Booth #32031.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance now boasts 33 members, 73 stores, 52 vendors, and 5 consultant service providers.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is proud to announce the addition of Nau as a Vendor Partner.

Nau (pronounced “now”) is a clothing company based in Portland, OR. Nau products are all about sustainable fashion: timeless colors, smart design, eco-friendly materials and simple care. Innovative, evolutionary and sustainable. Nau is a perfect fit with the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance.  Gordon Seabury, President of Nau states: “We are pleased to add Nau to our existing partnership with Grassroots Outdoor Alliance.  This important group of outdoor specialty retail leaders will be a powerful force in the ongoing evolution of the Outdoor Industry and we are honored to be a part of it.”

Visit Nau at the Outdoor Retailer Show to view their Fall 2010 collection.

Here's an inspirational story about quality outdoor products, and the people, vision, and dreams behind them. From creation to continuation, Outdoor Research (OR) has been dedicated to finding specific niches in the outdoor industry and improving the performance of gear encompassed in that niche. OR clearly states their goal is to "design and manufacture innovative products for outdoor recreation and travel that are of the highest quality, reasonably priced, truly functional, and as versatile as possible." Enjoy this video from Outdoor Research, and we hope you see why Rock/Creek is proud to bring such a rewarding company through our doors to share with our customers via in stores or online at rockcreek.com Shop OR at Rock/Creek >