Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards Winners Unveiled at Summer Market
Larry Burke and Greg Thomsen honored with Lifetime Achievement awards
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, California – (June 19, 2019)– The winners of the ninth annual Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards presented by adidas Outdoor were announced by Outdoor Retaileron the first night of Summer Market, Tuesday, June 18, in Denver. The five category awards were presented, and Larry Burke, founder and editor in chief of Outside, and Greg Thomsen, chief outdoor officer at adidas Outdoor, were both honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards recognize those that inspire and encourage others to enjoy, participate in and support outdoor recreation, and the ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
“This year’s winners of the Outdoor Retailer Inspiration Awards presented by adidas Outdoor are all focused on taking people into the outdoors where they learn about the natural world, about conservation, and about themselves,” said Marisa Nicholson, Outdoor Retailer vice president and show director. “We were honored to celebrate their remarkable work, and to pay tribute to both Larry Burke and Greg Thomsen for their decades-long dedication to the industry we love.”
Burke is the founder, chairman and editor-in-chief of Outside Integrated Media. Since starting Outside over 43 years ago, it has grown from a magazine to a global brand with multiple platforms, reaching approximately 40 million people every month. As Burke described, “Outside encourages people to ‘Live Bravely’ in their everyday lives…and to get outside…there’s no place like it.”
Thomsen has been part of the outdoor industry since 1970, working as a climbing guide, sales rep, specialty retailer, product designer, marketer, and company founder and owner. He led the launch of adidas Outdoor 10 years ago, and he has long been dedicated to supporting the climbing community.
Category awards were presented for individual, manufacturer, retailer, nonprofit, and youth, and PayPal Credit was presenting sponsor of both the manufacturer and retailer awards. The winners were determined by a judging panel based on impact, creativity, philanthropy, sustainability, engagement, longevity and other factors as presented with the nominations.
This year’s winners:
Individual: Jenny Bruso, founder of Unlikely Hikers
Manufacturer: Vericool, Inc.
Retailer: Arrive
Nonprofit: City Kids Wilderness Project
Youth: Joseph Goldstein, founder of Kids for the Boundary Waters
More information on each of the winners can be found at outdoorretailer.com.
Outdoor industry and event veteran Liz Ferrin worked with Outdoor Retailer to produce the awards. Ferrin has also facilitated the production of Outdoor Retailer’s Innovation Awards and Sundance Film Festival activation, among other programs.
Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is back in to Denver this week to launch the summer outdoor season. The tradeshow, which runs from June 18-20, 2019, at the Colorado Convention Center, features over 1,400 exhibiting brands and more than 25,000 attendees.
Summer Market is one of three shows hosted by Outdoor Retailer annually in Denver, also including Snow Show in January and Winter Market in November. Cycling brands and suppliers will now join outdoor exhibitors, retailers, bike dealers, buyers, and advocacy organizations on the show floor at Winter Market, which takes place November 5-7, 2019.
For information on exhibiting or sponsorship opportunities at Outdoor Retailer shows, contact Krista Dill, director of sales, at Krista.Dill@www.outdoorretailer.comor an Outdoor Retaileraccount executive.
About Outdoor Retailer
Outdoor Retailer brings together retailers, manufacturers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of outdoor recreation through trade shows, Outdoor Retailer Magazine, product demo events, media events and web-based business solutions. The Outdoor Retailer trade shows are the premier outdoor industry events for North America, providing platforms for critical face-to-face business initiatives, line previews, innovations, launches, networking and retailer education. Visit outdoorretailer.com for more information.
Outdoor Retailer is owned by Emerald Expositions, a leading operator of business-to-business trade shows in the United States. The company currently operates 60 trade shows, as well as numerous other face-to-face events. In 2018, Emerald’s events connected over 500,000 global attendees and exhibitors and occupied nearly 7 million net square feet of exhibition space.
Media Contact
Lisa Ramsperger
Outdoor Retailer
lisa.ramsperger@www.outdoorretailer.com
(949) 225-3329