Marmot SP09 Sales Meeting

Sunday, Brian and myself spent all week in Santa Rosa to view and learn about the great new Marmot line...you should start getting excited already. Great bags, carryables and new tent features highlighted the hardgoodw, while rich colors and fabrics were the talk of Sportswear. AND THE BIGGEST NEW FOR LAST: Marmot Membrain 2.5...by far one of the best technologies we have come up with yet! i will be sending an email blast around soon with all the amazing features of this product!! Get excited!!!
We are creating our PPCD now, as well as starting to schedule preshows, but are eager to show you the new line! And don't forget about MORE trade show! If you have not heard about this new and exciting show, check out the website at www.morexchange.org.
Look forward to seeing you all during the upcoming trade shows!!

MORE Show announces special programs!!

MORE show announces special programs and retailer incentives, including free lodging

Madison, WI—The MORE show is the newest outdoor trade show on the calendar, and from the outset its announced mission was to breathe new life into the regional trade show format. As part of that mission, Show Director Scott Lynch has released the following details regarding special programs for the show.

“The signature program of the event will be the Fashion Show,” said Lynch. The show will be held on the roof of the Monona Terrace Convention Center, with lake views in one direction and the downtown skyline in the other. “It’s a perfect setting for a fun event that is focused on the outdoors. We’ll have cocktails and appetizers to enjoy, and exhibitors will have a chance to get their goods seen not just by those with whom they were able to secure appointments, but by everyone.” He continued, “It is, by far, the most effective way to prospect for new business.” The fashion show is not just for apparel, either. Wearable or portable accessories from bags and packs to watches, sunglasses, or climbing harnesses can be included.

There are a number of incentives created especially for retailers. Lynch offered the following details, “As we all know, the driving force behind an early show is the discounts. But we want to do even better.” To that end, retailers will have many ways they can accumulate entries into a prize drawing. Prizes will include many types of gear, plus gas cards and the grand prize, two nights hotel stay. Lynch elaborated, “Each retailer who pre-registers automatically receives one entry. And every qualifying order submitted at the show earns another entry. Retailers who plan ahead and can pull the trigger on site will have the best chance of winning great prizes.” Retailers who pre-register by June 1 receive an extra chance to win.

“Retailers know who their core vendors are,” he says, “and they know which categories have worked for them in the past. One of the goals at the MORE show is to encourage retailers to write these orders on-site.” There is no reason, he argues, to put this off. “Between vendor discounts for early write and our special MORE show incentives, you literally have someone willing to do it now rather than later, Lynch points out. With this business done, it frees buyers to spend more time working on things like evaluating new categories and new vendors. “Our goal is to create a marketplace at the intersection of these two modes—the tried-and-true and the new and different, and to do it in a way that is cost- and time-efficient.”

The MORE show will be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison, WI July 22-24, 2008. Details can be found at www.morexchange.org.

For further information/contact
Scott Lynch
MORE Show Director
info@morexchange.org

Snow Peak at the Alpine Shop SWAP!!

This is Vanessa reporting on another wonderful Alpine Shop SWAP event, which took place May 2-4 in St. Louis:
I have loved SWAP since i first started working there in college. But now to go back as a rep and take part in such a fun sale from the other side is exciting and amazingly fun! Brian and i went down again this first weekend of May to participate in the Alpine Shop's 15th Annual Spring SWAP sale. And this time, we had an opportunity to take part of the Snow Peak sample kitchen with us!
My good friend that works at the shop's boyfriend (who is a trained chef, unlike myself!) agreed to cook the meal for us. He said it was fairly easy to use and i was just amazed and what he could create on an outside stove running off of 250g IsoButane canisters!!
John created a roasted eggplant and fresh mozzarella flat bread, a large pot of gumbo and fried polenta with fresh cheese!! Seriously, i was going to make hot dogs! Thank you so much to John for all your hard work and thanks to Snow Peak for letting us use the product!
Another great part was that Alpine Shop is super eco-conscious, so it was almost a zero waste event!! We had a blast and sold a lot! Thanks everyone and John!!!

SWAP continued!

As always, the line stretched well around the corner with people waiting in line from 3:30pm and on! There is always a big crowd for this event because the discounts are the best the first night! And with the great smells coming from our kitchen...well, who could resist?
Here is a side view of the boats, anxiously awaiting the sale to start. Dont' they look excited?
This was a fun set-up. Outside the tent as people were waiting to get in, a missouri trail building organization was making smoothies for people. The only catch was that you had to blend them yourself by pedaling the bike! It was pretty fun to watch!
Here is a great shot of Brian and John, eating and working (respectively) at the Snow Peak kitchen stand. We had a blast with the kitchen and peaked everyone's interest with our new LiteMax Stove- a 1.9oz titanium stove that retail for $55!!!! Everyone should have 5!! Thanks, Alpine Shop, for letting us come down and participate in such a fun event!

"Gear of the Year" Awards from Outside Magazine

Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt and Aura 2-Person Tent Win Outside Magazine’s 2008 “Gear of the Year” Awards

Santa Rosa, CA – Marmot’s recycled DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt and Marmot’s lightweight Aura 2-Person Tent have won Outside Magazine’s 2008 “Gear of the Year” Award in both shell and tent categories. According to Outside Magazine, this is the first time any company has won two awards in two separate categories in the same season.

The awards are featured in Outside Magazine’s 2008 Summer Buyer’s Guide. Over the past year, the guide tested and reviewed 392 new, outdoor-related products. “The Buyer’s Guide has become a defining catalog of world-class clothing and equipment in recent years” explains Tom Fritz, Marmot’s Vice President of Marketing. “It is a big deal for Marmot to take two awards in this summer issue” adds Fritz.

The DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt is a versatile, athletic, wind and water resistant – and recycled – jacket. As the next step in the Marmot’s DriClime® evolution, the Catalyst uses UpCycle™ fabric in the bi-component lining (100%) and a recycled polyester face fabric (88%) with an additional Eco DWR. It also has a completely recycled zipper. Greg Houser, Marmot’s Vice President of Design and Production explains, “The Catalyst shows us what is possible when we integrate Marmot’s UpCycle™ technologies into our products.”

Marmot’s Aura 2-Person Tent, featured in Outside’s 2008 Summer Buyer’s Guide in an impressive two-page spread, won “Gear of The Year” for its remarkable spaciousness, innovative pole design and added lightweight value (with fly it weighs in at 4 lbs, 6 oz). “We were looking to give the consumer a high-value, all-mountain backpacking tent with greater ‘habitability’ than ever before,” explains Jeff Blakely, Director and Category Manager of Equipment. “I think we nailed it with the Aura,” he adds.

For more information about Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt and Marmot’s Aura 2-Person Tent, visit www.marmot.com or visit www.OutsideOnline.com. Under “videos” click on 2008 Summer Buyer's Guide and look for Outside Editor Sam Moulton’s review of the Catalyst and Aura in addition to other products highlighted in Outside’s 2008 Buyer’s Guide.

OBoZ review in Running Times!!!

The Ignition continues to shine!!

Gillam's Spring Road Report

The last three weeks have found me up north for most of the time. The week of April 8th was spent with Granger's and Marmot Clinics in our big box stores in and around the twin cities. I also had a chance to stop by the U of M's Center for Outdoor Adventure to see what things were going on in the college outdoor life and they were getting ready to open a new climbing wall. Then it was back home for a week to take care of my nearly one year old Newfie puppy, Sophie.
I started the week of the 21st up in Pewaukee, WI for a boulder comp at Adventure Rock Gym. Good Job, Craig and Andy, for making the night such a success with almost 100 people in attendance Monday night!

Then it was off to Chicago for a quick stop for a few clinics at Dick's and Cabela's, and my glorious return to the twin cities to meet up with Sunday. We made our rounds and stopped by Hoigaard's, Sport's Hut and Joe's Sporting Goods for clinic. The stores are looking great, now we just need the spring weather to go along with the great displays ( it is currently a rain/snow mix as i write this blog!)
But if spring isnt' your thing, just head up to Ely and Grand Marais as i did on Friday. I found countless lakes that were ice covered and the area was expecting up to a foot of snow that night! This last cold snap is really putting people in the mood for spring up there!

Duluth was next and congrats to the guys at Continental for their great PreCip sales already this spring. The gang at W-Trek is anxiously awaiting their first shipment of OBoZ with a few of their staff already impressed with their own pairs!

Saturday and Sunday will be very full days with the Midwest Mountaineering Spring Expo in Minneapolis. Good work to everyone involved with the expo, the store looks great! Well, off to the next leg...until next time!~Gillam

Granger's changing distribution!

We regret to inform you that effective April 30, 2008, Axis Outdoors will no longer be distributing Granger's after-care products. We have really enjoyed our relationship with this company and are sad to see them go! In the meantime, we will be sending out info regarding our current inventory levels. Stay tuned!

Updates for Centerstone!!

Dear Marmot Retailers and Sales Reps,

Marmot online ordering is moving to http://app.ivendix.com. The application will be unavailable from Monday, March 24th through Wednesday, March 26th while we make this exciting move. Your previous user name and password will still work.

Important note: Work in Progress orders will not be available in the new application. Previously submitted orders will be available.

With iVendix, powered by CenterStone Technologies, you will have all of the features you had before plus many enhancements:

Improved navigation and workflow
Ability to search for more than one item number at a time Display of product images in ASAP ordering Enhanced Catalog View New cut and paste order creation in the worksheet Ability to choose up to six ship dates in the worksheet Enhanced inventory report accessible from multiple touch points within the application All past B2B order history will be available Tracking numbers viewable through shipping notifications Reporting module built into the application for sales reps and internal users Offline/Spreadsheet module for sales reps ? coming soon Compatible with Internet Explorer 6.0+ and Firefox 2.0

If you have any problems or would like a quick training overview, please contact CenterStone Technologies at:
support@centerstonetech.com 877-757-3681

Marmot Wins Backpacker Editor's Choice Awards!!

Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt & Ultra-light Sleeping Bag Series
Named Backpacker 2008 Editor’s Choice Award Winners

Santa Rosa, CA – Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt and Marmot’s Ultra-light, Down Sleeping Bags have been honored as recipients of the 2008 Backpacker Magazine Editors’ Choice Award, one of the most prestigious awards in the outdoor industry. The award is given in recognition of outstanding innovation in product design, materials and/or performance.

The Backpacker Editors’ Choice Awards, given annually since 1993, honor the products that Backpacker editors have chosen as the best of the year based on months of trail testing by teams of highly experienced hikers and climbers. With no set categories for the awards and no set number of recipients, the products and the testing process drive the award categories. Marmot was two of only seventeen innovative products that have been honored with a 2008 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Award.

Marmot’s DriClime® Catalyst Windshirt – a versatile, athletic, wind and water resistant jacket – has received Backpacker’s Editor’s Choice “Green Award” this year. “This is an honor for our whole product team,” explains Greg Houser, Marmot’s Vice President of Design and Production. As the next step in the Marmot’s DriClime® evolution, the Catalyst uses UpCycle™ fabric in the bi-component lining (100%) and a recycled polyester face fabric (88%) with an additional Eco DWR. It also has a completely recycled zipper. “The Catalyst has set a new precedent for Marmot and shows us what is possible when using Marmot’s UpCycle™ technologies in our products,” adds Houser.

The Original DriClime® Windshirt won Backpacker’s Editor’s Choice Award in 1993 and then in 2002 it won the Editor’s Choice “Gold Award,” which recognized the garment as an industry standard. By winning this year’s “Green Award,” Marmot is the first company to capture Backpacker’s “Triple Crown” – honoring the garment separately three times!

Marmot’s Ultra-light 850 Fill bags, which include the Atom (400F); Hydrogen (300F); Helium (200F); Helium EQ (150F) and Lithium (00F), have all received Backpacker’s Editor’s Choice “Gold Award” for their time-tested excellence in the field. “These ultra-light 850 Fill bags are the perfect example of Marmot’s ongoing commitment to produce the highest quality gear,” explains Jeff Blakely, Director and Category Manager of Equipment. “This award celebrates Marmot’s leadership, tradition and heritage.”