Results for ""eric smith""

Eric Smith, a senior business editor with SGB Media, this week was named the winner of the 2019 Harold S. Hirsch Award for Words by the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA).

The coronavirus didn’t stop Sea to Summit from acquiring its North American distribution partner, but it did delay the closing date by more than a month. Founder Roland Tyson and NA General Manager Josh Simpson spoke with SGB Executive about how the brand overcame integration challenges amid the pandemic and what lies ahead.

May was another slow month for M&A in the active-lifestyle marketplace with only a few deals announced and one high-profile acquisition formally abandoned at the finish line. Now that struggling businesses are seeking a lifeline and aggressive buyers are eyeing distressed assets, was this the bottom?

As the country enters this next phase of the COVID-19 crisis, the run specialty channel is facing a particularly hard slog with many brands and retailers unlikely to keep pace if the economy reopens too slowly. The latest survey from the Running Industry Association (RIA) highlighted just how bad things are—and how much worse they could get.

Studies and Observations Group (SOG), the Seattle, WA-based maker of knives, tools and packs, is taking the brand in a new direction. The company’s leadership talks about what the next chapter entails and why the economic uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic is a perfect backdrop for the reconfiguration.

VF Corp. missed fiscal fourth-quarter earnings and revenue estimates and now faces a soft retail demand environment, but the company remains resolute about pursuing M&A amid this challenging economy. We look at how VF’s financial strength and appetite for adding assets has set the stage for a deal.

The ongoing evolution of VF Corp.—which began in 2017 and was elevated last year through several measures—has the Denver, CO-based well-positioned during this ongoing pandemic. CEO Steve Rendle and CFO Scott Roe discussed VF’s playbook for getting the company back on track after a hard-hit Q4.

As part of SGB Executive’s ongoing coronavirus coverage, we are highlighting companies and categories that are doing well. Our latest Coronavirus Notebook looks at how Salt Lake City, UT-based gear maker Petzl prepared for the pandemic. We also look at the potential freeze on M&A and recap our recent COVID-19 stories.

With more people now looking to ride bikes, the coronavirus has presented a unique opportunity for Dorel Sports, the owner/operator of such brands as Cannondale, Schwinn, GT and Mongoose. “There has been a silver lining in this pandemic cloud,” said Dorel President and CEO Martin Schwartz.

Clarus Corp., the parent of core backcountry brand Black Diamond among others, took on the COVID-19 pandemic with a “climber’s mentality,” President John Walbrecht said on Monday afternoon’s earnings call. SGB Executive breaks down the company’s “live now, climb another day” approach to this crisis.

In this latest installment of SGB Executive’s series of interviews with industry leaders exploring how businesses are coping with the coronavirus, Superfeet President and CEO John Rauvola discusses how the coronavirus has impacted Superfeet, why the company was called to help and the brand’s recovery plan.

Callaway Golf Co. reported first-quarter net sales decreased 14 percent due to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on both the golf equipment and soft goods operating segments globally, but the company is hopeful that the short-term pain will eventually yield to long-term success as the golf industry returns to normal.

The timing of a strategy shift can be just as important as what it entails, and Camping World Holdings Inc.’s decision to exit outdoor retail last year—well ahead of the current COVID-19 pandemic—has proved rather auspicious.

When Vista Outdoor Inc. ended its fiscal fourth quarter on March 31, the Anoka, MN-based company closed the book on a transformational year that included a portfolio shakeup, business segment realignment and, of course, an economy-crushing pandemic that drastically altered the demand environment.

In the early days of the coronavirus, when shelter-in-place orders were announced and gyms around the country were forced to close, Peloton Interactive Inc. was identified as a potential beneficiary. Things didn’t go quite so well for Peloton initially, but the company’s fortunes have improved, as evidenced by its fiscal third-quarter earnings.