The Grassroots Outdoor Alliance (Grassroots), the national organization of independent outdoor specialty retailers, recently elected new officers and welcomed three new board members.

Along with the organization’s president, the Board directs Grassroots to catalyze the “success of independent specialty outdoor retail through advocacy, education, knowledge sharing, and community building.”

New officers at Grassroots Outdoor Alliance are:

  • Board Chair Maile Spung, owner of the Ute Mountaineer and Neptune Mountaineering in Aspen and Boulder, CO. Spung has 20 years of experience in the outdoor industry, starting as a teenager on the sales floor of her father’s shop, the Ute Mountaineer, in Aspen, and working as an outdoor guide in Washington, AL and South America. In 2021, she acquired Neptune Mountaineering in Boulder, merging two long-standing businesses in the outdoor industry.
  • Vice Chair Charlie Wise, co-owner of the Mountaineer in Keene Valley, NY. After nearly 25 years in software, greentech and utility scale renewable energy consulting, Wise steered his professional career to business ownership with his wife Nancy, affording him greater connection and proximity to his outdoor pursuits in Vermont and the Adirondacks in New York
  • Treasurer Tracy Mayer, owner of Backcountry North in Traverse City, MI. After completing her undergraduate and law degree and a brief time practicing law, Mayer’s father convinced her to join his independent outdoor specialty sales agency which he established in 1978. In 2000, she and her husband, Stephen, had the opportunity to purchase Backcountry North from its founders. Mayer has also been GOA’s board chair for the last two years.
  • Secretary Becky Williams, co-founder of Pack & Paddle in Lafayette, LA. Williams has spent most of her career in the outdoor industry as a principal with Pack & Paddle, working in vision setting, buying and accounting roles. She and her husband, John, sold Pack & Paddle to key employees in 2023.

Grassroots also added three new board members:

  • Chris Gerston, co-owner of Backcountry Essentials in Bellingham, WA. He and his wife, Erica, started Backcountry Essentials in 2006. Gerston was a mental health counselor before that and still views the business from a mental health perspective, helping people get outside to recharge mentally and focus on their goals.
  • Ross Harris, co-owner of The Bear Mountain in Waco, TX. He and his wife Beth have owned The Bear Mountain since 2018 when they purchased it from the original owner after working for several years in outdoor and cycling retail.
  • Mark Anderson, co-owner of Eagle Eye Outfitters in Dothan, AL. He and his partner Susan Anderson co-founded Eagle Eye Outfitters in 1999, building the business by advocating for outdoor pursuits, environmental stewardship and community.

These new board members join existing members Carolyn Crook, owner of Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville, AR and Tina Miller, co-owner of Walkabout Outfitter. Carolyn Crook founded the Pack Rat Outdoor Center in 1973 with her husband Scott, later opening the Pack Rat Outdoor Center in 2002 and bringing three longtime staff members into the business as partners. Tina and her husband Kirk opened Walkabout Outfitter in 2005, building the business up to six stores across Virginia. She is also on the leadership committee for Virginia’s National Federation of Independent Businesses.

Board members were elected at the Grassroots’ Annual Shareholders Meeting during June’s recent Grassroots Connect Show. The next show will occur in Kansas City, MO, from November 11-14, 2024.