Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has added two new board members and elected new board officers to serve the collective of independent outdoor specialty retailers and brands for 2026.
- Todd Frank, owner of the Trailhead in Missoula, MT, who has previously served on the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance board, returns to the board. He was also elected as chair of the board for 2026.
- April Peterson, owner of River Rock Outfitter in Fredericksburg, VA, also joins the board as a new member. River Rock Outfitters has two retail stores in Fredericksburg.
- Charlie Wise, co-owner of the Mountaineer in Keene Valley, NY, was re-elected as vice chair, a role he has held for the past year. Wise has been a board member for three years.
- Ross Harris, co-owner of The Bear Mountain in Waco, TX, was elected treasurer. He has served as a board member for the past year.
- Tina Miller, owner of Walkabout Outfitters, which owns six retail stores across Virginia, was elected secretary. She has served on the board for two years.
“We’re excited to welcome Todd back to the board, and April is an excellent addition as well. Both bring valuable insights from different parts of the country to our board, not to mention decades of retail experience in the outdoor industry,” said Gabe Maier, president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance.
New board members and officers were elected at the Spring Grassroots Connect show in Reno last month. The Connect Show takes place twice a year to support brand line showings for independent specialty retailers, timed to coincide with key ordering deadlines.
The organization also announced new locations in Oklahoma City, OK, and Omaha, NE, for its twice annual Connect buying show, set to start in Spring 2027.
Grassroots reported that this year’s June show “was attended by 147 manufacturers and 141 retail businesses, with a total of 369 buyers in attendance. Those numbers show similar attendance to spring Connect shows in recent years.”
Image courtesy Grassroots Outdoor Alliance
