You may know them as Grassroots, GOA or Connect, but regardless of how you know them, you are aware of their efforts on behalf of specialty outdoor retailers, whether they are members of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance or not.

The national organization committed to advancing the health and growth of specialty outdoor retail reported on its latest Connect show, highlighting the vendor companies, representatives, and retailers that deliver on that promise.

“The awards celebrate overall excellence among Grassroots retailers and vendors, as well as outstanding achievements in business, advocacy, community action, and philanthropy,” the organization said in a media statement.

“Recognizing the hard work that retailers and brands do day in and day out to positively serve their communities while running successful businesses is one of the highlights of the year for our team and for all of the retailers and brands involved in selecting the winners,” said Dana Howe, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Vice President. “It’s especially meaningful because these awards are given out based solely on feedback from a community of peers. It’s also meaningful because the best practices that these retailers and manufacturers put into action to earn these awards also provide great educational takeaways for us to share with our members, helping make our entire industry better in the process.”

Vendor Awards
Grassroots members nominated the following brands or companies for its vendor awards:

  • Vendor Partner of the Year: Nemo Equipment, Opinel, Patagonia, Rab, Salewa
  • Excellence in Hardgoods & Accessories: Backpackers Pantry, Leki, Nemo Equipment, Nite Ize, Opinel
  • Excellence in Apparel and Softgoods: Helly Hansen, Jetty, Patagonia, Rab, Smartwool
  • Excellence in Footwear: Astral, Lowa, Oboz, Salewa, Superfeet

For 2025, the following vendor winners have bragging rights for the year ahead:

  • Patagonia – Vendor of the Year
  • Salewa – Excellence in Footwear
  • Nemo Equipment – Excellence in Hardgoods & Accessories
  • Rab – Excellence in Apparel & Softgoods

Retailer Awards
The following companies were nominated by their peers for the 2025 of the Year Award:

  • Retailer of the Year: Backcountry North (Traverse City, MI); D.D. Bullwinkels Outdoors (Brevard, NC); J&H Outdoors (Lexington, KY); Summit Hut (Tucson, AZ); Trail Creek Outfitters (Glen Mills, PA).
  • Community Giveback: Massey’s Outfitters (New Orleans, LA); Mountain Chalet (Colorado Springs, CO); Nantahala Outdoor Center (Bryson City, NC); Roads Rivers and Trails (Milford, OH); Tahoe Mountain Sports (Truckee, CA); Water Stone Outdoors (Fayetteville, WV).
  • Retailer Growth Award: Active Endeavors (Davenport, IA); Gearhead (Multiple locations, AR, TN & IL); JL Waters (Bloomington, IN); Mountain High Outfitters (Multiple locations: AL and TN); The Bear Mountain (Waco, TX).
  • Retail Wow Award: Backcountry North (Traverse City, MI); Bill Jackson’s Shop for Adventure (Pinellas Park, FL); Pack Rat (Fayetteville, AR); Summit Hut (Tucson, AZ); The Toggery (Whitefish, MT).

For 2025, the following retailers were honored by fellow members as the best retailers in the industry:

  • Retailer of the Year: Trail Creek Outfitters, Glen Mills, PA
  • Community Giveback Award: Massey’s Outfitters, New Orleans, LA
  • Retailer Growth Award: Active Endeavors, Davenport, IA 
  • Retailer Wow Award (Merchandising/Store Design): The Toggery, Whitefish, MT

Additional awards were also presented, including excellence in sales representation to include:

  • Emily Rach, Midwest Outdoor Sales;
  • Heath Rowland, Ground Up Sales
  • Kurt Smith, Top Gun Sales.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a retailer-owned network of 105 independently owned outdoor retailers and 67 vendor partners, working together for the growth of specialty outdoor retail network.

Images courtesy Trail Creek Outfitters