Industry Veterans Launch RANGR Creative to Support Brands at Independent Retail

Focused on building brand awareness and driving sales at specialty retail, outdoor industry veterans launch a new category of marketing agency, RANGR Creative. With over 40 years of combined experience in the industry working for brands and retailers in sales and marketing leadership positions, Wes Allen, Matt DeWitte and Megan Baumeister have a unique blend of skills and knowledge. RANGR is committed to working with brands to build localized seasonal marketing campaigns at premium independent retailers.

“As our team has been navigating the brand and retail landscapes, we have talked frequently about the void of focus on specialty retail,” said Wes Allen, Co-founder and Retail Director at RANGR. “Brands need to create excitement with customers through engaging experiences during the exact moments when they are considering a purchase and that is precisely what we felt was missing from the industry.”

RANGR was developed by the work and insights gained by Allen and Baumeister working together at Sunlights Sports in Cody, WY along with DeWitte’s perspective on building brands at retail. The funding for these projects is typically coming from the brand, using co-op or brand development funds and is offered to their premium retailers as a benefit with no charge.

“It can be difficult for brands to focus on independent retailers, and frequently co-op budgets go unspent,” commented DeWitte. “We act as an extension of the brand team by creating local content and a custom marketing campaign for each retailer in the program and then we partner with the retailer to execute the campaign at their store.”

The RANGR team has unique and complementary backgrounds that provide a holistic perspective to the agency. Wes Allen spent nearly 10 years as a retail manager at REI opening stores in OR, CA and VA before becoming National Sales Manager for Chaco sandals. In 2010 he became co-owner of Sunlight Sports in Cody, WY, the Grassroots 2018 Retailer of the Year and has also served as the President of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance from 2014-2016. Matt DeWitte has held numerous sales and marketing positions with consumer brands, including Ford Motor Company, L.L.Bean, and Timberland and has led global marketing organizations at Dansko, Boxed Water is Better, LifeStraw and Merrell where he directed the brand efforts for the Nature’s Gym campaign with REI. Megan Baumeister is the owner of Tilt/Shift Brands and has extensive experience developing marketing strategy, brand positioning and creative campaigns.