Another opening, another show, and a few new faces appearing on the stage of Outdoor Industry Association's board of directors. Making a conscious effort to balance the interests and expertise of its constituents, OIA is welcoming a greater diversity to its board to better reflect its members' needs and the industry as a whole.
“We intentionally expanded the retail presence and consciously strengthened the paddle sports and climbing sectors on the board to best serve all OIA members,” said Frank Hugelmeyer, OIA president.
The new executive committee will be led by Lee Fromson, CEO of Cascade Designs, who succeeds Steve Barker as Chairperson. The officer slate is comprised of: Mike Wallenfels, vice-president of sales and marketing at Mountain Hardwear as First Vice-chair; Jim Clark, CEO of Watermark, as Second Vice-chair; Dan Templin, CFO of the North Face, as Treasurer; and Kim Coupounas, CEO of GoLite as Secretary.
New appointed seats go to Jeff Espy, publisher of Hooked on the Outdoors; Joan Keller, owner of Le Travel Store; Peter Metcalf, CEO of Black Diamond; and Tony Post, president & CEO of Vibram.
New voting members, elected by the membership, include Joe Campisi, VP of marketing at Malden Mills; Brian Cousins, CEO of Cloudveil; Paul Fish, president of Mountain Gear; Rod Johnson, owner of Midwest Mountaineering; Mike Wallenfels, vice-president of sales and marketing at Mountain Hardwear; and Jeff Weidman, co-owner of Rutabaga Paddlesports.
“It's important to represent all aspects of the industry and now we have a really good cross-section on the board,” said Lee Fromson, CEO of Cascade Designs and the new chairman of OIA's board of directors. “We're a unique industry. We really do have a shared set of values and we need to work together to increase the opportunities for everyone involved.”
As such, goals for the new board include government affairs initiatives that promote stewardship of public lands and access to areas for recreational pursuits; developing an outreach plan that is current and relevant to the industry to increase potential user groups and compete for American's free time; and completing OIA's three-year strategic plan.
