Backcountry

🌎 Part 5 of Our Speaker Series 🌎 We had the honor of hosting Tim Davis, Deputy Great Salt Lake Commissioner, to discuss a critical topic for us at Backcountry: Restoring and Protecting the Great Salt Lake. Tim shared invaluable insights into the efforts to preserve this monumental resource. The Great Salt Lake has endured years of drought, significantly shrinking and posing environmental, health, and economic dangers to Utah's population and wildlife. Key issues include the disappearance of critical organisms and increased dust emissions, affecting air quality and residents' health. We were fortunate to hear Davis delve into the strategic plans to raise the lake's water levels. 💧 Learn more about the Great Salt Lake and restoration efforts here: 🔗 Great Salt Lake Information: https://lnkd.in/gv-Dpw7e 🔗 Great Salt Lake Strategic Plan: https://lnkd.in/djQURxgQ Despite some improvements due to recent high snowfall, the Great Salt Lake remains below a healthy minimum water level. As Backcountry is headquartered in Utah, we are deeply committed to supporting these conservation efforts both as a company and as individuals. #Backcountry #GreatSaltLake #Conservation #EnvironmentalProtection #Sustainability

Our Competitive Cyclist team was lucky enough to be at Unbound Gravel to witness history over the weekend. For the first time, women had a separate start with a large enough gap that men didn’t interfere and they got to race as just the women’s field. The result was one of the most exciting finishes in Unbound history! 🚲 🏆 This is what Competitive Cyclist athlete Hannah Otto LAT, ATC had to say, “The women made history at Unbound this weekend. The fastest women’s time on record powered by a women’s only peloton. The racing was tight and tactical leading up to a 9 up sprint finish. I’m so proud to have been a part of this moment.” ⭐ 📸 : Wil Matthews

Herd Highlight of the week is our Gearhead Operations Manager, Samuel Mason. Sam recently advanced to management and we’re beyond stoked to have him leading the Competitive Cyclist team towards success!    What does the day-to-day look like for you in your current role?        I recently started in a new role managing the Competitive Cyclist Gearhead teams. Every day looks a little bit different depending on the tasks at hand.  Most days are spent working with my team regularly to take care of daily projects and keeping the team moving, while also mixing in some brainstorming for the future. In true cycling fashion, I consume a lot of coffee.       How have you grown and evolved since starting at Backcountry?         I started as a Competitive Cyclist Inbound Gearhead, and over the last few years, I found myself moving up into team lead/management roles. Starting out as a Gearhead helps me better understand our customers. I think it’s important for everyone to interact with our customers so that you can better serve them in the future in different roles.      In what ways do you see growth in your future here?         Right now I'm happy with where I'm at and with my team.  I have many different interests, I enjoy thinking through the customer experience and analyzing how we are able to impact that on a more personal level, and being able to see that through, so I think this pathway is one I would continue with.      What is your favorite part about working for Backcountry?         UT is where I'm from, The outdoors is really what resonates with me the most. Being able to work for a cool outdoor brand with roots in UT with like-minded/fellow cyclists, skiers, campers, etc…. It is really awesome.        What brings you life?       Spending time with family and friends, Music is a huge part of my life, I picked up the guitar during covid, and started collecting vinyls. XC MTB and racing is what gets me going during the summer.  This year I have a few races on the calendar. Whisky 50 and Park City Point 2 Point to name a couple. so I will spend most of the summer training for that, After that is checked off the list, getting out and riding laps at the bike park while waiting for ski season.  #homegrownherd #herdhighlight

🎤Sustainability Speaker Series: We were thrilled to have Fisher Wendy and Alli Eroh join us from Utah Open Lands. They shared invaluable insights about their efforts in land conservation, specifically focusing on their current initiative to protect the Northfields. Learn more about their important work on their website: utahopenlands.org. Keep your eyes peeled for announcements and upcoming events related to the Northfields Protection Initiative. If you’d like to contribute to this cause, you can donate here: https://lnkd.in/g23S5mVw Want to stay in the loop on upcoming volunteer events? Join the Utah Open Lands volunteer newsletter, which goes out quarterly and provides an overview of all upcoming events for the season. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/gjb6iZUK Thank you, Wendy and Alli, for inspiring us to protect and cherish our lands! 🌿✨

Friday Herd Highlight! 🐐 This week, we are excited to feature Phoebe Erdman, one of our key buyers on the Bike Softgoods team. Phoebe is a legend here at Backcountry and has been with us for over six years! Thanks for all you do, Phoebe. What does the day-to-day look like for you in your current role?  A: I am a Bike Apparel Buyer for Backcountry and Competitive Cyclist. My current day-to-day responsibilities are primarily reviewing inventory and writing orders to ensure we are fully stocked for the bike season. I enjoy getting to work with our awesome helmet, footwear, and apparel brand partners. How have you grown and evolved since starting at Backcountry?  A: I started working at Backcountry over six years ago as an Assistant Buyer on our Women’s and Youth Apparel team. I was fortunate to have a few mentors early on in my career at Backcountry who taught me the basics of retail buying. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work on several teams within our Merchandising organization, which has helped me learn about different product categories and businesses within our company. What is your favorite part about working for Backcountry?  A: I love that at Backcountry I am encouraged to take risks. The people I work with are supportive, and so I am not afraid of failure. We also have great comradery on the Bike team, and I look forward to our weekly “Gravy Gang” gravel rides around Park City when it stops snowing! What brings you life?  A: Like most people at Backcountry, spending time outdoors and being active are what make me happy. I am the best version of myself when I am running, hiking, biking, or skiing with my friends and family. 

In honor of Mother’s Day yesterday, we reached out to some incredible moms across the Backcountry Herd to share either the best advice they received as working mothers or advice they would offer to fellow working moms. Here’s what they had to say: "Your coworkers can relate and help mentor you in motherhood – take advantage of it! You aren’t alone in this chapter of your life. No task will ever replace being there to watch your kid’s performance or being there for those special moments – prioritize them." Shanielle Howa Ware - Sr. Director of Planning "I like to focus on the example I am setting for my children as a working parent. Knowing that I love my job, I enjoy working, and I have purpose in addition to being their mother will hopefully help them understand independence and fulfillment that a career can offer!" Meg Keller - Sr. Director Ecommerce Marketing “It is very hard balancing motherhood with a full time job which can cause tremendous stress and produce a lot of guilt. But, let us not forget that as role models for our children, showing them that contributions and accomplishments outside of the family not only has financial rewards, but also feeds our souls which makes us better moms.” Melanie Cox - CEO Here's to the moms who suited us up for the slopes, hiked with us on their back, and taught us how to ride a bike 💐💕 #MotherDay #MomsoftheHerd

Exciting open role on our creative team - you don't want to miss it!🐐

Last week was truly special as we hosted our Store Manager Summit right here at our Park City headquarters office! 🏔️ It was an incredible week filled with team-building, learning, and sharing as we came together to amplify the voice of the Field. Our store managers engaged in insightful discussions, attended vendor clinics, and, of course, took advantage of the Utah spring weather by getting outside. 🌟 We're grateful for the opportunity to connect in person and empower our leaders to drive success across our stores. Here's to many more memorable summits in the future! Thanks to April Judkins & our many other internal partners for making this happen! #TeamBuilding #LeadershipDevelopment #StoreManagerSummit Todd A. Swanson, Tristin Lain, Chris Werts, Jason Klimpke, Andrew Gorecki, Dennis Reber II, MBA, Jennifer Hill, Hunter White, Gina Maratea Glushien, Carrie Kroger

We're thrilled to share highlights from Part 3 of our Speaker Series! 🌟 This time, we had the pleasure of hosting Stuart Goldsmith (Comedy Supercharger)- an internationally acclaimed comedian, podcaster, and all-around comedy guru. Stuart brings his unique brand of climate comedy to eco festivals and corporate events alike, spreading awareness about sustainability and climate change in a refreshingly entertaining way. 🌍✨ His knack for blending humor with important issues not only engages audiences but also inspires action and sparks meaningful conversations. Thank you, Stuart, for bringing your energy and passion to our office via Zoom today! Stay tuned for more exciting updates and inspiring speakers coming your way. #SpeakerSeries #ClimateComedy #Sustainability