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7 Mar 2024

Welcome to the 8th edition of "A Month @ MOB," a roundup of news and events in Maine's outdoor industry each month: MOB spent time in Augusta weighing in on two bills: The Maine Outdoor Schools for All Act (LD 1817) would provide Maine students a chance to participate in multi-day outdoor programs led by Maine's outstanding trip leading organizations. An Act To Provide Relief To Small Businesses Affected By Severe Weather-related Events (LD 2191) would support small businesses, including outdoor industry product, service, and retail brands, impacted by the recent storms. Maine looks to unlock full potential of outdoor recreation economy with new 10-year roadmap The Roadmap is a guide for thinking about the next ten years of Maine’s $3.3B (and growing!) outdoor recreation industry. It will identify trends, challenges, and o...

4 Mar 2024

Posted March 4, 2024 Calling all outdoor recreation enthusiasts in Maine! A crucial decision is approaching that will impact the future of outdoor recreation in our state: the Maine Trails Bond. With the potential to inject $30 million into trail design, construction, and maintenance, the bond will be a much needed boost for outdoor enthusiasts, businesses, and communities alike. As this proposal is considered in Augusta, it's imperative that we, as Maine's outdoor community, unite our voices and urge our legislators to support the Maine Trails Bond. Background: The Maine Trails Bond (LD 1156) is currently before the Maine Legislature. This $30 million bond would be a first-ever significant investment by the State of Maine in the design, development, and maintenance of non-motorized, motorized, and diverse use trails statewide...

8 Feb 2024

We're back with the 7th edition of "A Month @ MOB," a collection of news and events in Maine's outdoor industry each month: Outdoor Retailer highlights top winter gear exhibitors, including MOB member Mainers Check out gear picks from the show floor at OR Winter. Grain Surfboards launches new 3-day workshop and new perimeter rail material With years of R&D behind them and some exciting new materials in their shop. Grain has announced a new, condensed 3-day workshop. SnoYak named to the next cohort of the Dirigo Labs business accelerator in Waterville SnoYak, an Oakland-based MOB member, makes innovative sit-skis for all abilities and means. King, Pingree, Golden Applaud $1 Million Grant for Solar Panels and Electric Vehicle Charging Station at Acadia National Park Maintenance Building The additio...

12 Jan 2024

Happy New Year, MOB community! We're starting the year off with the 6th edition of "A Month @ MOB," a roundup of exciting events in Maine's outdoor industry from the past month: Portland-based Sea Bags scores NFL licensing deal Sea Bags has secured a multiyear licensing agreement with the NFL to feature team logos on their signature bags crafted from recycled sailcloth. Skowhegan Whitewater River Park plans roll along with a final design on horizon Special shoutout to MOB's Industry Leader of the Year, Kristina Cannon, president and CEO of Main Street Skowhegan, the nonprofit spearheading the park project. Bangor Daily News rounds up new gear libraries across the state Read the feature on MOB members Maine GearShare and Kindling Collective! Rogue Life Maine donates $200k+ to the Lewiston S...

7 Dec 2023

It's that time again! Read on for the 5th edition of "A Month @ MOB," a roundup of 10 of the latest events in Maine's outdoor industry: The Institute for Family-Owned Business in Portland presented numerous awards during its 23rd Maine Family Business Awards gala. Mahoosuc Guide Services in Newry received the “Geiger Environmental Leadership Award” Newry-based Mahoosuc Guide Service, whose co-founder Polly Mahoney was honored as a Mainebiz Woman to Watch in 2021, received the Geiger Environmental Leadership Award. Judges highlighted Mahoosuc’s work with indigenous communities in Maine and Canada, as well as the organization’s conservation practices, buying local and using renewable energy. The Daily features Ponch Membreno of Mainers and Maine Outdoor Brands in report from Outdoor Retailer's Winter Show Br...

6 Dec 2023

The 2023 Maine Outdoor Economy Summit, produced by the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation and Maine Outdoor Brands, gathered over 350 outdoor enthusiasts, industry leaders, and visionaries to shape the future of Maine's outdoor sector. Read on for the recap of the event! The Summit kicked off with a range of outdoor adventures in the Rockport area, fostering connections and setting the tone for an eventful Summit. Participants immersed themselves in Maine's natural beauty, from a hike up the iconic Beech Hill Preserve with accessibility advocate Enock Glidden to a session on mindfulness in nature with Happier Outside, exploring the Goose River Trail Network with Coastal Mountains Land Trust and the local chapter of New England Mountain Bike Association, taking a dip in the cold waters with Saltwater Mountain Co., or joining a to...

1 Nov 2023

Welcome back to edition #4 of "A Month @ MOB!" We've rounded up the latest happenings in Maine's outdoor industry below: Trust for Public Land and Penobscot Nation announce a vision for a 30,000-acre land return project in the Katahdin Region of Maine and a $32M fundraising effort to make it happen.  Penobscot Nation and the Trust for Public Land have embarked on a landmark project in Maine, returning 30,000 acres of land to the Penobscot Nation, marking the largest land return between a non-profit and a Tribal Nation, while also aiming to facilitate vital road access to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, prioritizing Indigenous self-determination, land stewardship, and the restoration of ancestral homelands. This collaborative effort, representing a profound step in acknowledging Indigenous sovereignty and land care, s...

12 Oct 2023

Welcome back to the third edition of "A Month @ MOB!" Here's a look at the latest news from Maine's outdoor industry: Portland Gear Hub launches "HERE TO STAY" campaign We're thrilled to celebrate the recent success of Portland Gear Hub at their Community Celebration. They're on a mission to secure their future as a community nonprofit outdoor gear and bike shop in Portland, and together with Ketcha Outdoors have already raised over 70% of the funds needed to purchase their building and lot. Help them reach their goal! Mainbiz 40 Under 40 honors MOB members Mainebiz is celebrating 40 leaders making their mark in Maine's business landscape, including MOB's own Jenny Kordick along with a few other MOB members, including MOB board member Sokunthy Yean (VP of operations, Sea Bags), Amber Boutiette & Patrick Breeding (founde...

13 Sep 2023

Map Adventures releases “DownEast Acadia: From Ellsworth to Jonesboro,” featuring maps of Ellsworth’s trails -> A collaboration between the city of Ellsworth, community partners, and Map Adventures has produced a new guide called "DownEast Acadia: From Ellsworth to Jonesboro," which features maps of Ellsworth's extensive trail system, with the aim of encouraging travelers to spend more time in the city known as "one of Maine's premier trail towns" and highlighting its outdoor recreation opportunities, recent grant awards, and partnerships with organizations like the Frenchman Bay Conservancy and Blue Hill Heritage Trust to expand and maintain its trail network. Grain Surfboards gears up for their 8th annual Surf Re-Evolution, Sept 15 & 16 -> Surf Re-Evolution is an annual event hosted by Grain Surfboards in York,...

18 Aug 2023

If its abundance of wilderness, outdoor recreation opportunities, and ever-growing list of outdoor brands didn’t make it obvious, Maine has a thriving outdoor industry that lures in adventurers from around the world while contributing handsomely to the state’s economy. In fact, Maine’s outdoor recreation industry makes up a larger percentage of the state's economy than almost any other state, according to the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis from 2021(Read more about that here). Pulling in nearly $2.8 billion a year and generating thousands of career opportunities, this fast-growing sector has jobs, and lots of them.  Given the industry’s rapid growth, there is a rising need for skilled workers and a fresh crop of talent to carry the outdoor industry forward and foster its development. Whether you are interested ...

3 Aug 2023

  Introducing “A Month @ MOB”! A compilation of 10 exciting things happening in Maine’s outdoor industry each month. Read below to discover what unfolded during the past month: Allspeed announced as a 2023 MBDA Retailer Excellence Award Winner  The National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) has announced the 2023 winners of the Retailer Excellence Awards (REA). 82 retailers from across North America were awarded this recognition in levels of Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. These levels were based on application score and online presence, including website and social feeds. Allspeed Cyclery and Snow was awarded the gold tier excellence award! Saddleback Mountain opens lift service mountain biking The Saddleback Bike Park’s regular hours of operation are Thursday - Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m with the last chair load...

26 Jul 2023

While more than a thousand bills were introduced in the 131st session of Maine’s legislature, only a select few have passed both chambers and made it to the Governor’s desk. Legislative developments can and will impact the state’s outdoor industry – from PFAs regulations to e-bike incentives to paid family leave policies. Maine Outdoor Brands is committed to ensuring that our state is a thriving hub for outdoor enthusiasts and businesses alike, and will continue to follow and advocate for policies that support the health and sustainability of our $3 billion outdoor recreation economy. Below you will find a summary of the legislation passed in 2023 that impacts the outdoor industry, as well as a summary of bills that have been carried over for consideration when the legislature reconvenes in January. Passed Legislation: Bills Im...

11 Jul 2023

Maine trails are priceless, yet we take them for granted. They connect us with each other and the natural world. They provide us with memories, moments of awe and inspiration, and opportunities for recreation and reflection. Maine trails enhance our towns, increase property values, improve our health and quality of life, and they’re great for business. Trails help fuel Maine’s $3 billion outdoor recreation economy. Maine has thousands of miles of trails for hiking, running, snowmobiling, skiing, camping, paddling, hunting, biking and more. Maine businesses locate near trails, provide guided adventures on trails and create and sell gear to help us access and enjoy our trails. Maine Outdoor Brands is comprised of more than 180 businesses and organizations, nearly all of which are connected in some way to Maine’s trails.

6 Jul 2023

The National Bicycle Dealers Association (NBDA) has announced the 2023 winners of the Retailer Excellence Awards (REA). 82 retailers from North America have been awarded this recognition in levels of Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze. These levels were based on application score and online presence, including website and social feeds.  In addition, the 2023 program featured an elevated award tier, the President’s Award, in which 5 retailers were awarded with this high level of distinction. Retailers that earn the distinction of Bicycle Retailer of Excellence, the most significant credential of its type for independent bicycle dealers, receive an official certificate, marketing signage for their shop, and digital marketing materials for their websites and social media. Retailers will be recognized for their retailer excellence in...

5 Jul 2023

No matter if you’re trekking on a rugged backpacking trip or simply going on a hike for an afternoon, bringing high-quality (and tasty) food with you is a must for staying energized on the trail. Especially when it comes to backpacking, the food you bring can be a total game changer. Backpacking meals not only fill you up with protein and nutrients you need to sustain you on your adventure, but also don’t take up unnecessary weight in your pack along the way. With so many backpacking and dehydrated meals on the market, we know it can be hard to decide which ones will taste best, let alone give you all the energy you need. We ate more than 50 backpacking meals (so you don’t have to), considering the overall price point, weight, nutritional value and, of course, taste. Dehydrated meals that once tasted like cardboard have been kicked up...

5 Jul 2023

You may remember hearing something about our “Flat Traps Fund” at some point last year. The idea was simple: generate funding to build a device that could be transported to sites on the Maine Island Trail to crush derelict lobster traps that washed ashore, making them easier to transport and dispose of. With a greater capacity to move these mangled pieces of fishing gear off the islands, MITA could be more efficient in our mission of keeping the Maine Island Trail healthy and clean. Of course, ideas are often the easiest part… There were quite a few engineering considerations to take into account. This device needed to exceptionally strong and robust (have you ever seen a lobster trap? They’re pretty serious pieces of equipment…) It had to be light, because if needed to be transportable on an 18′ aluminum work boat. It needed to be ...

5 Jul 2023

Over three days in May, the adventure travel community came together in Portland, Maine to explore the region, reconnect with each other, and exchange ideas. From the speakers and sessions to the overheard conversations, here are six key trends and takeaways from AdventureELEVATE 2023. Sustainability has moved from a trend to an undercurrent throughout adventure travel. While the term has no singular definition or universal standard, sustainability has moved from an unpopular conversation that only a few people were having to a mainstream concept. The adventure travel community may be the renegades of the larger tourism industry, but we’ve certainly borne witness to this shift. At the Trendspotting Lab session, a packed room overflowed out the door as delegates listened to panelists discuss the trends that have emerged prominently...

5 Jul 2023

In 1857 Henry David Thoreau and a guide from New England’s Penobscot Nation, Joseph Polis, took a round-trip canoe journey from Bangor, Maine, to the Allagash Lakes. One of the things the two travelers discussed was the construction of their birch bark canoe, a type the Penobscot people had been making for centuries. Little did they know that their topic of conversation would eventually lead to the founding of America’s longest-lived watercraft manufacturer, Old Town Canoes. It was that original Native American boat design that inspired a man by the name of A.E. Wickett when, in 1898, he started building a similar wood-and-canvas canoe as a side business for the Gray family out behind their hardware store in Old Town, Maine (a town that sits, fittingly enough, on the banks of the Penobscot River). Many of the company’s early emplo...

20 Jun 2023

L.L. Bean cut the ribbon on its $110 million Freeport headquarters Thursday. Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman, great-grandson of L.L. Bean, said that the design is intended to bring the outdoors inside through multi-story windows and indoor and outdoor meeting spaces. "More than a century later, L.L. Bean's purpose is the same as when L.L. founded his company, which is to inspire and enable people to experience the restorative power of being outside," Gorman said. "I'm so proud to say that now we have a headquarters that can do the same for our employees." Chief operations officer Marie McCarthy said the building's design also reflects a commitment to sustainability. Materials from the former building were re-used where possible and the facility will run on 80% solar power, with energy recovery systems to reduce heating and coo...

15 Jun 2023

When you hear the word library, your first thought probably isn’t about camping and hiking gear. But as of last week, that’s exactly the kind of library nestled in the basement of Portland’s Equality Community Center in the heart of the Arts District. Last week, partners Hallie Herz and Eva Fury officially launched the Kindling Collective, a nonprofit outdoor gear rental service with an emphasis on the queer community. The mission of the Kindling Collective is to support LGBTQ individuals who have felt excluded from physical education and athletics, or felt unsafe or unwelcome in outdoor recreation activities. “Most things are centered around straight people and queer people have to figure out how to get in,” Herz said.

6 Jun 2023

Making a surfboard from foam is of course very cool, but it does not have the tradition of “whiskey planks," which means it will forever be inferior to the process of building a wooden surfboard. Whiskey planks is a shipbuilding thing, technically, a celebration when two crucial parts of the boat are joined, I forget which parts. At Grain Surfboards though, when it was time to join the deck and bottom of a wooden board I’d been building for a couple of days, we glued the suckers together, then me and the handful of other people in their workshop gathered around a bottle of Glenfiddich and tipped back shots. Whiskey planks. Then it was back to work.

2 Jun 2023

Governor Janet Mills today announced funding for nine new Land for Maine's Future (LMF) conservation projects across Maine, advancing the State of Maine’s commitment to preserve precious natural resources, protect wildlife habitats, and ensure public access to lakes, rivers, scenic views, and mountain vistas.

2 Jun 2023

BRUNSWICK, MAINE - Maine GearShare's Board of Directors is thrilled to announce the appointment of Josh Bossin as the organization's new Executive Director. He will step into the role on June 1, 2023. Josh has been involved with the organization for a year through both committee and consulting work. He will bring to this role many years of experience in the outdoors, equipment rental operations, gear repair, and administrative management.  

25 May 2023

Making the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument more easily accessible to the public while accentuating the Wabanaki heritage of the land are the focuses of a $35 million capital campaign announced Tuesday by the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters. The effort, combining the efforts and resources of the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters, the Elliotsville Foundation Inc., the National Park Service and a Wabanaki Advisory Board, will fund a visitor contact station, priority park projects and Wabanaki initiatives. The Friends campaign, called “A Monumental Welcome,” has already raised $22.8 million. The Quimby Family Philanthropies, Roxanne Quimby Foundation and Elliotsville Foundation Inc. have committed to donating $10 million of that. Continue reading here

15 May 2023

Kristen Murphy joins Good To-Go after 12 years at Vibram Corporation and will be focused on growing Good To-Go’s audience and supporting its retail partners. Good To-Go, the award-winning dehydrated gourmet meal brand founded by Chef Jennifer Scism, has added to its team hiring Kristen Murphy as its Marketing Manager. With a deep understanding of the outdoor industry, Murphy will be focused on growing Good To-Go’s audience and supporting its retail partners. 

1 May 2023

A statewide coalition of more than 260 Maine businesses, towns and organizations are urging lawmakers to pass a $30 million bond to expand and maintain trails for hiking, snowmobiling and other purposes. In a letter to Maine lawmakers made public at a State House news conference on Wednesday, supporters note that trails are an essential component of Maine's $3 billion outdoor recreation economy.

5 Apr 2023

Several projects are in the works to lure outdoor adventurers to town, and Main Street Skowhegan this week is organizing an Outdoor Rec & Tech Summit to address obstacles facing the outdoor recreation industry in Maine. Read more in the Sun Journal.

20 Mar 2023

Jennifer Scism, co-founder and CEO of a Kittery maker of natural dehydrated meals for active people, recalls a time early on when she was thinking about scaling from preparing 20 servings per day to 20,000.

17 Mar 2023

Marin Skincare, a Portland startup that produces a skin cream using a lobster byproduct, has scored featured placement at L.L.Bean’s Home Store on its flagship campus in Freeport.

8 Mar 2023

Carolann Ouellette, director of the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, is pleased to share the release of the first-ever Guidebook on Developing Offices of Outdoor Recreation by the Confluence of States that provides best practices and strategies on developing successful offices of outdoor recreation and supports directors of current state offices of outdoor recreation across the nation.     Read more here

3 Mar 2023

The goggles and sunglasses brand won an Outdoor Retailer Innovation Award at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show. The Maine Outdoor Brands organization has been a key supporter of the start-up.

6 Feb 2023

Outdoor Writers Association of American Outdoor Voices Blog: Originally developed for outdoor restaurants to use during the pandemic, made-in-Maine Hüga Heated Cushions are rechargeable, water-resistant, portable, easy-to-clean and, of course, heated. There are three temperature settings that can range from 85-120℉ and the batteries can last from 6-10 hours.

12 Jan 2023

SALT LAKE CITY – (January 12, 2023) – The winners of the fifth annual Outdoor Retailer Innovation Awards were announced in a ceremony on the second night of Outdoor Retailer Snow Show on Wednesday, January 11, 2023, in Salt Lake City, Utah and includes Maine's Opolis. — StokedSnow Goggles made with Opolis’ patent-pending blend StokedPlastic®

9 Jan 2023

Salt Lake City is also less expensive, said Ponch Membreño, a spokesperson for Maine Outdoor Brands, a nonprofit that helps fund small Maine companies' attendance at the show. For smaller companies, the show is still valuable because they can "potentially meet a big account, which always seems to happen," Membreño said. "Even though it's not 100 buyers a day, they meet one great contact and it pays for the whole trip."

10 Nov 2022

Maine's outdoor recreation economy generated $2.8 billion in economic output in 2021, representing a 19.3% increase over 2020, a new national report shows. The report, released Wednesday, marks the fifth consecutive year the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis has released government data on the sector. The latest edition shows how the outdoor industry continues to build on growing popularity during the pandemic. 

10 Nov 2022

A report released by the U.S. Department of Commerce found that Maine's outdoor industry made up about 3.6 percent of the total economy. The numbers show Maine is one of the top five states in the country when it comes to the value of outdoor recreation in the state's total gross domestic product. Manufacturing and sales of gear and equipment added $348 million to the economy last year, which is a 21 percent boost from 2020.

1 Nov 2022

State-level outdoor recreation leaders representing the Confluence of States gathered at the Outdoor Media Summit alongside industry partners to elect organization leadership, discuss key issues affecting the $689 billion outdoor recreation economy, and strategize about the continued advancement of the outdoor economy through their engagement with the Outdoor Recreation Industry Confluence of States Accords. Brad Garmon, Executive Director of the Michigan Outdoor Recreation Industry Office, was elected Chair of the Confluence of States Coalition for 2023. Carolann Ouellette, Director of the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, was elected to serve as Vice-Chair.

26 Oct 2022

By Laurie Schreiber The outdoor recreation industry is responsible for a significant portion of southern Maine’s economy, attracting 5.5 million visitors in 2020 and generating $188.6 million in annual sales. The industry also contributed nearly $105.3 million to the regional gross domestic product and represented 12% of Maine’s total outdoor recreation. The findings came in a report commissioned by the Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission and conducted by Camoin Associates, an economic development consulting firm with offices in Portland. “We saw a need for this report because we recognize the potential for outdoor recreation to drive our economy in southern Maine,”  Paul Schumacher, the commission’s executive director, said in a news release.  

13 Oct 2022

People in Maine’s outdoor industry came together in Portland Thursday to say Maine's beauty is not only wonderful, but a way to build up Maine's economy. Thursday, the "Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation" teamed up with "Maine Outdoor Brands" to present the first ever "Maine Outdoor Economy Summit."

5 Oct 2022

In celebration of its 110th Anniversary, iconic outdoor retailer L.L.Bean unveils new, proprietary research findings that experiencing awe in the outdoors makes us more resilient and strengthens relationships. L.L.Bean is turning these insights into action with partner Mental Health America (MHA) to fund programming focused on improving mental well-being through time spent outdoors.

3 Oct 2022

Teens to Trails, a Brunswick nonprofit that connects young Mainers to outdoor experiences, aims to raise its fundraising game through a new partnership with 1% for the Planet.

30 Sep 2022

Maine Fly Company makes beautiful off-the-shelf and custom fly rods by hand. Here's a look at how they do it.

30 Sep 2022

Now, a young Maine couple is pitching another benefit of lobster: They say a protein in the lobster’s circulatory fluid, which is usually washed down the drain, can help ease skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis.

16 Sep 2022

Rippleffect, a Portland-based nonprofit that promotes youth development and leadership through outdoor activities, is teaming with the Portland Public Schools to build a $300,000 children's outdoor recreation center.

29 Jul 2022

The Maine Outdoor Film Festival, promoted as an annual celebration of adventure, conservation and the arts, used to take place at venues across the state before launching a Portland flagship event in 2020. The annual gathering raises money for Teens to Trails, a Brunswick-based nonprofit that connects young people to outdoor activities. With less than a week to go until opening night July 28, Mainebiz caught up with festival director Nick Callanan for a sneak preview and for his assessment of Maine's film industry.