MAINE OUTDOOR BRAND NEWS + EVENTS
Group wants $35M for Wabanaki culture visitor station at Katahdin Woods and Waters
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
Good To-Go Adds to Its Marketing Team
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.
Mainebiz: Statewide coalition backs $30M bond for Maine trails
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.
Skowhegan pushes to position itself as a destination for outdoor enthusiasts
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.
Kittery’s Good To-Go leverages Maine’s mentorship and capital resources
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.
Portland startup Marin Skincare finds space on L.L.Bean shelves
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.
Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation Collaborates on National Guidebook Developed for Offices of Outdoor Recreation
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
The Daily: Opolis Optics Turns Plastic Bottles Into Goggles
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.
OWAA: The latest from the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show 2023
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.
WINNERS OF ANNUAL OUTDOOR RETAILER INNOVATION AWARDS ANNOUNCED AT SNOW SHOW
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®
Axios: A smaller Outdoor Retailer show returns to Salt Lake City
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."
Watershed: Maine’s outdoor recreation economy generated $2.8 billion in 2021, report shows
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.
Outdoor recreation generates billions for Maine’s economy
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.
Confluence of States Leaders Gather in Nevada, Elect New Leadership from Michigan and Maine
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.
Report finds outdoor recreation racks up $188M in annual sales in southern Maine
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.
‘Maine Outdoor Economy Summit’ stresses importance of Maine’s outdoor industry
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."
L.L.Bean x University of California Irvine Research Finds Time Outdoors Increases Resilience, Strengthens Relationships
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.
Mainebiz: Brunswick nonprofit teams with 1% for the Planet
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.
Field & Stream: Hot Rods: How Maine Fly Co. Builds Small-Batch Fly Rods
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.
Boston Globe: Lotion made from lobster goo? Oft-discarded byproduct fuels business dreams of Maine couple.
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.
Portland nonprofit to build $300K kids’ outdoor recreation center
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.
Maine Outdoor Film Festival tweaks formula for 2022
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.
