April Newsletter

If you read nothing else …

The three most important things to know

  1. MOB is launching a spring workshop series for outdoor startups focused on marketing and branding. Learn more and find free registration here.
  2. The Maine Trails Bond passed unanimously out of the Appropriations Committee and now moves to the full legislature for a vote.
  3. April MOB Scene: We’ll be gathering at Maine Fly Company’s shop on the Royal River in Yarmouth from 5-7 on Thursday April 25th. Follow the link to register now!

New + Now

Maine Outdoor Startup Series
We’re thrilled to announce a tailored 4-part virtual program April 24 – May 15 crafted in collaboration between Maine Outdoor Brands and Founded Outdoors, designed specifically for Maine’s outdoor startup community. Topics range from defining your brand and target customer, to industry trends, outdoor business strategy, go-to-market strategy, customer acquisition, and SEO. Check out the dates and times here and register now! This free program is open to MOB members and all outdoor industry entrepreneurs – forward along if you know someone who would be interested!

  1. Your Brand: Your Why, Your Target Customer, Your Positioning
  2. The Market: Industry Trends & Outdoor Business Strategy
  3. Go-to-Market & Customer Acquisition: Understanding the Marketing Funnel and Use of Channels
  4. SEO: How to be Found by your Target Audience
Register Now

Maine Outdoor Economy Summit
Save the date! Registration coming soon for MOES 2024

When: November 13-15, 2024
Where: Sunday River Ski Resort
What: The Maine Outdoor Economy Summit is a forum for professional development, ideation, and discussions on essential topics impacting Maine’s outdoor industry in the areas of economic development, workforce, access, and equity.

Is there a speaker or topic you’d like to see featured? Your feedback will guide us in curating a program that aligns with the interests and expertise of Maine’s outdoor industry. Whether you’re eager to hear from renowned thought leaders, industry experts, or emerging voices, your input will help us create an enriching experience for all attendees.
Submit Speaker Ideas

Maine Trails Bond Update
On March 29th, the $30 million Maine Trails Bond passed unanimously out of the Appropriations Committee, a monumental step toward 4 years of dedicated funding for Maine’s trails! This victory is a testament to the power of Maine’s outdoor community. The push continues — now is the time to rally together to ensure this bond secures a two-thirds majority in both chambers in order to make it onto the ballot in November. Check out our latest blog post for resources on how to take action and weigh in with your legislators.
Unite for Trails
Photos from last month’s Support Maine Trails event with REI Westbrook

Maine Outdoor Economy Roadmap Build Sessions
Register now for the Maine Outdoor Economy Roadmap April workshops. We hope to see many of you at the next iteration of the Roadmap process, the upcoming Statewide Roadshow! Join these interactive sessions to help identify key strategies needed to fuel and grow Maine’s outdoor economy.

Roadshow Dates:

Mon, Apr 22 –

  • Houlton: Houlton Higher Education Center at 10am. RSVP

Tue, Apr 23 –

  • Bangor: Rangeley Hall, Eastern Maine Community College at 9am. RSVP
  • Waterville: Hathaway Creative Center, Bricks/Dirigo Labs at 2pm. RSVP

Wed, Apr 24 –

  • Rockland: location TBA at 9am. RSVP
  • Portland: Ballroom, Holiday Inn by the Bay, Governor’s Conference on Tourism at 2pm. RSVP

Thu, Apr 25 –

  • Yarmouth: Maine Fly Company at 4pm (immediately before the MOB Scene). RSVP

Fri, Apr 26 –

  • Bethel: Ketchum Room at the Grand Summit Hotel & Conference Center at Sunday River at 9am. RSVP
For April’s MOB Scene, we’re looking forward to heading to Maine Fly Company in Yarmouth! If the weather cooperates, we’ll be hanging outside on the banks of the Royal River, perhaps taking a spin at casting a fly rod! Big thanks to owner Jeff Davis for hosting us and sharing the great things he and his team are up to at MFC.

MOB Scenes are open to all members and their employees, MOB supporters and prospective members as well! If you’ve been to a MOB Scene before, you know this is going to be a good time. If this will be your first time, we’ll make sure you feel like part of the family.
RSVP

Recap

New Outdoor Market Insights
MOB’s national partner, the Outdoor Industry Association, released their 2024 Outdoor Retail Sales Trends Report. Here are a few of our takeaways:

  • Despite total outdoor retail sales dipping 3.2% in 2023, consumer spending was up across all industries. Unit sales decreased by 6%, but the average sales price increased, indicating a consumer preference for higher-priced items.
  • There is an evident change in the persona of typical outdoor participants. Core/technical outdoor participants are declining in number despite overall growth in participation. With this, more emphasis is being put on products for post-COVID casual outdoor participants and “light” adventures. Challenges include converting casual participants into core technical outdoor participants while diversifying product catalogs to meet the needs of both.
  • Notable shift in consumers purchasing directly from brand websites, and consumer willingness to try new and emerging brands vs heritage brands.
  • Consumer trends include a shift towards adventurous travel experiences (experiences > things), and increased interest in re-commerce and thrifting.
Learn More

MOB’s Site Visit to Rumford
The MOB crew hit the road to Black Mountain of Maine last month to meet up with George O’Keefe, Economic Development Director, Town of Rumford. While we were there, we had the privilege of meeting with the team at Black Mountain and seeing the integral role the mountain plays in the outdoor recreation development happening in Rumford. Gabe Perkins, Executive Director of Inland Woods + Trails, joined to share about the new 446-acre Community Forest that has been permanently protected just 5 minutes from downtown Rumford. We then headed south to Mt Abram and met up with Zach McCarthy, owner of Inclusive Ski Touring, for an uphill tour of Mt. A!
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Salt Pump Climbing Co.
Salt Pump Climbing Co. in Scarborough unveiled a second location in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in February. Known as “The Donut Factory” for its conversion from a former donut shop, the Portsmouth facility offers 14,700 square feet of climbing space with a bouldering focus and 20-foot top-roping walls, alongside a variety of training amenities and youth programs.

Check out more photos of the new Portsmouth gym here!

MOB In the News
The Mainebiz Business Leaders of the Year Awards have been announced! Among the leaders honored are Aaron Anker, chief granola officer, Grandy Organics; Drew Dumsch, founder, president and CEO, The Ecology School; and Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president, vice chancellor of research and innovation, University of Maine. Read More →
Main Street Skowhegan and The Roux Institute at Northeastern University hosted Start Summit: Natural Resources + Tech last month in downtown Skowhegan, where participants pitched solutions to natural-resources related problems to a panel of judges for cash prizes. MOB participated in the event’s panel discussion. Learn more →
Flowfold announces a second exclusive collaboration with Maine artist Sarah Madeira Day. Read more →

New Members
So excited that Jetboil is a Maine brand now! In 2004, Jetboil revolutionized backcountry cooking by creating the original all-in-one stove system. Today we continue to innovate with a range of intuitive, reliable, and lightning-quick stove system options. Whether you’re boiling water for coffee or cooking up dinner for the crew, we’ll satisfy your cravings and never leave you hanging.
Our mission is to preserve and protect Harpswell’s natural resources, cultural heritage and access to the outdoors now and forever through conservation, stewardship and education. Essentially, we want to keep Harpswell a special place full of wonder and wildness, while also ensuring that people can access the outdoors for years to come!

Thank You to Our Supporters!
Summit: Visit Maine, Blaze Partners, Autumn Lane Web Studios, REI
Tree Line: Machias Savings Bank, Bernstein Shur, MXH MarketingInterested in sponsorship opportunities for 2024? Reach out to jenny@maineoutdoorbrands.com. Thank you for supporting Maine’s outdoor economy!
Maine Outdoor Brands is a member-driven alliance of outdoor product makers, experience providers, retailers and organizations invested in strengthening Maine’s $3 billion outdoor recreation economy. As champions of our state’s growing outdoor industry, we believe there is strength in numbers and aim to be a catalyst for growth. We empower outdoor businesses to thrive by providing collaborative marketing, networking, resource sharing and education in partnership with the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation.