When Amy Beck became president of Bozeman, Montana-based footwear maker Oboz in April 2019, she knew her inaugural year would be both fun and challenging as she absorbed everything she could about the brand.

The former Smartwool executive spent six months being groomed by company founder John Connelly, who had sold Oboz in 2018 to New Zealand-based Kathmandu Holdings Ltd. for $60 million. Working alongside Connelly helped Beck get her 鈥渁rms around the business, which was a real gift,鈥� she told 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal in a recent interview.

But about a year after joining Oboz, and six months after leading the brand on her own, something hit that nothing could鈥檝e prepared her for鈥攏ot the brand鈥檚 founder, not another 10 years on the job.

COVID-19 quickly disrupted Beck鈥檚 plans and put her leadership skills to the test. In addition to dealing with the derailments that hit many companies鈥攌eeping employees safe, navigating retail closures, enacting pay cuts鈥擮boz also was forced to cancel its launch of the Kathmandu brand in North America, which was going to be one of Beck鈥檚 big initiatives.

However, Beck and the brand adjusted to the realities of COVID, found their footing, and forged a new path. Oboz eventually moved forward with new product development. The retail channel rebounded. Most importantly, demand for outdoor footwear spiked and sales improved. In the first half of fiscal 2021, Oboz sales grew 3.8 percent to $22.1 million. On Kathmandu鈥檚 recent earnings call, the CEO gave Oboz a shoutout for achieving 鈥渟ales growth as a result of a successful product innovation strategy and diversification of its customer base.鈥�

鈥淚n the calendar year 2020, we saw a little decrease in the business, but for the fiscal year we鈥檙e seeing strong growth,鈥� Beck told OBJ. 鈥淭he growth we鈥檙e seeing within our business now is close to pre-COVID times.鈥�

The momentum that began in 2020 continued into 2021. Beck has built a strong team in Bozeman, and she鈥檚 proud to report that nearly half of Oboz鈥檚 staff is now female. The brand also has new products plus a new direct-to-consumer channel teed up.

As part of OBJ鈥檚 ongoing celebration of Women鈥檚 History Month, we caught up with Beck to discuss what the brand has been through during her two-year tenure鈥攁nd where she hopes to lead it next.

What did Oboz see in terms of demand during the pandemic?

Demand went up as more people went outside, and it鈥檚 been fun to see. Our motto is 鈥淭rue to the trail,鈥� and we鈥檝e incorporated that into our values鈥攈ow we live our brand, how we talk about our brand. As more people got outside, they created their own trail, whatever that may be. It could be in their neighborhood, on trails close to their home, in areas they鈥檝e never explored before, or just getting outside and finding the healing power of nature, which all of us in this industry have found. There are so many more people discovering the joy of being outdoors, and we enable people to do that in a pretty accessible way.

Will the company again consider launching the Kathmandu brand in North America?

We鈥檙e talking about what that might look like, but we want to do it for all the right reasons. We ask ourselves where there would be whitespace, where there would be room for a brand like Kathmandu in the U.S. We will approach it differently than we did last time. It鈥檚 going to be about how we bring value to the consumer at the end of the day. We don鈥檛 have a timeline, but we will be establishing one over the coming months.

How do you get the Oboz brand to more consumers?

During COVID, we weren鈥檛 able to service the consumer on our site, so we are launching our direct-to-consumer channel in the spring. You can鈥檛 not play in that space. It鈥檚 not an option anymore with such digitally savvy consumers. The launch date is TBD, but we鈥檒l be working with our retail partners and ensuring them that our DTC experience is full price. We don鈥檛 want to compete with retailers; we just want to enhance the consumers鈥� experience.

Have you set goals for Oboz鈥檚 DTC channel?
We do not have aggressive growth targets, at least not in the first few years, and we鈥檙e not publicizing what percent of our total revenue we are aiming for with ecommerce. The first year is just to get it up and running, to break even, and to ensure more consumers learn more about the brand. We鈥檙e still partnering with Locally.com to drive consumers to retail and to convert consumers wherever it鈥檚 most convenient for them. We鈥檝e been such a wholesale-first brand that we want to make sure that we鈥檙e continuing to partner with our retailers.聽

What鈥檚 next for the brand in 2021 and beyond?

We鈥檙e thinking about new consumers with some of our product launches, including new insulated products. We鈥檙e focused on maximizing the doors that we鈥檙e in and selling more products within our current distribution. We鈥檙e also going to talk more about who we are and why we exist. You鈥檒l see us celebrating our home with the Bozeman Collection. And we鈥檒l continue building our team. It鈥檚 fun to go from a small entrepreneurial brand to a bigger brand within the outdoor community while still holding on to our roots. That鈥檚 important to us. We鈥檙e not a big company and we want to make sure that the reason people do business with us is about relationships. Our mantra is to be good partners with our favorite people in the industry.

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Up in quaint Ketchum, Idaho, Cassie Abel always has something to do. As the owner of women’s apparel brand Wild Rye and founder of White Cloud Communication, as well as being an active skier, hiker, mountain biker, and dog owner, you can find her firing off emails and strategizing with her rock-star teams or getting fresh air and exploring the trails. Busyness aside, Abel found time earlier this year to lead another initiative: elevating female-powered companies through Women-Led Wednesday.

On International Women’s Day last year, we featured Abel among 10 female leaders in the outdoor industry. Since then, Abel has put the spotlight on dozens and dozens of other businesses we, and probably you, didn’t know were led by amazing gals. For the second year, we’ve compiled a list of another ten rad women鈥攁nd we’re putting a call-out to add to Abel’s growing directory of women leaders. Happy International Women’s Day!

10 Rad Women

Amy Beck, president of Obo虅z/Kathmandu North America

Before her position at the Montana-based footwear brand bought by the New Zealand retailer, Beck was a brand manager at Waypoint Outdoor. She has extensive experience in the outdoor industry, having worked at Smartwool and Lucy Activewear, both part of VF Corporation. Of her new role, she said, “I see an enormous potential for Obo虅z and Kathmandu in North America by continuing to develop long term partnerships within the specialty outdoor distribution and by bringing to market creative and innovative products.鈥�

Ellen Brin, CEO/owner at Dakota Grizzly

Brin’s grandfather founded the men’s outdoor clothing brand in the 1940s and when she was young and asked her father if she could join the business. The answer was no. She went on to get a CPA license and at age 40, her father finally asked if she’d be interested in becoming the CFO. Now, Brin is 50/50 partner with her brother-in-law, Rob, and the St. Louis, Missouri-based Dakota Grizzly聽also has a female president and designer.

Nailah Blades Wylie, founder of Color 国产吃瓜黑料

Blades Wylie started Color 国产吃瓜黑料鈥攁n events, life coaching, and retreat business鈥�”as a safe place for women of color to come together and create unapologetic, soul stirring lives through outdoor adventures.” Through different types of gatherings, she encourages people to push their bodies, reconnect with their true selves, and strengthen community ties. The Diversify Outdoors ambassador said, “We don’t let anyone question our right to take up space.”

Gloria Hwang, founder of Thousand Helmets

Until she lost her friend in a fatal bike accident, Hwang wasn’t fond of wearing helmets. To start Thousand Helmets, the entrepreneur emptied her savings account and launched a Kickstarter in 2015. The helmets are vintage- and moto-inspired, empowering stylish-minded people to protect their domes without sacrificing looks. Hwang is also mindful of how products might harm the environment and started a Carbon Offset Program and partnered with 1% For The Planet.

Corinne Prevot, founder of Skida Headwear

Vermont never looked so colorful. Prevot, a skier and designer in her late 20s, picked up some fun fabric in 2008 and sewed it into her first line of hats headbands, neck gaiters, and other ski accessories. Skida can be found in about 300 stores across the U.S. and the funky prints鈥攎ountain fog, bento boxes, and geo blossoms鈥攈elp skiers stand out on the slopes.

Alison Mariella D茅sir-Figueroa, founder of Running 4 All Women and Harlem Run

An endurance athlete, mental health counselor, and activist,聽D茅sir-Figueroa was named by聽Women’s Running as one of 20 women who are changing the sport of running and the world. She was named by The Root 100 as one of the most influential African Americans, ages 25 to 45, Alison is an endurance athlete, activist, and mental health counselor. She founded the two running movements to empower runners of all levels, from all backgrounds.

Beth Cochran, founder and owner of What’s Up PR

Based in Denver, Colorado, Cochran heads up the specialty brand consulting firm and works with Bergans of Norway, Centric Software, and CHAOS. She started in the ’90s after biking across America without support for 60 days and wrangling The North Face, Power Bar, Therm-a-rest, and Trek as sponsors. Those who have worked with her say she is a natural mentor and deeply cares about her clients and employees. Cochran also served as a board member for Camber Outdoors, on the Snowsports Industries America Ski Committee to create female mentorships, and a panel facilitator for Outdoor Industry Association.

Justine Barone, co-founder and CEO of Gearo

On a mission to simplify gear rentals, Barone founded Gearo. The marketing tool helps retailers with their inventory management, detailed reporting, and real-time booking. Barone was a finalist in Camber Outdoors’ 2018 Pitchfest. In an interview, she said she felt guilty when people wanted to offer support. But, “I鈥檝e realized it鈥檚 not about owing one person, but generally giving back to future startup generations, or anyone I can, and it all balances out.”

Jaylyn Gough, founder of Native Women’s Wilderness

Gough is from the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico and founded Native Women’s Wilderness out of the frustration of the lack of women of color represented in the outdoor industry and to raise awareness about Ancestral Lands. Through the nonprofit, Gough has given a voice to and inspired indigenous women to speak up about the hardships of being a woman of color, but also how the land heals them. She currently lives in Boulder, Colorado, and enjoys fly fishing, backpacking, mountain biking, and hiking. Read her Snews story about indigenous leaders.

Jen Gureki, founder of Coalition Snow and Sisu Magazine

Coalition Snow is one of very few women-run snowboard and ski makers. Often outspoken about equity, Gurecki started her company in 2014 to “deconstruct the status quo.” Gurecki also founded聽Zawadisha, a social enterprise providing small loans to rural Kenyan women, and Sisu Magazine, giving women a print platform to challenge the patriarchy. You can also find her often recording the Juicy Bits podcast.

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