Inside Outdoor Fall 2017

R E P N E W S & N O T E S www.insideoutdoor.com www.insideoutdoor.com R E P N E W S & N O T E S www.insideoutdoor.com During the past several years, East- ern Outdoor Reps Association and New England Sports Reps have stud- ied the pros and cons of merging both eastern-based organizations into a new entity, said the rep groups. In January of 2017, both memberships vo ted to ex ecute the merger, and on Au gust 7, the bylaws for the new organization were approved. The new entity is in- corporated in the State of Vermont and is awaiting 501(c6) nonprofit approval from the IRS. The new organization brings together 660 reps into its com- bined membership. “The overarching goals of merging were to make it easier for reps, retail- ers and our outdoor industry partners to do business together. EORA and NESR shared mutual seasonal roles in the New England trade show cycle. By merging our groups, we’ll consoli- date the point of contact for everyone involved, work as a unified team across all seasons, and market our trade shows and values more effectively,” said Alli- son Frazier , president of EORA. Nine board members for the new organization were voted in on Sep- tember 1, made up of three represen- tatives each from New England, the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast regions. Their first board meeting was held in early October in Washington D.C. The merged organization will maintain two regional offices in Massachusetts and North Carolina and keep existing staff in place. Debbie Motz will continue as the organization’s southern director in Asheville, N.C., and Maureen Bliss will serve as the organization’s northern director in Westborough, Mass. Seattle-based Industrial Revolu- tion added sales rep groups to its growing team. Based in Minneapolis, Chet Cisek and the Wild Moon LLC team bring more than 40 years of col- lective experience to Industrial Revolu- tion. They will represent IR’s brand in the Upper Midwest region, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois and the Upper Pen- insula of Michigan. Cisek can be reach at (612) 803-8393 or chet@rmi.net. JJ Anderson and the Pacific Recre- ation Sales team are headquartered in Bakersfield, Calif., and offer more than 20 years of experience in outdoor specialty retail, mass retail and online retail. PSRI will handle the Southwest region, including California, Arizona and Nevada. Anderson can be reached at (877) 722-4742 or jj@pacrecinc.com. Craghoppers announced a new partnership with Cheryl Sternberg & Associates for sales representation throughout Texas, Oklahoma, Loui- siana, Arkansas and Kansas. Cheryl Sternberg & Associates has been covering this territory for more than 20 years, specializing in the outdoor, ski and tra vel markets. Specifically, it has been heavily involved with In- sect Shield since it was brought to the retail market, developing training expertise along the way. In addition to Craghoppers, Cheryl Sternberg & Associates also works with Krim- son Klover, dish & DUER and Insect Shield Specialty Accessories. Footbed brand Sole  continues to grow its sales team, recently announc- ing two new partnerships with agencies Onward Up in western Canada and ASM Sports in eastern Canada. Ac- cording to Sole Canadian sales direc- tor, Iain Macfarlane , Sole’s retail part- ners have historically been serviced and developed almost exclusively by kenneth j hamilton / Rumney, nh nanospikes is a trademark of kahtoola inc. EORA president Allison Frazier Inside Outdoor | FALL 2017 12