This summer Roanne Miller announced she would be stepping down as the president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance after leading the organization since 2009. Miller reportedly left in good standing to spend more time with her family and pursue other personal interests.
To fill those shoes, the Grassroots board of directors set up an internal committee, and after a rigorous review of more than 40 candidates, the organization is announcing the new president. Industry veteran Wes Allen is taking the helm at Grassroots, officially starting September 1, 2014.
Allen has a long and varied history during the last 18 years in the outdoor industry, which started on the retail of floor of the store he now co-owns. He was previously the national sales manager for Chaco – both before and after Wolverine World Wide’s acquisition of the brand. Prior to Chaco, Allen was the director of sales for Ulu Footwear, and prior to Ulu, he spent 10 years working for REI in six different locations. During his time with REI, Allen was a store manager in multiple locations and managed the store opening processes in Fairfax, Va. and Mountain View, Calif. Currently, he is co-owner of Sunlight Sports, a premier outdoor retailer in Cody, Wyo. that is also a Grassroots member.
According to Chris Howe of Denali/Trailblazer and a Grassroots board member, there was a lot of interest in the position, so the committee wanted to make sure it was objective, fair and clean in its decision making. But, Howe nor anyone at Grassroots, anticipated that a principal from a retail member would apply.
“He was the only Grassroots member to reach out; no one saw it coming. We had this dream list of possible candidates, most of whom applied and then Wes came in as a sort of dark horse,” said Howe.
In fact, the board had to reevaluate its entire recruitment process and establish guidelines and restrictions to make sure that there wouldn’t be any conflicts of interest, no matter who was applying.
“We’re hiring somebody to represent a leading group of retailers so the president’s commitment to that group can’t be compromised or distracted in any way,” said Michael Plante, co-owner of the outdoor store Travel Country and also the chairman of the Grassroots board.
With that in mind, Allen will separate himself entirely from any managerial oversight and affiliation at Sunlight Sports. The idea is that even if he attended a Sunlight Sports event for whatever reason, he would be there as the Grassroots president. In other words, his focus is now exclusively on the Grassroots organization.
While the recruitment process itself needed some adjustment, the final decision was unanimous.
Plante explained. “Wes has a passion like nothing we’ve seen before. He’s always been a proponent of specialty retail even while being on the vendor side. He’s seen the bigger picture while at REI, and the fact that he settled in with this magnificent specialty shop that’s on the cutting edge of what’s happening in the industry stands out. Wes told us he owes his life to outdoor specialty, and he wants to give back by serving our group. It’s hard not to hear the sincerity in those words.”
