Latest news with #Boulder-based
Axios
5 days ago
- Business
- Axios
Colorado's outdoor industry suffering from trade war
Travis Campbell shelled out an additional $580,000. Mike Mojica raised prices and laid off workers. Trent Bush is worried he may go out of business. Why it matters: The three Colorado outdoor retail executives say they are casualties of President Trump's trade war. State of play: The sunny skies and huge crowds at last week's Outside Festival in Denver camouflaged a dire reality: Tariffs on foreign goods are pushing the outdoor industry to the brink. Campbell, CEO of Eagle Creek in Steamboat Springs, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, manufactures most of its products in Indonesia and sells them worldwide. His costs skyrocketed with the new tariffs forcing him to freeze salaries, leave two positions unfilled and cut other expenses. Mojica, founder of Outdoor Element, based just outside Denver, finished his best year ever in 2024 but now feels like he's drowning. Even though he raised prices for his fire starter gadgets, the profit margin remains slim and he's paused some production. He lost an account, laid off workers and brought in family members as volunteer workers. Trent Bush leads Artilect, a Boulder-based clothing company that specializes in merino wool grown outside the U.S. He's worried about the uncertainty of his business as well as the anti-American sentiment the tariffs have generated. For now, he's just trying to make ends meet. What they're saying: "When you add that all up, the [impacts of tariffs] mean lower wages, fewer jobs and less spending in the economy," Campbell said at a congressional hearing Friday in Denver hosted by U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper. "I don't think that's what we're aiming for." "What felt like a mood swing for my commander in chief now feels like a knife in the back," added Mojica, who previously served in the U.S. Army and Air Force. The industry faces an "unprecedented crisis," Bush emphasized at the hearing. The other side: Other industries could see benefits from tariffs. And Republican lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans of Thornton, have defended them as necessary to level the playing field for other industries, such as agriculture. Context: The outdoor industry is especially reliant on the global supply chain for specialized equipment that requires immense skills, particularly waterproof materials and shoes. All three business owners said they've worked diligently to onshore production in recent years, but it proved impossible. "These goods require years of skill and specialization to produce, and those capabilities do not exist in the U.S. at any level of scale required to make the goods that we produce," Campbell said. The bottom line: The conversation continued Sunday on the sidelines of the Outside Festival.
Axios
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Outside Festival hits full speed in second year
In its second year, the Outside Festival in Denver is becoming what organizers hoped to create: an interactive gathering to celebrate Colorado's great outdoors. Why it matters: The event led by Boulder-based Outside Interactive promotes the people, places and products that contribute to the outdoor recreation industry's $17 billion annual economic impact in Colorado. State of play: The 2025 fest is exponentially bigger than its first year. Today, industry leaders will gather for sessions that include a startup pitch contest and a summit where leaders plan to discuss how to protect public lands, boost innovation and diversify the outdoors' appeal, among other topics. The main attraction is the festival on Saturday and Sunday in the Civic Center area, featuring concerts with major headliners, a climbing wall, outdoor films and talks with industry icons. Flashback: Denver previously hosted the twice-a-year Outdoor Retailer show for industry insiders before the conference returned to Salt Lake City in 2023. The move surprised Colorado officials — who offered $400,000 in incentives for it to stay — and they vowed to create a bigger, better event to toast the industry and its fans. What they're saying: Outside Festival "is now its own thing," Colorado outdoor recreation director Conor Hall tells us. By the numbers: Half the crowd comes from outside Denver and the festival is anticipated to generate $16 million in economic activity, according to organizers. About 25,000 people are expected to attend, up from 18,000 tickets sold in its first year. The bottom line: "The outside is not just good fun, it's good business," Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said at a recent event to promote the festival.
CBS News
24-02-2025
- Science
- CBS News
WorldDenver International Women's Day on March 7 to feature first Latina in space
It's a day recognized annually across the world to celebrate the impact of women: International Women's Day (IWD). On Friday, March 7, 2025, WorldDenver will host one of the largest celebrations in the country. The event will take place at Infinity Park Events Center in Glendale, with registration opening at 8:30 a.m., for an expert community panel on Women Leaders in STEM (Science, Technology Engineering & Math). CBS Colorado's Michelle Griego will moderate the panel. Event co-chairs Maria Gonzales, VP of Development for Protect Our Winters, and Patrice Henning, SVP of Wealth Management for Raymond James spoke to CBS Colorado's Mekialaya White about IWD. Here is the schedule for the event at Infinity Park Events Center, at 4400 East Kentucky Avenue. 8:30 a.m. | Registration opens with coffee & pastries for Expert Community Panel 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. | Expert Community Panel – Women Leaders in STEM 10:00 – 11:15 a.m. | Coffee & Networking Hour, Student Lounge + Luncheon Registration 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Keynote & Awards Luncheon The luncheon will feature a keynote speech by Ellen Ochoa, a 2024 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipient and the first Latina astronaut in space. Ochoa is also former director of the Johnson Space Center. Honorees of the luncheon are the Boulder-based organization Girls with Books which empowers South Sudanese girls through education, and Maria Garcia Berry, founder of CRL Associates, and a board member of Biennial of the Americas, the Cuba Emprende Foundation and Cuba Study Group. To find out more about WorldDenver, visit and for tickets to International Women's Day visit
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cookie sales remain a constant in Longmont
After King Soopers union employees at 77 stores along the Front Range went on strike on Thursday, the Girl Scouts of Colorado decided to honor the strike and lost a key venue for cookie sales. But in Longmont, where the King Soopers stores are not unionized and workers are not striking, Girl Scouts sold cookies outside of all three King Soopers stores on Saturday – at 1611 Pace St.; at 2255 Main St.; and at 995 S. Hover St. Due to the labor strike, many area customers are looking elsewhere to buy their beloved Girl Scout cookies, and many trooops have found new places to set up outdoor booths. Boulder-based Troop 3010 sold cookies outside Silver Vines Winery near the Pearl Street Mall on Saturday, for example. The troop, which is made up of 18 high schoolers, sold Tagalongs, Thin Mints, Samoas and other classic varieties to mall pedestrians. To help the Girl Scouts, the winery printed up wine pairing guides for cookies, including one featured pairing with a Sauvignon Blanc and Lemon-Ups. Silver Vines Winery reached out to Troop 3010 after troop leader Julie Dye made a Facebook post about the strike. 'Girl Scouts and the community are sort of partners together,' Dye said. 'We support our community, and the community supports us. I think most people recognize that they're not just buying a box of cookies – they're supporting an organization that is making the world a better place.' Eric Lau, left, buys Girl Scout cookies from Beth Fitzgerald; daughter, Clara Fitzgerald; and Ella McLauren; on Saturday outside of the REI store in Boulder.(Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer)A week into the selling season, Dye is feeling the pressure, especially with 4,000 boxes of cookies in her living room. 'It's a little more stressful for the adults, I think,' she said. Dye said Super Bowl Sunday is always the biggest day for cookie sales. What would have been an opportunity to sell hundreds of boxes of cookies outside a King Soopers isn't possible in Boulder this year, because of the strike, she said. The troop typically sets up booths at all of Boulder's King Soopers stores. 'It's a hard one to lose, for sure,' Dye said of the Super Bowl Sunday sales. 'That loss of the big day has to be picked up. It might take three or four other booths to make up for that one time.' This year, Troop 3010 is also selling cookies on University Hill and at McGuckin Hardware in Boulder. The troop will also be at Safeway starting Feb. 17. Going forward, the group will be on the lookout for more vendor locations to make up for the loss of King Soopers sales. 'I've definitely sold a lot within my theatre troupe,' said Troop 3010 member Finn Hughes, a sophomore at Boulder High School. Ren Dye, a 15-year-old Scout in the troop, said some customers have praised the Scouts for avoiding King Soopers during the strike. 'We usually sell at a lot of different locations, plus King Soopers,' Ren said. 'We adapt to a lot of different situations. We've sold in the pandemic, so we're pretty used to selling wherever.' In response to the strike, King Soopers officials put out a statement that said the period for Girl Scouts to sell cookies outside the stores will be extended through March 16. The company is also making a $15,000 donation to the Girl Scouts of Colorado, the statement said. 'The Girl Scouts have been a longtime fixture in front of our stores, and we know how important cookie sales are to supporting their programs and leadership development,' King Soopers president Joe Kelley in the statement. This weekend, the second graders of Lafayette-based Troop 75990 sold cookies outside of the Boulder REI at 1789 28th St. Colleen Cheatham, a troop parent, said Saturday brought a lot of customers to their booth. 'Even if they aren't purchasing, they're still very kind and supportive to the girls,' Cheatham said. This is Troop 75990's third season selling at the Boulder REI. This is the first year that other troops have reached out to the store to ask if they can sell there, too, according to Cheatham. 'We're lucky to have already had this set up before the season started,' Cheatham said. 'There are other troops, I think, that are really hurting, though.' In a normal season, the troop would primarily sell cookies at the Louisville King Soopers, where union workers are on strike. In addition to REI, Troop No. 75990 is considering other unique sales venues, such as restaurants and the Boulder County Fairgrounds. 'In general, people are just kind of getting creative this year,' Cheatham said. The strike covers an estimated 10,000 employees at all unionized King Soopers stores throughout Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson counties and the cities of Boulder and Louisville.
