Outdoor Retailer and the Fastest Summer

Hello,
This summer has been fast and furious around BSA and Fort Collins. On the advocacy side, we've been keeping tabs on the Eclipse Snowpark near Idaho Springs, the Dry Gulch snowcat expansion near Loveland Ski and Snowboard Area, and awaiting the release of the White River NF Revised Draft Travel Plan, which was recently delayed (again) until mid-September.

We've also distributed a number of fundraising and membership appeals and have seen good response. Many of our large donors have stepped up to bat with large, advancing donations, while many of you have contributed very generously at various levels. Thank you very much for your financial support - we need your help to keep this train rolling!

In our spring newsletter, I wrote about improved member services coming down the pike. Those changes are beginning to surface, with the introduction of new business membership benefits, new special gift rewards, and the adoption of a new database system, or CRM. The latter of these new developments comes through the August donation of more than $11,000 in software licensing from the Salesforce.com Foundation, the charitable arm of top CRM provider, Salesforce. This new CRM will help us better manage informmation related to you, our members and contacts. We will be better equipped to bring you the information you need to stay up-to-date on all of the developments and events taking place in your backcountry world. Look for this new system and its improved features to surface soon.

On a personal note, I married my best friend and companion, Tracy on June 28th, in a bicycle-centric celebration in Bellvue, Colorado. After a 2.5 week respite on bike tour in California, I returned recharged and ready to tackle the important issues facing all of us in Colorado's backcountry.

I'm writing this from the 800 South Guest House in Salt Lake City, where I am attending the Outdoor Retailer Show. OR, as it is known, is the biannual event for backcountry gear producers, retailers, and geeks. Board members Greg Mears and Tom Gordon are also here, selling their wares and spreading the BSA word.

In a step toward improving our industry partnership program, I am here to introduce BSA to industry members from around Colorado and the United States. Additionally, OR provides great opportunities for training, with grant seeking, management, and marketing seminars held throughout the week.

I'll check in again during the show with any big news in the backcountry world. Until then, enjoy the heat - the snow will be here soon!

Brian