Wes grew up on a working Cattle
Ranch outside Cody, Wyoming. Currently the principal at the outdoor
retail shop Sunlight Sports, Co-Founder of the Argot Agency
and former president of Grassroots
Outdoor Alliance
"They want to be able to tell a
story that local Outdoor Retail customers will relate to. That's
the whole concept behind the Argo Agency"
Find out more about Sunlight Sports
and the Argot Agency here: Sunlight
Sports - Argot Agency
You have a wide range of experience
in the outdoor retail space. Tell us about a little bit about your
background.
I do have a wide range of
experience. My first formal job in the outdoor industry was here at
Sunlight Sports. Cody was the nearest big town to the ranch. After
I graduated from college, I came in for an outdoor retail summer
job because I had purchased stuff here before. I wound up staying
and then, a year later or so the woman who owned Sunlight with her
husband . . . her much younger sister came back from college in New
Zealand and I wound up getting married to her. So yeah, I kinda got
into the family that way.
How did the Argot Agency come
about?
Argo is something that's a little
bit newer. Argo agency is a specialty agency that works on building
out bespoke marketing programs between Outdoor Retailers and
brands. These retailers have been identified as key outdoor retail
specialty accounts by the brands. And obviously, from my
background, I really believe in the power of specialty outdoor
retail.
We've worked with quite a few brands
in the outdoor industry. When people go into a specialty outdoor
retail shop, there's kind of this ambiance and Summit Hut is a
great example. You go in there and it is definitely an Arizona
outdoor store and they sell snake gaiters and they've got cactus on
the wall. It's not, you know, it's not a Pacific Northwest outdoor
retail store. And you know, brands want to tell great stories that
resonate with customers. They want to be able to tell a story that
local Outdoor Retail customers will relate to. That's the whole
concept behind Argo.
Tell our listeners how Argo works
with outdoor retail brands and stores to execute these
campaigns.
So we go in and we actually
customize it for every single outdoor retail shop. The vast
majority of retailers that we work with, we do a photoshoot with
the brand. Then we create brand signage and pop and everything in
the store for the brand. So for example with Summit
Hut, when we did the signs it was pictures of people in
the mountains right outside of Tucson. The fonts and the colors and
everything was localized but it was very much a Nemo branded
campaign.
What suggestions or advice do you
have for folks wanting to get into the outdoor retail biz? Or grow
their career if they're already in the biz.
I think that the outdoor retail
industry, even though it's gotten bigger and there are big
multinational corporations involved, it is a passion industry. Very
few people are in the outdoor industry because this is the only job
they can find right? They're here because they care about it. And I
think my one suggestion I would give to people is I'd wear your
passions on your sleeve a little bit more, whether it's for your
job or for the outdoor activities that you enjoy. I think we all
respond to that and find it a positive thing. And we like being
around people who are passionate about something. I think in your
career if you can be passionate about your job and passionate about
your activities, other people in the outdoor industry are more
inclined to help you with your career.
Things We Talked About
Sunlight Sports
Argot Agency
Summit Hut
Nemo Equipment
Grassroots Outdoor
Alliance
Cody, Wyoming
Paella
Favorite Outdoor Gear Under
$100
Dana Design Bangtail hip
pack
Espro Coffee
Hydroflask
Outdoor Retailer Banner
Do your job well and understand
where it fits in the big picture of the industry
Connect with Wes- Argo Agency,
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