Grassroots Outdoor Alliance names winners of 2026 Outdoor Specialty Awards

Jackson, Wyo., retailer Skinny Skis and apparel manufacturer Smartwool won Retailer of the Year and Vendor of the Year respectively in the 2026 Grassroots Outdoor Specialty Awards. The annual awards program — curated by Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, the national organization dedicated to the health and growth of specialty outdoor retail — names winners annually based on extensive feedback from peers in the specialty retail and vendor communities.

Award winners in those categories and a number of others were announced at the Spring 2026 Grassroots Connect buying show in Reno, Nev., where more than 150 retail businesses and 290 exhibiting product manufacturers are gathering this week. The Connect Show takes place twice a year to support brand line showings for independent specialty retailers timed around key ordering deadlines.

The Grassroots Outdoor Specialty Awards celebrate overall excellence among Grassroots retailers and vendors, as well as outstanding achievements in business, advocacy, community action, and philanthropy. The awards also call out exceptional sales representatives who work as conduits between outdoor brands and retailers.

Skinny Skis won Retailer of the Year based on criteria that included vendor feedback, retail store wow factor, planning and merchandising, and responsible business ownership. In accepting the award, Taylor Hall, who co-owns the business with Scott O’Brien, shared they have worked in recent years to reinvent Skinny Skis in the face of a variety of headwinds in their market by learning into their heritage as a shop founded in nordic skiing.

“It’s humbling to win this award when I look around and see all the experience in this room,” Hall said. “We made a decision to just be ourselves and not worry too much about the marketplace.”

Smartwool won Vendor of the Year award on criteria including sales and service, collaboration and support of specialty retail, product, and how it conducted itself in the marketplace.

"We're incredibly honored to be recognized, and we attribute a huge amount of success to our reps for the work they do every day, and for the retailers who help get our brand in front of consumers,” said ​Margot Hannaford, Smartwool General Manager for the Americas.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance believes the awards are especially meaningful since the winners are chosen by peers and business partners.

“The winners should feel very proud that these awards reflect very tangible results of hard work, because they’re informed by real-world information that our community shares with us,” said Gabe Maier, President of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. “These awards are a reminder of what makes this community so special. The strength of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance has always come from partnership — retailers, vendors, reps, and industry leaders working together to build something stronger than any one business alone.”

Along with Retailer and Vendor or the year, the 2026 Outdoor Specialty Awards winners Include:

• Retailer Growth Award — Casual Adventure, Arlington, Va.

• Community Giveback Award — Footsloggers, Boone, N.C.

• Retailer Wow Award (merchandising & store design) — Bill Jackson's, Pinellas Park, Fla.

• Excellence in Apparel — Patagonia

• Excellence in Footwear — Salewa

• Excellence in Hardgoods & Accessories — Hydrapak

In addition, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance recognized 25 independent sales representatives with the Top 25 Indy Rep Award. It recognizes outstanding representatives from across the country identified by both brands and retail partners as exceptional examples of professionalism, service, partnership, communication and commitment to the specialty channel. They include:

• Michael Kincaid​ - Adventure Labworks

• Alex Cavner​ - Adventure Marketing Group

• Koby Crooks​ - Alpine Cowboy

• Ronnie Jenkins​ - Ascension Sales Group

• Brad Decker​ - Decker & Associates

• Conner Larsen​ - End2End Outdoor

• Patrick Davis​ - Green River Sales

• Heath Rowland​ - Ground Up Sales

• Chris Covey​ - High Plains Outdoor Group

• Sarah Park​ - KNS Reps

• Derek Dimitri​ - Level 8 Sales

• Emily Rach​ - Midwest Outdoor Sales

• Chris Summa​ - Modern Tradition Sales

• Tj Maurer​ - On the Road and Off

• Wes Napier​ - On the Road and Off

• Wendy Stanley​ - Outdoor Sports Marketing

• Dan Miller - Pacific ​Crest Trading

• Bryce Bradley​ - Parallel 45 Sales Group

• Abby Powers​ - Powers Pedersen Sales Group

• Sam Powers​ - Powers Pedersen Sales Group

• Karla Canamaso​ - Roam Sales Agency

• Daniel Miller​ - Specialty Sport Reps

• Kurt Smith​ - Top Gun Sales

• Katherine Corbett​ - Venture Out Inc.

• Bj Brewer​ - Vim Sales Group

In addition, The Conservation Alliance presented a retailer and vendor with a new award for conservation championship. Those awards went to Mountain Sports in Flagstaff, Ariz., and water filtration manufacturer Grayl.

The Spring 2026 Grassroots Connect Show runs from June 7-11.

Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a retailer-owned network of 100+ independently owned outdoor retailers and vendor partners, working together for the health and growth of specialty outdoor retail. Through data collection and analysis, direct member support, specialty events and deep vendor partnerships, Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is creating both a vision and roadmap for the long-term success of independent specialty retail. Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is recognized as a catalyst for the success of its retailers and vendor partners; an advocate for specialty independent retail; a promoter of education and community within the specialty channel; and a key influencer of the national outdoor industry. Grassroots Outdoor Alliance also operates Connect, a twice-annual legacy show experience that spans four days, offering an efficient and structured format for retailers to conduct pre-season line showings and business conversations.