Home / Eric Smith

Welcome

I'm a Colorado-based writer who specializes in business news, analysis and features from the outdoor and sporting goods industries. My current role is Senior Business Editor for SGB Media, a B2B trade publication that covers the active lifestyle marketplace (you can view my SGB oeuvre by clicking here).

Below you'll find my most recent work, or please visit my portfolio page for a more comprehensive look at my writing, including clips from SGB, past jobs and even a few side hustles. Also, be sure to connect with me on LinkedIn and follow on Twitter (feed is at the bottom of the page).

Cheers!

PS: I was just named the winner of the 2019 Harold S. Hirsch Awards for Words (link will take you to the winning portfolio).

SGB Media • 27th March 2020

March 27 Coronavirus Notebook: Crisis Brings Out The Best In Brands

For this latest installment of the Coronavirus Notebook, SGB Executive looks at the myriad contributions from brands across the active-lifestyle marketplace in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including pivoting production lines to make personal protective equipment, providing gear for first responders and making cash donations.

SGB Media • 25th March 2020

Nike CEO John Donahoe Opens Up Coronavirus 'Playbook'

Nike Inc. didn’t escape the fiscal third quarter entirely unscathed, and headwinds remain globally in Q4 and beyond, but the company managed to evade a revenue and earnings plunge thanks to the “playbook” it deployed as the coronavirus spread across China in recent months.

SGB Media • 24th March 2020

March 24 Coronavirus Notebook: New Impacts To Business

Fallout from the coronavirus pandemic continues to rankle the active-lifestyle marketplace. Most retailers have temporarily closed their doors. Sports leagues show no signs of resuming play. And now the Summer Olympics has been postponed until 2021. The ripple effect of the coronavirus (COVID-19) is reaching new pockets of the U.S. economy and will linger for months to come.

SGB Media • 23rd March 2020

How To Navigate M&A During The Coronavirus Crisis

Mergers and acquisitions are slowing to a crawl due to the coronavirus outbreak, but buyers and sellers can use this time to prepare for the surge of activity that's sure to occur once business normalcy returns. SGB Executive examines the current M&A landscape and offers tips for navigating either side of the deal.

SGB Media • 20th March 2020

Fiscal 2020 Becomes 'Year to Forget' For Vail Resorts

The coronavirus has taken a huge toll on Vail Resorts Inc., which closed its 34 North American resorts (with the chance of reopening three of them). Vail remains in a strong financial position, but such an abrupt end to the ski season quickly turned the company’s fiscal 2020 into a “year to forget.”

SGB Media • 20th March 2020

Why Hibbett Has Decided To Keep Stores Open

The coronavirus has forced many retailers to temporarily close their doors, but Birmingham, AL-based Hibbett Sports Inc. believes its locations are better positioned than big-box competitors and isn’t issuing a companywide shutdown. Hibbett CEO Mike Longo spoke on the fourth-quarter earnings call Friday morning—his first since being named to the top post last December—about the company’s resiliency amid this current crisis.

SGB Media • 19th March 2020

Creature Comforts: Burgeoning Ski Category Addresses Foot Pain

A burgeoning ski category includes three relative newcomers—Dahu Boots, Envy Snow Sports and Mad Jack Snowsports—plus a longtime player, all of whom aim to remove foot pain by making more comfortable boot systems. SGB Executive breaks down their efforts to bring more people to the sport and keep them on the slopes for longer.

SGB Media • 18th March 2020

March 18 Coronavirus Update: A Few 'Winners' Emerge

The chaos that coronavirus is causing across the active lifestyle marketplace is unprecedented. And while it’s hard to claim any “winners” when an outbreak such as Covid-19 is wreaking so much havoc on everyday life, a couple of categories in this space stand to benefit—firearms and at-home fitness manufacturers.

SGB Media • 16th March 2020

Coronavirus Closes Ski Resorts

The coronavirus has hit mountain towns especially hard, and Saturday afternoon was an inflection point for the ski industry. When Vail Resorts Inc. announced it was suspending operations at its North American ski areas, most others followed suit.

SGB Media • 10th March 2020

Vail Resorts CEO Talks Coronavirus, Snowfall, Lift Lines, M&A

Vail Resorts on Monday withdrew its fiscal 2020 guidance because it’s not yet sure how badly the coronavirus outbreak will sag its financial performance. The company plans to provide an update next week, but right now Vail plans to keep all its resorts open as scheduled, according to CEO Rob Katz, who addressed this issue and others on the fiscal second-quarter earnings call.

SGB Media • 9th March 2020

Conversation With Bjorn Fjellstad Of Sweet Protection

Bjorn Fjellstad, managing director of the Norwegian apparel and protective gear maker Sweet Protection, is working to build momentum across the globe but especially in the U.S., which represents the brand’s biggest growth opportunity. He spoke with SGB Executive about Sweet Protection’s sharpened focus on this market, including the launch of a new category.

SGB Media • 3rd March 2020

Coronavirus Crippling Supply Chains, But For How Long?

The coronavirus, or COVID-19, is wreaking havoc across the global supply chain. SGB Executive’s latest report looks at the outbreak’s economic impact on the active lifestyle marketplace, including how companies, consumers and even trade show operators are reacting.

SGB Media • 2nd March 2020

February M&A Roundup: BSN Sports, CGPR And More

BSN Sports dominated last month’s M&A activity. The Dallas, TX-based team sports apparel and equipment distributor announced a trio of acquisitions in February, bringing the company’s 2020 total to four. Also, the boutique outdoor and active lifestyle public relations firm CGPR found a new home with a larger agency in a deal that provides synergies for both.

SGB Media • 28th February 2020

Camping World Turns The Page

Last year, Camping World Holdings Inc. closed or sold more than 60 locations that didn’t sell or service RVs, a move took a toll on 2019 results by causing some short-term revenue and earnings pressure. But as Camping World turns the page on its retail model and refocuses on its core RV business, the company appears better positioned for 2020 and beyond.

SGB Media • 24th February 2020

After Solid Debut, FW Apparel Lifts Expectations For Year Two

FW Apparel (the FW is pronounced “forward”) is the skiwear brand that launched last fall. With its inaugural season not yet completed, FW Apparel—whose sister company is Faction Skis—has already begun targeting bigger aspirations for year two. Brand director Olivier Gouby, aka “OG,” spoke with SGB Executive at the recent Outdoor + Snow Show about FW’s lofty expectations.

SGB Media • 20th February 2020

Conversation With Powdr Co-President Wade Martin

Fresh off an acquisition and the opening of a new Woodward facility, Park City, UT-based Powdr Corp. is feeling flow. In this SGB Executive conversation, Powdr Co-President Wade Martin dishes on everything from the health of the ski resort industry to the importance of capital investment allocation to why the company doesn’t view M&A like it’s a game of Risk.

SGB Media • 18th February 2020

Meier Skis' Ted Eynon Talks Sustainability, 'Craft Skiery' And More

Meier Skis dubbed its Denver, CO, digs a “craft skiery”—a combination manufacturing facility and bar where patrons can learn about the brand, watch the production process and knock back a cold one. At last month’s Outdoor + Snow Show, company owner Ted Eynon dished on the concept and other initiatives brewing at the independent ski maker.

SGB Media • 17th February 2020

Utah's Outdoor Industry Rolling, But Don't Call It A Comeback

Utah’s outdoor industry enters 2020 on a roll. Not only did the state land the headquarters of newcomer brands Jack Wolfskin and Ventum, but it’s also seeing investments from stalwarts like Amer, Black Diamond and Gregory, and this summer it welcomes a new outdoor hardgoods trade show—all despite a recent high-profile setback for the state. What’s driving the turnaround?

SGB Media • 14th February 2020

Outdoor Retailer Show Reduction Cost Emerald Millions In Q4

The decision to cancel Outdoor Retailer Winter Market last November and consolidate it with January’s Outdoor + Snow Show—thereby reducing the annual OR show cycle to two—cost parent company Emerald Expositions Events Inc. $5.5 million in the fourth quarter, the company said this week.

SGB Media • 13th February 2020

Global Strength Helps Thule Overcome U.S. Challenges

In 2019 and particularly Q4, Thule Group AB notched enough revenue growth elsewhere in the world to overcome what CEO Magnus Welander called a “challenged” U.S. market. But with low-margin OE contracts now phased out and a competitor no longer discounting a particular jogging stroller, Thule has brighter days ahead here for 2020.

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