2022 Where are we at?

2022…where did it go, and where have we been? No one likes a blog that only updates randomly and rarely, so here goes, a new year’s resolution in October, to update our blog and share meaningful stories once a month, better late than never.

Blame it on the new guy, or actually several new guys. If you haven’t gotten the chance to meet or chat with the two newest members of our team, that’s probably because they are mostly hiding behind their screens, doing the wizardry, number crunching, and tech stuff that is way over my head.

Matt Frankland has been in the industry as a buyer, forecaster, and planner for over a decade, and brings new energy, perspective, and his wise old dog Dina, to his job as Business Analyst. If you need help planning this season, next season, and maybe 2025 as well, he’s your guy.

As a former struggling actor grinding it out in the Big Apple, Sky Bennett brings charisma, character, and street smarts to his now full-time role as Data Specialist. He can go deep, reallllll deep on numbers, formulas, and spreadsheets, and that’s when I’m out.

Besides the ups and downs of each season, as we have navigated inventory issues, warehouse capacity bottlenecks, return to in person sales meetings, and an ever-changing business landscape, we have found some normalcy and rhythm in our (mostly) post Covid world.

As most of you know, Dave Egan, our beloved long time agency owner retired this spring, and Jason Rowley took the reins. You’ll still see Dave out there, teaching climbing clinics and staying involved with Sterling as he jet sets around the country to different climbing festivals and events.

As we enter the holiday season and busy selling or buying season (depending on which side of the fence you are on), we are grateful for what this year has brought. We continue to be excited to work with our fantastic brands, strengthen our partnerships, and especially work with our amazing retailers.

Many of our team members have young kids, including myself, and it’s amazing to see how quickly they change and how fast life moves. 2022 feels the same way – full steam ahead. Hopefully we can all connect in the next few months, on the road, at a show, or over the interwebs. See you out there and expect more stories coming your way in 2022 and beyond.