Dear Peter…I’m writing this note to you on the last day of the last trade show you’ll attend on behalf of Lowa Boots. Over the past 29 years, it’s been hundreds of shows—Grassroots, Outdoor Retailer, TRE, Ski Show, WSA, Super Show, and countless rep shows—representing the now 102-year-old German brand! Semi-retirement and a consulting role beckons. Who’d have thought that, in 1976, a part-time, high school job putting baskets on rental ski poles at The Ski & Sport Haus in Cleveland Heights, OH, would lead to a career in the outdoor sports industry spanning 50 years!
What an epic journey traversing retail to wholesale and ski to footwear. You’ve loved every step of the way. And while you often tell people you don’t feed the hungry nor cure disease, you provide great shoes for people to get out on Saturday afternoons for a nice walk in the woods. There are worse ways to earn a living.
Like your career, hiking boots have come a long way. The heavy, Norwegian-welted, Galibier leather monsters that you sell to Ski & Sport Haus customers for backpack trips are nothing like the no break-in models of today. No more “wear new boots an hour today, two hours tomorrow, and so on until they can be worn all day on a trail.” Above all, you love helping customers embrace the great outdoors.
But is this a career? Well, first you earn a bachelor’s degree in English literature while minoring in journalism from the University of Cincinnati. The aftermath of Watergate has you inspired to be the next Bob Woodward or Carl Bernstein. But, come 1980, the economy is a wreck. No jobs for writers at newspapers, PR agencies, or ad agencies! So it’s back on The Ski & Sport Haus floor and, soon after, on to assistant manager and then manager. The owner, Dick Bohr, is conservative in buying and patient in teaching. He suggests how much inventory is needed, how much should be left over at season’s end, and how to conduct business. Namely, in favor of customers. He isn’t swayed by how wealthy or not customers are. Treat them all the same and take care of them to the best of your ability.
You could work there forever. But, by your late twenties, it’s time for a change of scenery. Rep friends encourage you to apply for a job with Rudy Mayer at Erehwon Mountain Outfitters in Chicago. Rudy is opening a downtown location and needs a manager. You get the job! Rudy wants to sell the best gear and clothing, but he’s moderated by selling brands where he can get a higher volume and make more money. Columbia and Hi-Tec are on that list. The latter makes the first fabric/split leather hikers. We sell a ton of those. Reorders make that business work especially well. All the while, Chicago is exciting: restaurants, concerts, hole-in-the-wall bars, and a beautiful lakefront. Life is good.
But then life takes a funny turn. You start dating a woman who works at a brokerage firm. She earns a lot more money than you and has a Lake Shore Drive apartment—quite the opposite of your bird crap-covered Toyota Tercel with roll down windows and no AC! But love triumphs wealth discrepancies and, 37 years later, Laney and you are still happily married with two amazing children and two wonderful grandchildren.
Life also throws a few curveballs. After the stock market crash in 1987, Laney’s job takes her to New York. Time for you to find a new job. Your first is as a sales assistant for Easy Spirit. But it’s not your cup of tea. You wear a suit and talk about products you can’t relate to at all. You miss the outdoor industry. A search leads to a connection for a job with Raichle. The Swiss company needs someone to clinic store employees about its hiking boots. You travel nationwide doing just that. Along the way, you set up a solid distribution network. You also take your first overseas trip to Switzerland. It’s a time of many career firsts.
After a few years, the adage “it’s not what you know it’s who you know,” rings true. Raichle CEO Werner Riethmann leaves to become Lowa’s CEO. He wants to grow the brand, and the U.S. market is an obvious choice. He needs a point person. He picks you. In today’s world, it’d be called a start-up. The “office” consists of one room in Stamford, CT, equipped with a Compaq computer on a folding table. No reps. No dealers. Nothing. We had no idea how big Lowa could become here, but it had to be more than 125 pairs of plastic mountaineering boots sold that prior year. Trust your gut on this.
At the first Outdoor Retailer show, Lowa launches the Renegade GTX Mid and the Tempest Lo hiking styles—the first multifunction outdoor footwear made with injected PU midsoles. They’re far more expensive than boots made with EVA cemented construction in Asia. However, once customers try them on, they feel the difference. Big lesson learned: good fitting and supportive shoes always win over consumers.
Year one, Lowa’s U.S. sales hit $1 million. Year two, they double and steadily grow over the ensuing decades. It’s sustainable growth. It’s not about being the biggest outdoor footwear brand, just the best. You can proudly hang your hat on that mantra. You’re also a proud traveler of the world, including Lowa’s offices in Germany, Italy, and Slovakia at least 150 times. Heads up: Pay attention in high school French class instead of thinking, “What’s a kid from Ohio ever going to need a foreign language for?” It’ll come in handy. But see if they teach German.
As you step away from Lowa, you can happily look back on a wonderful career. Of course, there are some do-overs—like taking a few business classes in college. That knowledge will come in handy. Also, visit retailers more often. Many become dear friends. You realize that more than ever as many have stopped by the Lowa booth at this show to congratulate you for operating a great brand for so long. Accolades include contributing to the outdoor industry with positive ideas, paying reps on time and not firing them if they had a bad season, being honest with customers in good and tough times, being steady during the past five years of pandemic-induced chaos, and not always being on sale so retailers can make money. Take comfort in this: You worked every day trying to do your best.
