Todd Frank
April Peterson
Twice-annual Connect buying show to move to new locations in Oklahoma City, Omaha starting in Spring 2027.
RENO, Nev. (July 23, 2025) — Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, the national organization dedicated to the health and growth of specialty outdoor retail, this month added two new board members and elected a new slate of board officers for the coming year.
The organization also announced new locations in Oklahoma City, Okla., and Omaha, Nebr., for its twice-annual Connect buying show starting in Spring 2027.
New Grassroots Outdoor Alliance board members and officers include:
Todd Frank, owner of the Trailhead in Missoula, Mont., who has served in prior years on the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance board, returns to the board. Frank was also elected as Chair of the board for the coming year.
April Peterson, owner of River Rock Outfitter in Fredericksburg, Va., also joins the board as a new member. River Rock Outfitters has two retail store locations in Fredericksburg.
Charlie Wise, co-owner of the Mountaineer in Keene Valley, N.Y., was re-elected as Vice Chair, a role he has served in for the last year. Wise has been a board member for three years.
Ross Harris, co-owner of The Bear Mountain in Waco, Tex., was elected Treasurer. He has been a board member for the last year.
Tina Miller, owner of Walkabout Outfitters, which owns six retail stores across Virginia, was elected Secretary. She has served on the board for two years.
The nine-member Grassroots Outdoor Alliance board reflects the geographic and market diversity served by its retailers, and board members contribute significantly to the organization’s mission as a catalyst for the success of independent specialty outdoor retail through advocacy, education, knowledge sharing and community building. Board members can serve two three-year terms consecutively. Officers are elected annually.
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance also announced that starting in 2027, the spring Grassroots Connect show will take place in Oklahoma City, Okla., and the Fall Connect Show will take place in Omaha, Nebr. Currently and through 2026, the spring show takes place in Reno, Nev., and the fall show in Kansas City, Mo.
“We’re excited to welcome Todd back to the board and April is an excellent addition as well. Both bring valuable insights from different parts of the country to our board, not to mention decades of retail experience in the outdoor industry,” said Gabe Maier, President of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance. “We’re also very excited to announce our new show locations. Omaha and OKC are fantastic locations that offer great hotels and convention space, walkability of the surrounding area, and are centrally located. Our team worked hard to determine these locations and they’re both going to suit the needs of our community well.”
New board members and officers were elected at the Spring Grassroots Connect show in Reno last month. The Connect Show takes place twice a year to support brand line showings for independent specialty retailers timed around key ordering deadlines.
This year’s June show was attended by 147 manufacturers and 141 retail businesses, with a total of 369 buyers in attendance. Those numbers show similar attendance to spring Connect shows in recent years.
About Grassroots Outdoor Alliance
Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is a retailer-owned network of 105 independently owned outdoor retailers and 67 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.
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