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Utah Outdoor Retailers Gather For Summit

Utah Business

Owners of outdoor recreation products and community leaders in Utah are discussing recreation and lifestyle programs. Industry and policy makers are sharing ideas about how to work together.

Black Diamond and other outdoor retail representatives met with Utah Republican Congresswoman Mia Love and Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox at Snowbird for what is the first of two summits. 

Tom Adams is director of the Office of Outdoor Recreation for the state. He organized the TRAIL, Talking Recreation And Improving Lives, summit.

"We are gathering best practices from around the state from land managers, tourism directors, outdoor industry, economic development folks, residents and everybody in-between to share those best practices, build relations, all in a effort to make Utah the best place to live, work and play," Adams says.

Most of the outdoor business retailers attending the summit will travel to Colorado for the Outdoor Retailer Show in January. Organizers of the show pulled the largest recreation gear showcase from Utah during discussions about national monument status for Bears Ears, saying Utah lawmakers do not adequately support the protection of public lands.  This move, says Adams, will cost local product owners. He says they will pay up to 40% more to attend the show at the new location.

"That extra money is not going to conservation, it's not going to preservation, it’s not going to lobbyist to help them fight their cause. A lot of people are upset, especially here in Utah, who say hey we are moving to a venue that is a lot more money, it's further away from outdoor recreation and we had a really great place here in Utah, so that' s  part of their frustration," Adams says.

The next TRAIL summit happens in October at Bryce Canyon.

At 14-years-old, Kerry began working as a reporter for KVEL “The Hot One” in Vernal, Utah. Her radio news interests led her to Logan where she became news director for KBLQ while attending Utah State University. She graduated USU with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and spent the next few years working for Utah Public Radio. Leaving UPR in 1993 she spent the next 14 years as the full time mother of four boys before returning in 2007. Kerry and her husband Boyd reside in Nibley.