The Daily - January 26, 2022 - 23

Johnson is quick to thank such
vendor partners as Deuter/Ortovox,
La Sportiva, and Rab, who, she
said, " knocked it out of the park. "
Other brands participating include
Smartwool, Tecnica, Scarpa, Mountain
Standard, Adidas, Mountain
Hardwear, Columbia, Toad & Co.,
Head Sports, Danner, Pact clothing,
Obermeyer, Oboz, Mountainsmith,
Osprey, Patagonia, Sherpa, Artilect,
Icebreaker, Big Agnes, Saxx, Dynafit,
Himali, and more, providing everything
from socks, baselayers, and
gloves, coats, duffles, packs, sleeping
bags, and water bottles.
Like helping someone on a trail
in the backcountry, all the donors
were eager and quick to lend a hand.
Even brands Neptune didn't contact
offered support, as well as area
reps who showed up not just with
samples, but with gear straight from
their own closets.
" I'm confident we have moved
at least $200,000 of gear through
Neptune in the first week alone, " says
Johnson, whose own house in Louisville
was spared while homes just a
five-minute walk away were torched
by a fire fueled by historic 115-mph
winds. " The outpouring of support
has been great, with a lot of companies
donating without even being
asked. It just shows how great this
industry is. Hundreds of families
lost everything, and the process of
rebuilding will take years in a world
that already has slow supply chains
and little extra housing. Their lives
will never be the same, and this goes
a long way toward helping them out.
We're very humbled and grateful for
all the generous donations that came
pouring in from our vendors. "
A leading outdoor specialty retailer
on the Front Range, Neptune,
founded in 1973 by climber Gary
Neptune, had its hands full before
spearheading the aid efforts, gearing
up for the Outdoor Retailer trade
show and procuring and selling gear
for what is turning into a gangbuster
ski season in Colorado. And
in October, the store was sold by
previous four-year owners Andrew
and Shelley Dunbar to Aspen's
family-owned Ute Mountaineer,
bringing two independently owned
marquee Colorado retailers under
one umbrella.
Facilitating a donation effort like
this came equally naturally to Ute
Mountaineer, and Johnson is quick
to credit Neptune's new owners,
including Maile Spung, for embracing
the concept. " Without Maile's
support, this would have never happened, "
Johnson says. " I was in over
my head, but she let me pivot and
run with it. She learned these values
from her father, and now she's creating
her own legacy in his footsteps,
and I am honored to be part of it. "
For its part, Ute was more than
happy to help out. " We've been
pretty low key about introducing
ourselves as the new owners of Neptune,
letting our business style speak
for our values, " says Spung. " We're
proud of Neptune's efforts in providing
relief for some of the families
affected. We've been involved with
the Aspen community since day
one, providing outdoor education for
" WE HAD MORE THAN 1,000 PEOPLE
WALK THROUGH OUR DOOR WITH
DONATIONS EVERY DAY DURING THE
FIRST WEEK ALONE. "
-ERIN JOHNSON
local students, sitting on charitable
boards, and volunteering with local
projects. We prefer to roll up our
sleeves and help, which is exactly
what our crew at Neptune did. It
introduces us and our core values
more tangibly than any marketing
campaign could. "
But she adds that like an attempt
at climbing a major mountain,
it was a true team effort. " I can't
stress what a great team effort the
fire-victim distribution center has
been, " she says. " From the whole
Neptune staff and vendors donating
truckloads of items, to the whole
community giving items from their
own closets, this couldn't have been
accomplished by one person or one
entity. We want to thank everyone
who contributed. "
Another group of outdoor industry
veterans-including Trent Bush,
JP O'Brien, Chris Sword, Aaron
Beach, and Emily Bradbury-also
chipped in via the Phoenix Project
to help families recover from the fire,
enlisting outdoor companies to
The crew
at Neptune
Mountaineering
organizes
donations.
OUTDOOR RETAILER SNOW SHOW 2022 /
23
COURTESY NEPTUNE MOUNTAINEERING
The Daily - January 26, 2022

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