Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2020 - 37

Colorado to suppliers in North Carolina and
found myself trying to make some early connections in March," she says. "Like many folks
in the industry, I felt compelled to do something to help." Supply Connector went live on
April 10, and now has more than 26 states represented through hundreds of manufacturer
listings and over 45,000 page visits. Through
the experience, Wood has learned the value
of "summoning patience while in a time of
urgency" and that the outdoor industry "really
knows the meaning of collaboration," she says.

Kurt Refsnider
Calling attention to the plight of indigenous
populations during the pandemic

Kristin Carpenter

From top: Courtesy of Kristin Carpenter, Courtesy of Sarah Wood

Pfaff, a climber on The North Face athlete team with first ascents in India, Canada,
Nepal, and Bolivia, has also worked as an
ER and trauma nurse for 16 years. When
COVID-19 hit, she was training for an expedition in Alaska. Instead, she pivoted, calling the
local hospital in Glenwood Springs, near her
home in Carbondale, Colorado, and asked if
she could pitch in. She was signed on immediately and awaited the worst. Thankfully,
Garfield County COVID-19 cases were low,
but she was happy to assist, she says, in the
same way "a climber or someone who skis
would want to help their fellow climbers or
skiers out of trouble." Later, her position was
phased out, but she's ready to reengage should
the numbers in Colorado warrant it.

Sarah Wood
Creating a system to link manufacturers and
material suppliers with essential providers
during the crisis
Multiple people recommended we give a
shout out to Wood for her idea to link manufacturers to raw materials through her Supply
Connector website service, which works as a
directory to help connect materials, resources,
and manufacturers-many in the outdoor
world-with health care systems and providers. "I was getting calls from hospitals in

Refsnider has been involved in the Navajo
Nation Trails Task Force and the Navajobased nonprofit Navajo YES for the past
few years as they've been ramping up small
trail building and related economic development projects. Additionally, his company, Bikepacking Roots,
reaches recreationalists
Sarah Wood
who ride on the Nation.
As soon as the pandemic
began to grow across the
West, he started receiving
notes from folks in towns
along popular bikepacking
routes asking Bikepacking
Roots to help spread the
message to stay away for
the time being."There
are so many factors that
make Indigenous populations more susceptible to a
rapid spread of viruses like
COVID-19," he says. They
include higher rates of underlying health conditions,
home environments with
family members of numerous generations living together, a common reliance
on hauled water, the list
goes on. "With all the challenges residents of rural
communities-Indigenous
or otherwise-face, recreationalists shouldn't
be risking complicating
things any further," he says.

Barry Lee
Volunteering to help others by delivering one
meal at a time
"Let us not forget the millions of everyday citizens who have taken it as their
mission to provide the support they can to
those in need in their own communities,"
former Skiing magazine editor Sam
Bass reminded us with his nomination
of Barry Lee, who delivered products
to people in need throughout the early
and ongoing stages of the pandemic.
Lee lives near Nederland, Colorado,
and is a brand development and marketing ambassador for Floyd's of
Leadville. He has volunteered, worked
with, and started nonprofit community-focused outdoor programs for the
last 20 years. "I helped because I feel
super-fortunate even at this time due to
being an athlete and being surrounded
by local community partners." O.R.

Summer 2020 / OUTDOOR RETAILER 37
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2020

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