The Daily - Day 3 - June 20, 2019 - 28

Ideas
B I G

N E W S

Cousins Svein-Erik and Jan Steffen Helle (below)
are taking on the roles of their grandfathers,
Steinar and Sigmund (above).

100 YEARS OF
KELTY
Dick Kelty, the founder of the
eponymous outdoor brand,
would have been 100 years
old this year. To celebrate the
milestone, Kelty is debuting
a limited-edition Kelty Pack
at Summer Market, modeled
after the original Mockingbird
Pack in classic green. Kelty
was known as the Henry Ford
of backpacking for introducing the first external frame
pack. His ergonomic pack
designs were ground-breaking. The new Mockingbird,
engineered for modern day
commutes and outdoor adventures, is a vintage-style
rucksack with leather accents,
padded adjustable shoulder
straps, and metal zippers.
Each pack will be numbered
from one to 100 and marked
with a signature metal plate

still down, volunteers from the
meeting waded out into the crowd
gathered around the Marriott and
explained the new show plan.
The industry embraced the
concept of voluntary shared booth
space. The response was staggering: Well before the end of the new
set-up day, 220 exhibitors had
found a home on the main floor of
the Salt Palace, some with just a
small card table and a handful of
salvaged samples.
There were reports of strong
business conducted at Summer
Market 1999, but I saw something more valuable. I saw a
room full of thousands of new
acquaintances and old friends,
talking and smiling-and just
happy to be there.

and a "throw-back" patch.
The pack will be green, Kelty's
favorite color. According to his
wife, Nena Kelty, "Dick would
make you a pack in any color
you want, as long as it was
green." Swing by the Kelty
booth (42031-UL) to get yours
for $50, with proceeds going
to The Sierra Club (while supplies last). -H.O.

/ SUMMER MARKET 2019

FORGING THE FUTURE
Helle of Norway, a heritage brand known for handcrafted Nordic
style knives, passed on its ownership this past April to the family's
third generation: Jan Steffen Helle and Svein-Erik Helle. The second cousins are the grandchildren of Sigmund and Steinar Helle,
the two brothers who founded the company back in 1932 in the
small village of Holmedal, situated on Norway's rugged northern
coast. In a unique twist, the new owners will assume virtually the
same roles their respective grandfathers held 87 years ago.
Following in his grandfather's footsteps, Jan Steffen has assumed the role of production manager. Like his grandfather, Jan
Steffen has worked with metals his entire life as both a welder and
a material engineer. Svein-Erik is Helle's new managing director-
the same role filled by his grandfather (and father) before him.
The cousins hadn't been in touch in two decades and met by
chance one summer at the factory. "We started talking and found
that we shared the same passion for the company," says SveinErik. "We disagree on many smaller things, but most often agree
on the larger aspects. Later we learned that this was how our respective grandparents worked as well."
At Summer Market, look for the limited-edition Myra, a new heirloom knife featuring a curly birchwood handle. For inspiration, Jan
Steffen and Svein-Erik continued a longtime tradition of scouring
the hundreds of historic knife designs that are stored in vaults in
Holmedal. -Helen Olsson

CO U R T E SY K E LT Y A N D H E L L E

a third of total exhibitors had been
in the Pavilions and would not be
able to participate in the show.
At the stakeholder meeting, a
plan was conceived to continue the
show. The first piece was to delay
the show start by a day, using the
time for guided entry to the destroyed Pavilions so that exhibitors
could retrieve their samples. The
second part was to house displaced
exhibitors on a voluntary, case-bycase basis. Two tables would be set
up at the main entrance: one for
orphaned Pavilion exhibitors and
one for exhibitors willing to share
their space for free. Initially the
idea got a lukewarm reception-
people were exhausted, and the
idea was unprecedented. That said,
it was the only idea. With phones

The Daily - Day 3 - June 20, 2019

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