The Weekly - May 27, 2020 - 8

The Pulse
# W E A R E C O M M U N I T Y

To watch
the full interview
with Buck
Rowlee, click
on this photo.

Forged by Adversity

It's brutal for sales reps out there right now, but Buck Rowlee discusses the
tough mindset it's going to take to weather this storm. By Bevin Wallace
Name: Buck Rowlee
Company: Praelia Group
Title: Principal
Founded: 2015
Location: Wilmington,

in this together. We've just
got to hang tough and just
kind of get through it and
keep the faith that everything
will bounce back.

North Carolina
Downlow: A longtime industry

vet, Buck Rowlee covers the
southeast, selling Fjallraven
and Hanwag, as well as a few
accessory brands, including
VSSL Gear, Eurosock, James
Brand, and Lever Gear.
"Right now, we're just kind
of in a crisis-management
mode," he says. Since the
pandemic started, Rowlee
has been sheltering in place
and keeping active with his
wife and two sons.

If you're in the action sports
business or the outdoor industry, it doesn't matter. We're all

I think our mind space is like, this
is a marathon not a sprint. And

whatever we have to do in order to keep everybody healthy,
we're all in, 100%.
I had an awesome conference
call with the crew over at Fjallraven and Hanwag the other day.

And Nathan Dopp, our CEO
of the Americas, was pretty
straightforward in saying,
"Hey, whatever we have to do
in order to keep our accounts
healthy, we're doing it, regardless if it's extended dating,
revising orders, pushing orders
back. If we have to cancel orders, so be it."

8 THE WEEKLY / OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020

We're a big ecosystem together,
and we've got to support those

who have supported the
upward trajectory of so many
people's careers and brands
and storylines. So it's definitely
an all-hands-on-deck moment.
And this is a different circumstance in the fact that it's not
just hard times, or a territorial

thing, or a bad season. I guess
there is solace in knowing
that we are all collectively
going through this together.
Obviously, certain people's
storylines might be a little bit
more challenging than others.
I think that this is going to make
us stronger. This is certainly

going to really solidify a lot of
relationships. Because partnership is such a great word when
everything is hugs and high-

fives. But when the poo-poo
hits the fan, the guys that are in
your corner, the guys that have
your back, those are going to
be lifelong friends.
If you saw my backyard right
now, it looks like a Spartan compound, and I've manufactured

torture devices in my spare
time. Because that's the only
thing that we can do, is work,
and stay active, and spend time
with the family. Luckily, we've
got lots of land to go romp
around in. So we're staying
busy, and with staying busy,
you stay positive. Because as
soon as you stop, that's when
the negative vibes come in.
Forged by adversity-I think
that's going to be the new
tattoo I'm going to get blazed
down my neck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkEccwQSdTc
The Weekly - May 27, 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Weekly - May 27, 2020
