Outdoor Retailer - January 2021 - 76

#replife: w/Heath Rowland

From the
Ground Up

you want them to have. You
have two eyes, two ears and one
mouth-use all of it in the right
proportion.

Heath Rowland turned his passion into a
business and continues to help grow the brands
he represents. By Cameron Martindell

What's the biggest challenge reps are facing during the pandemic,
and how are you overcoming it?
The biggest challenge has been building out a user-friendly virtual
system. Seeing that in-person meetings are few and far between, we
wanted to make it easy for buyers and staff to work with all of our virtual
systems. We utilized scheduling apps and newsletters to make our system point and click, which helped both ourselves and our accounts stay
organized. Our website now hosts a dealer portal where accounts can
access all brand assets, region-specific social media content, and clinic
videos. We put together an HD streaming system that delivers quality
video presentations, which includes multiple camera angles and crisp
sound. Lastly, we made sure that our " set " looks and feels like a trade
show booth.
What advice do you have for reps new to the work (maybe some
of them are in your agency) on how to handle issues related to
the pandemic?
Invest in a good virtual setup. The pandemic will pass and work will return to normal. However, we see our virtual studio being an integral part
of our agency moving forward. It will assist us in seeing buyers when
there are scheduling conflicts, and we can be on a call for training sessions and presentations.
What's the most fulfilling thing about being a rep?
Being a climbing-centric agency, we really get to spend time with the
community through events and demos. I personally enjoy being able
to represent our brands to the end user. This allows us to keep the psych
high and encourage " shop local " practices.
What can reps do to create better relationships with the retailers
with whom they work?
Listen to your retailers and give them the product they need, not what

76 OUTDOOR RETAILER

/ January 2021

AGENCY: Ground Up
HOME BASE: Chattanooga,
Tennessee
BRANDS HE REPS: Rab, Petzl,
Scarpa, Exped, Peak Design,
Nikwax

How do you live the brands
you rep?
We get out for some big trips.
This year, we went into the Wind
River Range and free-climbed a
forgotten aid route [ " The Illness "
on the Shield, see photo] established by James Garret and Fred Beckey.
It's in this environment where we get to use the badass gear we represent. A few items that stood out on this trip were the Phantom Pull-On
from Rab-a 3-oz. three-layer shell; the Mega Mat Duo from Exped-I
slept like a king for the two weeks we were in there; the Mescalito from
Scarpa-a badass approach shoe that has the perfect blend of support,
durability, and sensitivity for climbing; and the Sirocco helmet from
Petzl-ultralightweight and extremely durable.
When did you start your own agency? Why?
I started Ground Up in 2016. I was working in-house for Rab when
I heard that Metolius and Scarpa became available in the Southeast.
Rab helped me make the transition from in-house to independent by
allowing me to keep my salary and pay them back some of the commissions I earned from the other brands. It was a super-cool move on
their part. I wanted to expand from my in-house position because I
was excited by the idea of running my own agency. One motto we have
at Ground Up is, " We are our brands. " I wanted myself and my reps to
personify the brands we work with. We have developed partnerships
with our local climbing coalitions that have raised nearly $100,000,
and we are launching a grant in the spring to help fund a Black-owned
climbing guide service in the South. Brands don't always have the
ability to build region-specific action plans, and we are taking those
actions ourselves. While I feel we could be better at " count-and-fill
and forecasting, we continue to grow sales for all of our brands, and we
have truly connected with our community. I'm not sure that our agency would operate that way if I had previous or formal training from an
institutional rep group.
What are the most significant changes related to outdoor retail rep
work you've experienced?
I would have to say it has been the decline of hardgoods in shops around
us. However, COVID-19 has flipped the script on that. O.R.

Bryan Miller

HEATH ROWLAND WAS RAISED IN A COAL CAMP IN EAST KENTUCKY.
His first experience with outdoor " sports " was rappelling down the
walls of old strip mines. Rappelling led to climbing, and climbing led to
a connection with Rab and a job in the industry. Now, after seven years
of working as a sales representative, Rowland has a team of four in his
agency, and after looking back on his time as a rep, he says, " It has been
an amazing journey, and I am so thankful to be part of this community. "

What can retailers do better to
get the most out of their reps?
Communication. Feed us data!

http://www.groundupsales.net/

Outdoor Retailer - January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - January 2021