President's Letter: Rekindling the Passion that Brought us Here

The Running Industry Association (RIA)  has created an intangible network with the resources and membership to recreate that same experience again and again for its members and their audiences. If asked “Harry, what is your goal this year?” my answer would be simple. I want to give you all the functioning Board you deserve–and with the hard work of our past President, Andrea Lehmkuhler and the persistence of our board we are well on our way. That along with the hiring of a new Member Services Manager will increase engagement and communication with our members.

We are also working towards a new advisor role. This individual will assist as a critical resource to the RIA, working collaboratively with the Marketing Committee, Events and Education Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and the Executive Board as a whole. The advisor will offer insight on relevant strategies, communications, and initiatives that align with the mission to create an inclusive, equitable, and diverse environment within the RIA and the specialty run channel.

Secondly, I want to leave you all with the realized reminder that the majority of us started at the fitting stool, or a cross country camp. We all had a coach or mentor that made us fall in love with this sport and channel. We all traveled with our teams creating memories that we hold dear and use as lessons today. We are all in this together.

As retailers and brands alike, though we have businesses and responsibilities, we are teammates. We are responsible for and accountable to one another. One thing I say more than most probably like to hear is that we are a reflection of our community. The ones that came before us and lit a flame in our spirits, the ones we collaborate with now as gatekeepers and sharers of our channel, and the ones that will come after us that we should pass on acquired tools of legacy and longevity for the channel to along the way.

When we take care of customers at Charlotte Running Company we use Fit, Function and Feel as a checklist to confirm we have done our jobs correctly and it seems suitable stepping into this new role. As a board we will focus on these things – “where do we Fit in the operation of our membership?”, “do we Function effectively as an organization providing true resources for our members?” and “do we Feel confident that we are working in a way that is transparent and productive? And to our members “do we Feel like we are meeting your needs and that we are working with you?”

This time next year my goal is that we have left you with positive sentiment and answers to the questions above and that we have found a common bridge that brings us back to the emotion we felt when we are all optimistically green and new.

I am always available, always willing to learn, and always an open ear so please reach out any time.

Cheers,

Harry

President - Running Industry Association

president@runningindustry.org

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