MEMBER SPOTLIGHT NOW GIVE ME 5 WITH PHILLIP HOWARD

Owner, TROY’S SKI LUBBOCK | Lubbock, Texas

1

An Oil Change Leads To Career Change

In June 2003, while getting my oil changed, I noticed a classified ad listing in the local newspaper for Troy’s Ski Apparel; the original owner was retiring and was selling his shop. I had only skied a handful of times but working only 5 months a year sounded like a pretty good gig, so I bought the shop.

I quickly found out this career is a 16-month-a-year commitment. I quickly fell in love with owning my own business and really enjoyed being part of the snow sports industry. In 2012 I purchased the other shop in town, Ski Lubbock, and merged the two stores together. “Officially” we are known as “Troy’s Ski Lubbock,” but we refer to ourselves as Ski Lubbock.

2

Differentiating From The Competition

We are different from a lot of specialty stores because we do not focus on just the higher end of the market. Although we have a large customer base of avid “every year” type skiers, we also have a large percentage of “never ever” skiers who need extra guidance and confirmation that you probably don’t need that $200 goggle on your first trip, so let’s take a look at some of the basics, because you can always upgrade later once you fall in love with the sport.

We have a close relationship with our local ski club and various student groups at Texas Tech. We recently learned of a non-profit organization that needed our assistance, well actually we needed their assistance. My mother-in-law was diagnosed with ALS 2 years ago and we had a very hard time finding support, information and guidance for her until we came across the West Texas ALS Support Group. Once we connected with them and saw the good work they were doing at the ground level in our community, it was a no-brainer that they were good stewards of any and all sponsorship, monies and support we could provide for them. I encourage all local businesses to find a local non-profit to help support. My mother-in-law passed away (March 2023) but our support for the West Texas ALS Group will continue.

5

3challenges Of Social Media

All of us in the snow sports industry are lucky that we sell fun. Our customers want to engage with us. Our biggest challenge with social media is time … but we need to remember those few minutes we spend creating a social media post is time that is well-invested. If you are just beginning to develop an online presence the best advice I could give is to seek help, advice and guidance from someone who knows more than you. Most of us have kids, employees, friends, etc., who are masters at their own social media and know how to take good pictures, write good posts and how to be engaging.

4

Looking At The Second Half Of 2023

I’m hearing a lot of apprehension and even fear about next fall and winter, but I’m optimistic and my buys for the fall are up. We are coming off our best revenue year ever and all the lift lines I saw this year were long. Unfortunately, the east coast struggled with snow and that had a heavy impact on shops there, but hopefully the late-season snowfall created better conditions and some late-season traffic. As long as we have snow next year we should be happy with the numbers we see. Our industry’s ups and downs normally are more weather-related than economic-related.

Biggest Benefits Of Nssra

The biggest benefit of being a member of the National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association (NSSRA) is knowing someone has my back. As a small independent retailer, I don’t always know about the dangers that lurk around every corner, especially when it comes to legislative issues I am unfamiliar with. It’s a good feeling knowing that there is an organization out there who is dedicated to help support and grow the industry I am in and who is fighting for me and wants me to succeed.