ASSOCIATION NOW

Q&A With Gary Fleming, President of SMC

Gary Fleming is approaching one year as president of the Snowsports Merchandising Corporation (SMC) after Tom Gately retired. SMC has 60 members who represent 134 brick-and-mortar storefronts. Fleming, whose previous experience included Elan, Head and Salomon on the manufacturing side of the industry, shared his thoughts on a variety of topics in this NSGA NOW Q&A with Julie Pitts, the President of the National Ski & Snowboard Retailers Association.

Q: How has your first year gone with SMC? A: Replacing an individual like Tom Gately is challenging. I was fortunate to inherit a very well-run organization with great people. Both Chuck Camerlin (vice president) and Kay Harding (CFO) greatly helped in the transition and luckily our greatest challenge was finding product and not a selling or demand issue. Q:How has the transition been from the manufacturing side to the retail side of the industry? A: It has been a great learning and teaching experience. Learning about the thought process on the retail side has been great, as well as illuminating, and it definitely helped in finding ways to better align the needs of retailers and suppliers. Q:What concerns do you have about inflation and the impact it could have on the industry and

your members?

A: The ski industry has the same concerns as other industries. We have been fortunate to have relatively stable pricing for several years. The price increases were reasonable this past buying season and shouldn’t provide sticker shock to consumers. We had great momentum this past season and consumer demand was as high as I have seen in years, but we are concerned about inflation in the other areas that affect the skiing/snowboard experience like travel-related, lift tickets, etc., putting a damper on this momentum. Q: What are you seeing with the impact of supply chain issues on snowsports retailers? A: Last season was very difficult in terms of getting product, as well as getting information on when it was coming in. It seems that some suppliers got an early jump on production for the upcoming season and we have already been delivered product from some. We usually start taking in most product in August and September, so we will know more soon. The war in Ukraine is another factor, as some skis and boot liners come out of there, but so far it seems like product is coming over. There are still challenges for suppliers, but my feeling is that it will be better than this past season.

>> Gary Fleming Q: How did you get involved/interested in snowsports? What do you enjoy about it most? A: Like many in the ski industry, I worked in a specialty ski shop while in college and somehow got a job at Salomon as a customer service rep. I can’t say that my political science degree got me the job, but I can say I was very lucky to meet Robert Langlois. He hired me, promoted me and helped me grow up in the ski industry … and most importantly showed me how much fun it could be. On a bad day we would say, “at least we are not selling Tupperware!” Q: What would you report about the state of snowsports retail from what you’ve seen in the last year? A: This past season was one of the best and strangest ski seasons in my memory. In general it was an average snow year, yet consumer demand was sky high. It seems like we have some new skiers or lapsed skiers have come back. Sales were up over a very good year and inventory is very low. No one is expecting a lot of reorder availability, but retailers have placed strong orders with suppliers and will be in good shape if deliveries continue to be good. Q: What do you see for the future of snowsports retail? Any predictions for 2023? A: I believe that the future of snowsports retail is still with the specialty brick-and-mortar shops. There are some things that just need to be done in person … boot fitting, proper binding installs/ testing, warranty, apparel fitting and matching … just to name a few. Online sales have certainly gone up during the pandemic, but there is nothing quite like buying in person and our shops have done a very good job of having inventory and selection.