Outdoor Prolink Expands Pro Purchase Program Into Canada

Canada-based outdoor professionals will now have access to high quality, affordable gear so they can continue to protect and promote the wild places we love.

Thursday, September 16^th, 2021

Outdoor Prolink, the pro purchase program created for outdoor professionals at the heart of the industry, announces their expansion into Canada as of September 1, 2021. The first brands on the Outdoor Prolink Canada website include Thule and Mountain Hardwear. Outdoor Prolink’s network of Canada-based outdoor professionals currently includes around five-thousand professionals, who are stewards of the great outdoors.

“For the past seventeen years we’ve been building Outdoor Prolink intentionally, working with trusted brands and gathering a community of authentic professionals who are the beating heart of this industry,” said Gareth Richards, Founder and CEO of Outdoor Prolink. “It brings me great joy that we are taking this next step to expand into Canada by linking brands and outdoor professionals to one another. We take this responsibility very seriously and will continue to honor our unwavering commitment to authenticity when approving pros, while supporting the brand’s growth and go-to-market strategies.”

“Thule has a long history of working with Outdoor ProLink in the United States to offer our friends in the outdoor industry discounts on quality gear that helps them achieve a more active lifestyle,” said Rocco Giordano, Digital Merchandising Manager at Thule. “We’re excited to be an early partner as the program expands to include industry professionals in Canada, and look forward to continuing to grow this highly-engaged user segment.”

Outdoor Prolink’s verified members are professionals who guide, educate, train, mentor, outfit and lead a wide audience in outdoor recreation. They dedicate their careers to getting more people outside and help them fall in love with the great outdoors. Outdoor Prolink takes great authority in its verification process of outdoor professionals in order to remain a responsible pro purchase program to serve the outdoor industry. To learn more about Outdoor Prolink’s commitment to remaining a clean channel connecting pros, brands, and specialty retailers, check out the company’s manifesto here.

“Working with Outdoor ProLink puts Mountain Hardwear products in the hands of the most influential end-user group, so we are super excited for the launch in Canada. We’ve had a lot of success with the program in the US and look forward to seeing the same here,” said Kelly Caccamo, Marketing Manager for Mountain Hardwear Canada.

Canadian-based brands interested in joining Outdoor Prolink Canada can visit the partnership page here: outdoorprolink.ca/letspartner. If you work in the industry and are interested in signing up to become an Outdoor Prolink professional, please visit the following link to see if you qualify: outdoorprolink.ca/professionals

Look out for additional brands being added to the Canadian network in 2021 and early 2022. For more information, please visit: outdoorprolink.ca

Outdoor Prolink Launches Manifesto; Outlines Commitment to a Responsible & Productive Pro Channel

Manifesto re-confirms Outdoor Prolink’s commitment to being the most trusted, responsible pro purchase program in the outdoor industry during pivotal time.

Thursday, June 3^rd, 2021

Outdoor Prolink, the pro purchase program created for outdoor professionals at the heart of the industry, announces its Manifesto - A Commitment to Responsibility & Authenticity in the pro channel. The Manifesto reconfirms the company’s commitment to a clean channel connecting pros, brands, and specialty retailers, at a landmark time as the industry emerges from the pandemic.

Outdoor Prolink is an independent company founded in 2004, in the Boulder, Colo. basement of professional outdoor guide turned outdoor brand leader Gareth Richards. He recognized a need to connect and outfit outdoor professionals with high-quality, affordable gear that would enable them to do their jobs better. Richards knew that outdoor pros were influencers long before they were labeled as such, and he also had a strong instinct that outfitting these pros would catalyze them to introduce more people into our wild places.

Fast forward to 2021, 17 years later. The pandemic has brought an incredible awareness and interest in the outdoors and Richards and his team believe Outdoor Prolink can play a supporting role in turning new participants into outdoor enthusiasts. Collectively, they’ve created the Outdoor Prolink Manifesto, which is intended to infuse trust and impact into its pro channel.

The Manifesto re-confirms Outdoor Prolink’s commitment to its membership base, its brand partners, and to retailers. This is the three-pronged foundation supporting a clean pro channel that Richards envisioned when he launched Outdoor Prolink, and it’s what he and his team work hard to hold up today.

“Our channel will be very impactful in supporting the growth of our industry at this pivotal time, and our Manifesto showcases our commitment to doing just that by connecting pros, brands, and specialty retailers in the most responsible, trusted, and impactful way possible,” he said.

In addition to sharing the founding story and mission of Outdoor Prolink, the Manifesto also brings clarity to the qualification and screening process adhered to in selecting pros to enroll.

“We’ve always been, and will continue to be, a trusted and responsible pro purchase program managed by people you know and trust,” Richards said. “We go to work daily to serve the outdoor industry. We strive to connect consumers with trusted leaders and, from there, to trusted retailers.”

Outdoor Prolink’s verification process is unlike many in the industry, with their membership specialists vetting every application rigorously. After 12 months, each pro is required to upload current documentation to renew their membership. If they do not update their documents after three months, their account is terminated.

As the premier pro purchase program, Outdoor Prolink refuses to let its membership base get diluted. The following are NOT considered Outdoor Prolink pros and are not accepted onto the platform:

- Outdoor enthusiasts, “experts” or hobbyists
- Subscribers, members of and/or donors to outdoor clubs, non-profits, or publications
- Students, participants, or graduates of outdoor skills courses
- Professionals in careers outside of the outdoor industry as defined by the OIA
- Former outdoor industry professionals who are no longer actively employed in the industry



Richards recently joined Verde's Kristin Carpenter on the Channel Mastery Podcast. The episode, which aired on Friday, 5-28-21, discusses the founding story of Outdoor Prolink as well as the evolution of the organization, the importance of bringing together pros, specialty retailers, and brands into the Outdoor Prolink channel, and how the Manifesto will guide its growth going forward.

Outdoor Prolink Matches Donations on Giving Tuesday, Rounding Out a Year of over $70,000 Funds Raised.

OPL and team of outdoor Pros raise over $20,000 for nonprofit partners, including Protect Our Winters.

Monday, December 21^st, 2020

Outdoor Prolink, the pro purchase program created for outdoor professionals at the heart of the industry, matched donations on Giving Tuesday to finish off a year of giving back with $77,609 raised for their six nonprofit partners.

"The Outdoor Prolink team and our members care deeply about supporting organizations that protect outdoor places and fight climate change,” said Gareth Richards, founder of Outdoor Prolink. “In exchange for the privilege of pro deal discounts we ask our pros to give back with micro-donations of $1 or more at checkout. Our members are so passionate about protecting wild places that they have collectively donated over $77K so far this year. We are floored by their generosity and honored to match their donations from Giving Tuesday."

Each year, Outdoor Prolink selects nonprofits to partner with that are focused on core values including climate change, conservation, and sustainability. During the holiday season each year, a donation is required with every purchase, towards one of Outdoor Prolink’s six nonprofit partners. This year on Giving Tuesday, Outdoor Prolink matched donations from their Pro members up to $1,000, totaling over $2,000 for the day.

This year, Protect Our Winters received the most donations on Giving Tuesday, with over $2,000 in total going towards Outdoor Polink’s nonprofit partners. In total in 2020, Outdoor Prolink has raised $25,000 for Protect Our Winters. Founded by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones in 2007, Protect Our Winters is dedicated to helping passionate outdoor people, including athletes, scientists, and creatives, to protect places and lifestyles they love from climate change.

"At POW, our mission is to help passionate outdoor people protect the places and lifestyles they love from climate change,” said Torrey Udall, Director of Development and Operations at Protect Our Winters. “This is why there is no greater honor for our organization than to be featured as a beneficiary option on Outdoor Prolink's checkout page. Every time an OPL member elects to add on to their purchase with a donation to POW, it's an endorsement and an urging that we take very seriously--to keep toiling on solutions to preserve the shared outdoor experience we love and to create a better planet for all. The support this year was critical in helping POW reach 33 million people with 1.5 billion impressions to secure 29,844 voter intentions through our national nonpartisan voting strategy."

In 2020, Outdoor Prolink’s nonprofit partners include American Whitewater, Conservation Alliance, Outdoor Afro, PridePads Africa, Protect Our Winters, and the WHO COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund. In early 2021, the company will announce their chosen nonprofits for the next year, selected with the goal of preserving and protecting wild places.