About 200 industry professionals gathered at the Barn on the Pemi in Plymouth on June 10 to celebrate the outdoor sector in New Hampshire and to strategize about what lies ahead for one of the state’s most important economies.
Hosted by the Granite Outdoor Alliance, an organization set on uniting and advancing the key players in New Hampshire’s outdoor industry, this year’s sold-out Barn Raiser reflected the breadth of the outdoor sector, bringing together public officials, business leaders, recreation providers and nonprofit representatives, among other key figures.
Tyler Ray, left, (green jacket), director of the Granite Outdoor Alliance, served as the evening’s emcee at the Barn Raiser event June 10 in Plymouth (Photo by Joe Klementovich)
“The outdoor economy is real,” announced Tyler Ray, the director of the Granite Outdoor Alliance and the evening’s emcee, as attendees settled into seats after an hour of energized networking with their peers. “The systems need to connect better, and the next phase has to be about execution. That’s the work in front of us, and I’m excited to raise it with all of you.”
Gov. Kelly Ayotte proclaimed June 10 as the state’s Outdoor Industry Day. According to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, NH’s outdoor economy contributes $4.2 billion annually to the state economy, driving a staggering 3.5% of New Hampshire’s total state GDP and accounting for over 33,000 full time jobs.
“Those numbers represent something much larger than a spreadsheet,” said New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs Commissioner Lucy Lange in her opening remarks. “They represent manufacturers creating products here, ski areas and outfitters serving families, communities investing in outdoor assets to enhance the quality of our life.”
Janel Lawton, the director of New Hampshire’s Office of Outdoor Recreation, also addressed the crowd, speaking about her collaboration with Tyler Ray and thanking outdoor innovators for putting in the work to build up NH’s economy.
“We have heard and listened to what your needs are,” she said, “and we have been there to take your businesses and your messages out on the road.”
Lawton discussed traveling out of state to places like Minnesota, Montana, Tennessee and North Carolina to share New Hampshire’s strategies and successes. “They’re using our blueprint because they see how well we’re doing here in the Granite State.”
While the growth of the state’s outdoor sector was applauded throughout the evening, it was also made clear that the systems in place to support this industry are not keeping pace. Ray’s speech highlighted several key takeaways from the Granite Outdoor Alliance’s Grounded Growth initiative, a first-of-its-kind report released to the public that evening.
According to the report, fragmentation of the workforce, education, economic development, and policy systems is a major constraint, leading to inefficiencies that force businesses to navigate resources on their own. The solution? Connection.
Andy Demao of Granite Goodness rappels to kick off the Barn Raiser on June 10 in Plymouth (Photo by Joe Klementovich)
“When we do connect, that’s when the progress really starts,” said Ray, comically offering the image of Clark Griswold, the overzealous patriarch from the holiday favorite National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation,” as he successfully connects the power source in the film’s dramatically iconic scene, setting the house ablaze with Christmas lights.
Ray carried the energy – and the punchy jokes – into the Rock Walk Fashion Show, where participants walked the red carpet: The folks from Terracea sported outdoor technical apparel, three representatives from North Conway’s Sauna Haus made a splash (literally), and Ed LaPlante of One Earth Body Care strutted his stuff in the name of environmental responsibility.
Donning the proper safety equipment and the customary Hawaiian-print blazer, Andy Demao of the optimistic news platform “Granite Goodness” rappelled down from the barn’s rafters to kick off the show in the necessary dramatic fashion.
The event also featured the first outdoor industry awards, presented to leaders and organizations making meaningful contributions to the state’s economy. Honorees included: Burgeon Outdoor, the recipient of the Outdoor Enterprise Award; Cross New Hampshire Adventure Trail pioneer Marianne Borowski, who received the Common Ground Award; and the Appalachian Mountain Club, presented with the Work Forward Award for creating opportunities for young people and fostering meaningful careers in the outdoors.
The Mountain Mover Award, which recognizes a New Hampshire business, nonprofit, public partner or individual helping strengthen the outdoor economy through leadership, collaboration, investment, or sector-building, was presented to Taylor Caswell of Bernstein Shur.
“Receiving the Mountain Mover Award is deeply humbling because the success we have seen in acknowledging and growing the role of the sector has been due to the hard work of so many people,” Caswell said in response to the award. “We are not just building a more resilient outdoor rec industry, we are building a broad community that people want to be part of.”
Burgeon Outdoor, a Littleton company that makes outdoor gear, was the recipient of the Outdoor Enterprise Award at the June 20 Barn Raiser in Plymouth. (Photo by Joe Klementovich)
In the keynote address, Eric Mogenson, the founder and managing director of Entabeni Systems, which provides software to independent ski areas, detailed how and why he moved his entire team from Colorado to the Mount Washington Valley.
He opened his address recounting his childhood, spent primarily at Ski Tamarack, a small ski area in Buffalo, New York. “It was the kind of place that I didn’t realize how special it was until it was gone,” Mogenson said. “It was how it felt, the way the fireplace smelled, the people that you were with. We all know those places exist, but they’re harder and harder to find.”
Because of these influential experiences, Mogenson – who also heads the Indy Ski Pass and serves as president and general manager of Black Mountain in Jackson – is on a mission to preserve the small, independent ski areas across the country.
After learning that it was going to close after a 90-year run, Mogenson acquired Black Mountain in 2024. “We took a ski area that had the shortest operating season in New Hampshire and turned it into the longest,” he said. “What I realized through that process is people aren’t coming for the skiing. They’re not coming for a high-speed chairlift. They’re coming for something else.”
Hosted by the Granite Outdoor Alliance, an organization set on uniting and advancing the key players in New Hampshire’s outdoor industry, this year’s sold-out Barn Raiser on June 10 reflected the breadth of the outdoor sector, bringing together public officials, business leaders, recreation providers and nonprofit representatives, among other key figures.
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