On Tuesday, March 23, the Michigan Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry, along with the Outdoor Recreation Roundtable and Pure Michigan Business Connect, will host the first Michigan Outdoor Industry Supplier Summit. Organizers said the summit will provide a platform for supply chain matchmaking between Michigan product and service suppliers and the outdoor recreation industry. The free, virtual event will take place from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 pm and include an educational webinar, networking opportunities, and one-on-one, buyer-supplier meetings.
While the pandemic has created a boom in outdoor recreation sales and interest, the same pandemic has presented unprecedented challenges to outdoor recreation industry’s product supply chains and delivery systems, the organizations said.
This summit is designed to address these challenges by educating Michigan suppliers on outdoor recreation product sales and trends while also facilitating connections between industry companies and qualified Michigan suppliers to fill supply chain gaps. The summit also aims to increase visibility and promote capabilities of the Michigan supply base to a national outdoor recreation industry audience, including non-traditional suppliers who may have other industry experience applicable to outdoor recreation, such as automotive, aerospace, etc.
“The Michigan Office of Outdoor Recreation Industry works with industry partners from many sectors to anticipate emerging trends, create effective policy, and elevate outdoor recreation opportunities and resources across Michigan,” said RV Industry Association Legislative Analyst Ashley Brinkman. “We applaud Director Brad Garmon’s continued efforts to engage with the RV industry in Michigan and especially in coordinating this virtual event with Pure Michigan Business Connect. We encourage member companies who are currently operating or interested in operating in Michigan to participate in the event.”
Procurement needs, such as components, products, services, and skills, will be the primary focus of buyer-supplier match meetings during the event. These needs were identified in consultation with the RV Industry Association, the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association, the Motorcycle Industry Council, the American Sportfishing Association, and member companies from these associations. The organizations said they encourage the following companies to participate:
Any company interested in:
- Discussing current or anticipated purchasing needs with Michigan suppliers.
- Committing spend to a more regionally focused or localized supply base.
- Connecting with diversity-owned businesses.
- Exploring new innovative products & services in the industry.
How to participate:
Interested parties can contact Colin Dillon and Katy Till from Pure Michigan Business Connect by email at dillonc1@michigan.org and tillk1@michigan.org.
Alternatively, if a company already knows the procurement needs it would like to explore, they can complete the “purchaser needs” intake form found on the Pure Michigan Business Connect website here.
All interest in the event needs to be received by February 15.
For questions on the summit, contact Ashley Brinkman, RVIA legislative analyst, at abrinkman@rvia.org.
