Trade Only Today published an interview with Frank Hugelmeyer, currently president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, who is an outdoor industry veteran and was formerly the president of RVIA.
National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) President Frank Hugelmeyer took over the reins of the organization only months before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down much of the world. It was about as challenging a time as any to steer a large industry association through very choppy waters.
Soundings Trade Only talked with Hugelmeyer about his experience in outdoor-related organizations, how he feels NMMA has improved during his tenure, and what the organization is doing to help industry participants with supply-chain issues, inflation, staffing, the pandemic, representing diversity and more.
It’s been about two years since your last Q&A with Soundings Trade Only. Can you refresh our readers about your career before you became NMMA president?
I’ve been a lifer when it comes to the sporting goods and outdoor recreation spaces. I grew up on Long Island, New York, and then started as a retailer with Paragon Sports in New York City. I eventually moved from there to be part of the fourth-largest leisure sports group in the world, AB Aritmos. They were a large, public company with a vast sporting-goods portfolio that included Etonic and Garcia. Bodyguard Fitness was the company I was a part of.
Then my wife and I moved to Colorado. I took over as vice president of sales and marketing for Lowe Alpine. We held the largest market share in backpacks and sold mountaineering gear and apparel. We were going up against Patagonia, Columbia and The North Face, who were huge players in the market. That’s how I got involved in the association business. I was at Lowe and got elected to the Outdoor Industry Association board of directors.
Click here to read the entire interview.