OR: Light and Motion Industries and Adidas Outdoor
Just in time for the first day of Outdoor Retailer, OR Daily sits down with Daniel Emerson of Light and Motion Industries and Greg Thomsen of Adidas Outdoor.
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“The Solite, with its helmet and bike mounts (sold separately; $15 for the set) lets me use it—hands-free—no matter what I’m up to. Read the full review.
Solite 150 headlamp
Daniel Emerson on Light and Motion: “Founded in 1989, Light and Motion is a company of outdoor enthusiasts who have been treading lightly for 20 years while designing and building state-of-the-art lighting solutions for divers, bikers and adventure racers in Monterey, Calif. Our pioneering business practices have been recognized with the 2008 California Small Business of the Year award, and as a fourtime winner of the W.R.A.P. award for waste reduction. We work hard to keep it local while making amazing lights. Our lights are known for being the brightest, lightest, most reliable in class.”
If you only had 1 minute with a retail customer, what is the one thing you would tell them about yourself and your company that will explain how and why you started designing and manufacturing your product?
➜ As users we have believed in building a strong business anchored in our local community. Designing and building great lighting products locally is an exciting challenge, and we are here to prove that you can be competitive in the world economy designing and building products in California. Creating value is more than the price on the product, it is the ecosystem and values of the business and its supply chain. We are proud of our products and the way we make them.
Tell us about the name of your company or where it came from.
➜ Light and Motion captures what we are about as a company and staff. Our products help our customers be successful in a wide range of outdoor adventures from diving to bicycling to Nordic skiing. We enable these activities in the dark.
What were you, as the founder of the company, doing before you launched your current business?
➜ I ran Atlas Snowshoes.
Greg Thomsen, Managing Director, Adidas Outdoor(pictured: Terrex Fast X FM hiking shoe)
If you only had 1 minute with a retail customer, what is the one thing you would tell them about yourself and your company that will explain how and why you started designing and manufacturing your product?
➜ I have lived my entire career in the outdoor business. adidas has always been focused on product. I am obsessed with technical performance products, both as a user and a designer, and so are the creative teams at adidas outdoor. It’s very refreshing!
What is your biggest pet peeve or regret?
➜ Zero regrets. Just like Captain Jack Sparrow, I keep my eyes on the horizon.
What were you doing before you helped adidas launch a new business in the U.S.?
➜ For the past couple years, before launching adidas Outdoor into the U.S., I have been living a nomadic lifestyle, exploring around a bit, with my family. Before that, I was always working in some kind of “outdoor” business for as long as I can remember.
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