2025 BOW BootCamp Sessions

Grab Your Spot at This Year’s Bend Outdoor Worx BootCamp!

The nation’s first and most experienced outdoor industry accelerator presents BOW BootCamp—a series of educational sessions built to equip start-up businesses with the knowledge and tools to reach the next level.

This year’s sessions take the stage with a focus on sales and founders’ stories, featuring in-depth panel discussions, time for Q&A, and industry headliners from well-known brands and retailers.

BootCamp Session #1: How to get into retail (9:00am – 10:15am)

Outdoor industry buyers share what drives their decisions and offer insights to help sellers better connect, respond to objections, refine their approach, and prepare their sales pitch.

Panelists:

Bryce Phillips

Bryce is the Founder and CEO of evo, the global outdoor experiences company he launched in 2001 out of his Seattle garage. Today, evo spans retail, rentals, travel, lodging, and culture, with flagship stores, evo Hotels, Rhythm Japan, and an e-commerce platform.

Raised in Roseburg, Oregon, Bryce studied finance in Seattle while skiing professionally for brands like K2 and Patagonia. His vision for evo has always gone beyond gear—building an ecosystem that gives back, especially to underserved kids. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two sons, spending as much time as possible surfing, mountain biking, snowboarding, and skiing. With his parents’ longtime residents of Bend, he also considers Central Oregon a home away from home.

Adam Gerken

Adam is a retail veteran with more than 30 years of experience. He has worked on both sides of the industry—retail and wholesale—with tenure at Snowboard Connection, Salomon/Bonfire, Zumiez, and Mervin Manufacturing. He is currently the Retail Director at Tactics Boardshop, a retailer specializing in snowboarding and skateboarding gear, clothing, and accessories, with four locations and a robust online store. Tactics is known for its high-quality products and exceptional customer service.

Lindsay Peters

Born and raised in Santa Cruz, Lindsay traded surfboards for mountains 18 years ago and has been exploring Bend’s outdoor playground ever since. A former D1 runner turned cyclist, she founded Bend Women’s Cycling to build a hype squad for female riders of all levels. She recently joined Pine Mountain Sports—located on Bend’s Westside for over 20 years—as the apparel buyer, where she merged her passion for sport with style and function.

Dave Manchester

Dave blends entrepreneurial leadership with retail excellence. As the founder and CEO of Dirty Nature, he leads the brand’s vision, impact strategy, and community storytelling. Concurrently, he serves as the General Manager of REI in Bend, Oregon.

Over his 16-year career with REI, Dave has worked in seven store locations, overseeing general operations, talent development, and local buying initiatives.

His commitment to outdoor stewardship extends to his service on the Board of the Bay Area Ridge Trail, where he played a key role in advancing trail planning, initiating the process for National Scenic Trail recognition, and improving access for diverse users.

Dave is passionate about making outdoor experiences sustainable, accessible, and inclusive for all.

Moderator:

Gary Bracelin

Gary is the founder of Bend Outdoor Worx. An Oregon native and relentless serial entrepreneur, he has over 30 years of experience in the outdoor industry, starting in the early days of snowboarding as a sales representative. He thrives on breaking into emerging markets and is also a partner in Tokyo Starfish, Central Oregon’s award-winning cannabis dispensary, and Drop Thesis, one of the nation's pioneering psilocybin service centers in Bend.

BootCamp Session #2: How we did it! (10:15am – 11:30am) Founders of successful outdoor businesses share their personal stories and insights on how they built their brands.

Panelists:

Martha Santos

Martha is the founder of Ryōken Instinct, a premium dog nutrition company creating high-performance protein bars for active dogs. With a PhD in Biochemistry from Stanford University, Martha combined her scientific expertise with her passion for adventure dogs to develop protein bars specifically formulated for canine metabolism. Since launching in 2021, she has grown Ryōken Instinct from a D2C startup to a brand carried in 100+ retail locations, and earned the award of 2025 Best Functional Dog Treat from Pet Innovation Awards. Martha is a Bend Outdoor Worx alumni and was recognized as a Top 100 US Small Business in 2023. When not building her business, she can be found hiking the Pacific Northwest trails with her adventure dogs.

Harold Olaf Cecil

Harold is the co-founder of Giant Loop LLC, a Bend, Oregon–based maker of innovative soft luggage and gear for adventure and dual-sport motorcycles, now sold in over 20 countries. After guiding the brand through its 2022 acquisition by Sweden’s USWE Sports AB and completing his transition contract in 2024, he is now retired and spending his time traveling and touring the world by motorcycle.

Kirby Erderly

An entrepreneur and outdoor enthusiast from White Salmon, Washington, Kirby has been running his own businesses since college. Before founding Orange Screw, he owned KE Designs, a custom cabinetry company known for craftsmanship and lasting client relationships. After selling KE Designs, he launched Orange Screw.

With early Kickstarter backing and guidance from BOW mentors, Kirby grew Orange Screw from an idea into a nationally recognized outdoor brand. His durable ground anchors gained national attention, including features on NBC’s Today Show and NPR’s How I Built This. After nine years in business, Orange Screw was acquired by Nite Ize, with operations moving to Boulder, Colorado.

Justin Guld

Justin is the co-founder and Chief People Officer of MODL. He started the company eight years ago with a completely different product before helping launch the Infinity Tool—a wearable, buildable gear strap designed to connect, organize, and repair gear on the fly. The Infinity Tool quickly became MODL’s best-seller and the cornerstone of the business.

Moderator:

Scott Allan

A seasoned brand builder and advisor, Scott has deep experience in scaling consumer brands. He led Hydro Flask as President and CEO, then SVP/GM after its acquisition. He now supports founders, investors, and boards with growth, strategy, and leadership.

BootCamp Doors: 8:45am

Sessions: 9:00am – 11:30am

Tickets: $50.00 (includes both sessions).

BreakOut Pitch Event Ticket sold separately. See BreakOut Ticket Page.

BOW events are sponsored by: White Summers Law, Sorren, City of Bend, US Bank, Algofy Outdoors, Relativity, Embark Co-working Space, Tokyo Starfish, Focus of the 40, and Ten Barrel Brewing.

For more information on BOW visit bendoutdoorworx.com or follow @bow.bendoutdoorworx on instagram.

Host or Publisher Bend Outdoor Worx