Powerhouse lineup includes eight additional distinguished and engaging outdoor recreation leaders
MONTEREY, Calif. (Mar. 2, 2022) – Life Time, the nation's premier Healthy Way of Life brand (NYSE: LTH), and the Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental announce eight new experts who will share their knowledge at the inaugural Sea Otter Classic Summit taking place April 5-7, solidifying the full roster of speakers and panelists. The lineup includes leaders from a variety of specialties within the outdoor recreation sector including government officials, celebrated business leaders, academics, metaverse entrepreneurs and visionaries. The new additions are:
- Dennis “DJ” Jenson of MidOcean Partners
- Claudia Wasko, GM of Bosch eBike Systems, America
- Dirk Lueth, CEO of Upland
- Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga of Omnitalk
- Divya Brown, president of Taxa Outdoors
- Tiffany Smith, Chief Development Officer of Camber Outdoors
- Kim Miller, CEO of SCARPA North America
- Jil Littlejon Bostick, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Katy Friesz, VP of Corporate Responsibility at Winnebago
“For outdoor recreation brands large and small, the Sea Otter Classic Summit serves as an amazing opportunity to chart a new era of business,” said Kimo Seymour, President of Events and Media at Life Time. “We’ve selected speakers who will share insight of what’s ahead and how to prioritize trends and strategies that will enable responsible growth and brand impact. The Summit’s timing also creates an unbeatable opportunity for attending brands to directly engage with their shared consumer at the Sea Otter Classic, many for the first time in 24 months.”
The Summit catalyzes a future-paced focus with opening keynote speaker, “futurist” Chris Riddell. From the continually changing global economy and consumer evolution that’s driving ongoing change in business, Riddell’s presentation will set the tone for expansion at the Summit.
Following Riddell is a first-ever panel exploring the outdoor recreation community’s proactive role in shaping policy, reversing the scale of climate change, and creating an inclusive outdoors experience through public and private partnerships. The discussion will be led by Katie Hawkins, California Program Manager at Outdoor Alliance and California’s Outdoor Recreation Commissioner. The panel includes Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency, Marc Berejka, Director, Community Advocacy & Impact, REI Co-op and Vipe Desai, Executive Director, Surf Industry Members Association.
Executives will learn about new focal points of e- and micro-mobility growth opportunities in a string of executive presentations starting with Dennis “DJ” Jenson of MidOcean Partners. DJ’s presentation will highlight the magnitude of growth opportunities and rapid adoption of electric platforms across the outdoor rec business and consumer landscape. From there, Fox Racing CEO Jeff McGuane will share why Fox Racing is about to enter its biggest growth curve to date, hinging on e-bike and e-moto. This session will also include Claudia Wasko, GM of Bosch eBike Systems, America, who will bridge the importance of e- and micro-mobility to wellness and broader consumer participation in outdoor recreation.
Dirk Lueth, CEO of Upland, a multi-faceted and fast-growing metaverse, will offer an executive primer on how to evolve an organization from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0. Lueth will also coach guests to establish a presence in Web 3.0 during his presentation.
Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga of Omnitalk will provide outdoor recreation leaders with the playbook on consumer behavior and the evolution of the retail channel. The duo will offer a point-counterpoint session from the stage of the five most telling headlines in retail, straight from their popular Omnitalk podcast and media presence. Next up, will be Wes Allen, Principle of specialty outdoor retailer Sunlight Sports, and former president of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, who will bridge the macro retail and distribution trends and news into the outdoor recreation space, highlighting his own investment and expansion into a subscription-based Overland rental service.
A featured brand in that new retail play is Divya Brown, president of Taxa Outdoors. Brown, working in lock step with founder Garrett Finney, is pioneering a distribution approach as distinct as Taxa’s revered design ethos. This work brings their business closer to their consumer while providing a more trusted experience for buyers.
Framing the inclusion theme of the Summit will be Tiffany Smith, Chief Development Officer of Camber Outdoors, who will speak to the future role of diversity, equity and inclusion in driving responsible and sustainable business growth within the outdoor recreation industry. Kim Miller, CEO of SCARPA North America, will share his goals and experience launching the incredibly successful first year of the SCARPA Athlete Mentorship Initiative. Kim led his team to launch this brand-defining and cultural-enhancing company initiative in the height of the pandemic. He’ll share the journey leading to the successful graduation that just occurred in January 2022.
And closing the session will be Jil Littlejon Bostick, Head of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Katy Friesz, VP of Corporate Responsibility at Winnebago. Both will share Winnebago’s vision for welcoming in and building loyalty with the more diverse consumer, an effort that’s fast changing the definition of success at the legendary RV brand.
Dr. Jason Richardson, world champion BMX racer, coach and psychologist will discuss strength-based Leadership and executive resilience before Jim Weber, CEO of Brooks Running, and author of “Running With Purpose: How Brooks Outpaced Goliath Competitors to Lead the Pack,” delivers our inspiring closing keynote for the Summit. Jim will share how he led a passionate, focused team to successfully compete with the dominant platform brands in athletic and outdoor.
The full agenda and speaker lineup for the inaugural Sea Otter Classic Summit can be found here.
The inaugural Sea Otter Classic Summit is designed to bring together outdoor recreation leaders from the bike, outdoor, endurance and overland/RV categories. This event will be resourced to inspire and show a path of responsible growth to business leaders while driving their brands to create positive impact in 2022 and beyond.
Bike, outdoor, endurance and vehicle-supported adventure share a consumer in common, who will be in attendance at the Life Time Sea Otter Classic presented by Continental, which takes place immediately after the Sea Otter Classic Summit. Executive attendee numbers will be limited to ensure the most productive, in-person networking and learning possible. Registration is still open. Click here to register.
About Life Time, Inc.
Over nearly 30 years, Life Time has reshaped the way consumers approach their health through omnichannel, healthy way of life communities that address all aspects of healthy living, healthy aging and healthy entertainment. More than 30,000 Life Time professionals are dedicated to providing the best programs and experiences at more than 155 Life Time athletic resort destinations in the United States and Canada, and via a complementary, comprehensive digital platform and portfolio of iconic athletic events – all with the objective of inspiring healthier, happier lives. For more information visit lifetime.life.
About the Life Time Sea Otter Classic
Known as the "World's Premiere Cycling Festival'', the Life Time Sea Otter Classic is a four-day celebration of cycling featuring 9,000 athletes, 7,000 campers, 1,000 exhibiting brands and 300 international media representatives. The 32nd annual Sea Otter Classic is set to take place April 7-10, 2022, at the Laguna Seca Recreation Area in Monterey, California. For more information visit www.seaotterclassic.com.
