Michigan Outdoor Industry Supplier Summit Happening Next Month

On 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. 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 am to 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.

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 will also 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.  

Who should 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

To participate, notify Colin Dillon and Katy Till from Pure Michigan Business Connect by email at dillonc1@michigan.org and tillk1@michigan.org. From there, Colin and Katy will work directly with the purchasing and/or engineering staff to bring them into the online platform. All interest needs to be received by February 15.

Alternatively, if the company already knows the procurement needs they would like to explore, they can complete the “purchaser needs” intake form found on the Pure Michigan Business Connect website here. This information will be used to create the online application that suppliers will respond to if believe themselves to be a good fit for the specified needs. Again, all interest needs to be received by February 15.

For questions on the summit, contact Ashley Brinkman, RV Industry Association Legislative Analyst, at abrinkman@rvia.org.