In 2016, I started Emerger Strategies with a simple bet: that the brands making the gear we love could also help protect the places we love — and that doing right by the fish could make them stronger businesses, not just better-intentioned ones. Ten years later, I’m still betting on that. And I’ve got a…
Category: Sustainability, Sales, & Marketing Consulting
Emerger Strategies and Douglas Strategies to Present “Selling What Matters” at Switchback Spring 2026
How Sustainability Can Elevate the Retail Customer Experience — and Drive Sales FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Charleston, SC — May 2026 Emerger Strategies, a leading sustainability consulting firm for the fishing & outdoor and specialty retail industry, announces that founder Rick Crawford will co-present a featured breakout session at Switchback Spring 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana….
10 Years of Giving Back: How Emerger Strategies Uses Business as a Force for Good
I can honestly say that Emerger Strategies would not exist if I hadn’t picked up a copy of Let My People Go Surfing. Yvon Chouinard’s memoir about building Patagonia into a company that uses business as a tool to solve environmental and social problems didn’t just inspire me — it gave me a blueprint for…
Your Retailer Is Asking About Sustainability. Here’s Why Your Answer Could Make or Break Your Next Purchase Order.
You built a brand that earns shelf space the hard way — with great products, strong sell-through, and years of relationship-building. But if you’ve started receiving sustainability questionnaires from Walmart, REI, or Bass Pro Shops — or you’re worried about what happens when those questions arrive — you already know the rules of retail are…
What Is It Costing Your Brand to NOT Have a Sustainability Strategy?
The hidden price tag of inaction — and why Emerger Strategies is the smartest investment your business isn’t making yet. Most brands don’t wake up thinking, “We should hire a sustainability consultant” and most CFO’s know the costs of the business. But the most dangerous number on your balance sheet is the one that never…
Journal Entry: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at What it’s Like Being a Sustainability Consultant for Fly Fishing Brands
Telling Credible Sustainability Stories with Mayfly Outdoors April 23-27, 2026 Last week, I spent the week in Montrose, CO for Mayfly Outdoors‘ Dealer Days. It was an inspiring week learning more about brands like Abel Reels, Airlite, Airflo, Dyna-King, Renzetti and Ross Reels are made, and the efforts they are making to support conservation and…