{"id":8128,"date":"2016-05-06T15:28:20","date_gmt":"2016-05-06T22:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=8128"},"modified":"2025-11-20T21:27:54","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T05:27:54","slug":"rei-member-meeting-big-ideas-and-a-shared-love-for-the-outdoors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/rei-member-meeting-big-ideas-and-a-shared-love-for-the-outdoors","title":{"rendered":"REI Member Meeting: Big Ideas and a Shared Love for the Outdoors"},"content":{"rendered":"

REI member Hugh Holborn was drinking morning coffee at his home in St. Augustine, Florida, when he received an email from REI inviting him to the co-op\u2019s annual member meeting. \u201cAt first, I thought it might be a local meeting. Then I realized that it was in Seattle, a place I hadn\u2019t been since I went to the 1962 World\u2019s Fair when I was five. And that\u2019s when I decided to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hugh credits the Jacksonville, Florida, REI\u2014\u201cespecially Blake in Backpacking\u201d\u2014with helping him to prepare for a five-week hike of the Appalachian Trail that he completed this fall, along with his two sons. \u201cIt was life-changing,\u201d Hugh said\u2014an experience that inspired him to hop a plane for a transcontinental journey to the co-op\u2019s member meeting.<\/p>\n

Hugh was one of 170 attendees at REI\u2019s 2016 Member Meeting, held at the co-op\u2019s flagship store in Seattle. The crowd included members and REI employees, representatives of nonprofit organizations, REI\u2019s board of directors plus REI\u2019s senior leadership team. Participants heard from REI President and CEO Jerry Stritzke, REI Board President Cheryl Scott and the co-op\u2019s CFO Tracie Winbigler. Watch a video of the member meeting\u2019s proceedings here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some of the speakers\u2019 key themes included:<\/p>\n

REI is vibrant and healthy<\/strong>. In 2015, the co-op experienced another year of healthy growth, with a record 1 million new members\u2014total membership is 6 million\u2014and annual revenues of 2.4 billion. That growth has helped REI invest in and better advocate for the outdoors, with 72 percent of REI\u2019s profits from 2015 going back to members, employees and nonprofit partners.<\/p>\n

\"REI<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a board, we\u2019re accountable to one body: our members,\u201d Cheryl said. \u201cAll our board members share the view that our co-op is centered on a belief in something bigger than business.\u201d This year, four times as many members as last year participated in the REI board election, casting ballots and re-electing four standing board members.<\/p>\n

Big ideas make an impact when powered by the collective passion and action of REI\u2019s community.<\/strong>\u00a0 Jerry spoke about the co-op\u2019s decision to launch #OptOutside\u2014to close all 143 stores on Black Friday and pay 12,000 employees to spend the day outside with family and friends. When REI extended the invitation to everyone, more than 1.4 million people chose to opt outside.<\/p>\n

#OptOutside was just one way that REI and its members have carried out big ideas in the past year. Co-op employees shared several examples of the community\u2019s collective impact in this video.<\/p>\n