Here it comes! Outdoor Retailer is less than 2 weeks away! I have most of you scheduled, but if we do not have an appointment with you yet and you would like one, please contact Vanessa (vanessa@goaao.com). I would love to schedule with you! Look forward to seeing you all at OR! Also, we have various events that our vendors will be throwing, stop by the Marmot booth and grab your goody bag (water, fruit, granola, etc) and grab a schedule of events! We would love to see you at OR!!

Ames Adventure Outfitters has the distinct pleasure of hosting our Mission Playground Sales manager out to our Headquarters to learn about the line and had a bit of golf on the side. Now, Sunday and i have just started to learn the game this summer, so it is something quite new to us. But Howard (Brian's dad), Sue (his mom) and Mark all are old pros. The day was HOT, the course was empty and we had a blast!
Sunday, Sue and Mark holding down their team cart in our "best shot" game. Notice Mark's very nice Spring 08 Mission Playground shirt? Please, come see us at OR so we can show you the rest of the line...:)
This is my documenting golf shot...how artistic...
And finally, these guys just lined up like this on the green, i thought it was very picturesque.

well, team AAO all has our own personal style as well as a personal golf level. Here, Howard is displaying an easy summer fashion with a lightweight polo and calssic khaki golf shorts. He is also showing is game winning golf swing...look at that follow through!
Sunday has chosen a classic style as well with a cool white ribbed tank and khaki capris. She is showing her driver skills off the fourth hole...lookin good, Sunday!
Sue has gone for a more modern look with a knit tank and cool khaki shorts..a truly great choice for the amazingly warm day. She also shows off her unexpected golf swing...without a practice swing, Sue often hits with as much style and length as the boys!
Being as though i am new to golf, i decided that a "golf outfit" was in order. I say, whenever you can fit in an outfit, you should! So i am wearing white knee length knickers, a green polo and some amazingly bright hot pink and lime Kangaroos...with a plaid ribboned golf hat, of course! The hit is not going going to be commented on...

What is this little button, Vanessa? Why, it is a way for you to eliminate your carbon footprint if you are traveling to the Outdoor Retailer Expo in Salt Lake City...which you are...because we live in the Midwest! Just click on the OR link to the right and it will take you to the homepage where you can calculate your carbon footprint and pay it forward. You can't really click on the link here to get to the calculator though, i am not that Internet savvy. And i stole this graphic from their site...hence the click part:). But the link works!

Now, down to business! It is time to start scheduling appointments for OR! I will be starting the email requests this week, followed by calling in the next few weeks, but if you have a time and would like to schedule now, please do not hesitate to send me your request! We are almost completely wide open at this time, so you could have almost any time you want! And this is not just for OR, if the Madison trade show is more your cup of tea...just send a time for that!

We will also have our Zeal sales manager there to tell you all about this great line we picked up last year. A truly amazing Women's Performance Optics company that opened its offering to Men as well...all with the incredible ZB-13 lens-a nearly transitional polarized lens with incredible versatility! With women's specialty climbing to new heights, isn't it time you had an optics company to keep up?

We also have a new line, Mission Playground, that you all should have received an email blast about this week. There is info posted below with a company history. We would love to schedule you to see this line as well!! Contact Vanessa today-vanessa@goaao.com. Thanks, have a great day-it is almost the weekend!!

We are very pleased to announce a new line to Ames Adventure Outfitters: Mission Playground! They are a great eco-conscious sportswear line that not only uses sustainable fabrics, but also contributes to sustainable causes and uses graphic messaging to spread the eco message. Below is a bit of the company history to give you the full scoop. We would love to schedule an appointment for you at OR or Madison to see our newest line! If you want to peek at some designs now, check out the website at http://www.missionplayground.com/.

Mission Playground-

"Mission Playground was established in the spring of 2003 to promote awareness for the environment. The intention was to make people think, because thought creates awareness and when we are aware we make better decisions. Mission Playground also wants to encourage people of all ages to become more conscious of the environment so that we and future generations will continue to have the opportunity to enjoy it.

The Earth is our playground, our mission is to preserve it defines what we are trying to achieve in all aspects of our operations. From design to production to distribution we are committed to approaching these processes with the impact of the environment our priority.

In 2005, Mission Playground launched a program called S.E.E.D. (sustainable environment and educational development) for which 1% of all sales are set aside in order to support non-profit organizations that share the same passions as we do for the playground.

S.E.E.D. (Sustainable Environment & Educational Division), launched in Spring 05’, is a program designed to give back to the Environment. 1% of the sales of Mission Playground will be pledged to non-profit organizations that are truly making a difference in sustaining the Environment for future generations.

Mission Playground is innovative, cutting-edge and conscious about spreading awareness. In an industry that defines itself by these characteristics, no company has ever taken the step to create awareness and respect for the playground until now!

Mission Playground was created to do many things, but most importantly it was designed to tell a story, share a passion and create thought. In a world of branding, Mission Playground is certainly a brand but what we are branding is awareness for the environment. The idea and execution of Mission Playground was simply to bring something fresh and innovative into a market that has grown stale and conservative.

We are a collective group of people that are committed to designing, producing and delivering a product as conscious and sustainable as possible. We also understand the importance of bringing a product to market that has value at a marketable price. The organic or sustainable world is not a perfect world and will never be, but we certainly make every effort to watch our impact and bring the best product we can to the market.

Mission Playground designs men’s, women’s and kid’s lifestyle apparel with an offering that runs the gamut from head to toe. From Organic cotton t-shirts and recycled rubber flip flops to Organic denim jeans and Organic cotton/ recycled polyester and spandex woven’s. We are constantly seeking the most innovative and unique fabrications and designs to continue to set us apart and be the company others follow.

The Mission

The Earth is our playground, our mission is to preserve it. Mission Playground’s approach is to create awareness through our environmentally conscious and globally mindful designs. We do this by using sustainable materials whenever and wherever possible. With ongoing research and new fabrications appearing all the time, we promise to do the best we can to incorporate our findings. This is not a perfect evolution but we are getting better all the time and we want to thank you for your continued support. May you find the path ahead unpaved and the beauty unparalleled."

7 cities in 5 days? i think so! It was the jet-setting rockstar lifestyle for 2/3 of team AAO this week as Sunday and Vanessa took to the road for a crazy preshow early write show tour! With a quick jaunt up to Marquette, MI for the start of the week, each day brought a new town and more people crazy about the line. Madison, Minneapolis, Fargo, and finally Omaha. Whew...what a week!
Sunday and Jeremy from Canfields' checking out the line! Yeah, Friday night in Omaha was our last stop and man, we were ready to be off the road! If we didn't get a chance to see you on the tour, hopefully we can see you coming up at OR or Madison. I will be calling soon to schedule, but it is never too early. if you know a time you are interested in now, just email it to vanessa@goaao.com and i would be happy to get you signed up!