 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail, outdoor industry |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Headquarters | |
Key people | Dawson Wheeler and Marvin Webb, co-founders Jonathan Scott, vice president |
| Products | Clothing and outdoor equipment |
Number of employees | 50-99 |
| Website | Rock/Creek |
Rock/Creek is a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based sporting goods retailer of clothing and gear for rock climbing, paddling, trail running, hiking, camping and travel.
Founded as Rock/Creek Outfitters and Canoeist Headquarters in 1987 when Dawson Wheeler and Marvin Webb purchased Canoeist Headquarters, the company became known as Rock/Creek Outfitters. The name was shortened to Rock/Creek in 2007.
In November 2007, Rock/Creek was named one of the top 25 specialty outdoor retailers by Outdoor Business magazine. [1] In 2009, SNEWS & Backpacker Magazine chose Rock/Creek as Retailer of the Year for Best Online Business. [2]
Rock/Creek has a total of five brick-and-mortar locations. They have two flagship stores, one in downtown Chattanooga and the other at Hamilton Place Mall, two paddling stores and an e-commerce site. In 2007, Rock/Creek opened a new store in the Two North Shore development in downtown Chattanooga. [3] The project, developed by CS & Associates and Greenlife Grocery, has been designed with U.S. Green Building Council's LEED standards in mind. [4] The latest store to open is located at The Block, the largest adaptive reuse project in Chattanooga. [5]
Rock/Creek selected Art Technology Group to revamp its Web site in Fall 2010. [6] Since that date, the company has been listed on Internet Retailer's "Second 500" list. For the 2012 list they were #644. [7]
In October 2014, a Chattanooga shop employee pursued a shoplifter on foot and the story went viral after being picked up by Trail Runner Magazine. [8]
Rock/Creek regularly gives money to environmental non-profits and sponsors trail building and cleanup efforts. The retailer created the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50k in 2002 to raise awareness and funds for the Cumberland Trail. This race has expanded and now forms part of a larger Rock/Creek Trail Series, with trail running events throughout the year ranging from 5 miles to 50 miles. [9] Past campaigns have included working with Chaco footwear to send used shoes to orphans in Nepal through the dZi Foundation. [10]
Rock/Creek has been featured in local media for its involvement in local trail races as well as the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge, a bike century. [11]
Rock/Creek is a member of the Grassroots Outdoor Alliance, a group of independent outdoor shops dedicated to the sustainability of the specialty outdoor channel and the quality of the outdoor enthusiast's experience. [12] The retailer is also a member of the Outdoor Industry Association.
Rock/Creek employees serve on nonprofit boards as well. Founder Dawson Wheeler serves on the board of SAWS (Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards). [13] Marketing Director Mark McKnight serves on the board of local land trust Lula Lake Land Trust. [14] Wheeler has been involved in lobbying for wilderness protection in the Cherokee National Forest and is cited in press interviews around the topic. [15]
Chattanooga is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River, and borders Georgia to the south. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, it is Tennessee's fourth-largest city and one of the two principal cities of East Tennessee, along with Knoxville. It anchors the Chattanooga metropolitan area, Tennessee's fourth-largest metropolitan statistical area, as well as a larger three-state area that includes Southeast Tennessee, Northwest Georgia, and Northeast Alabama.
The Pinhoti Trail is a Southern Appalachian Mountains long-distance trail, 335 miles (540 km) in length, located in the United States within the states of Alabama and Georgia. The trail's southern terminus is on Flagg Mountain, near Weogufka, Alabama, the southernmost peak in the state that rises over 1,000 feet (300 m). The trail's northern terminus is where it joins the Benton MacKaye Trail. The trail's highest point is Buddy Cove Gap, with an elevation of 3164 feet near the Cohutta Wilderness. Its lowest point above sea level is close to Weogufka Creek near Weogufka State Forest at 545 feet.
The Justin P. Wilson Cumberland Trail State Park, commonly known as the Cumberland Trail, is a Tennessee hiking trail following a line of ridges and gorges along the eastern escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau and Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee. The trail begins at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park and ends at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and Prentice Cooper Wildlife Management Area just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. The trail travels through 11 Tennessee counties and two time zones.
Fort Cass was a fort located on the Hiwassee River in present-day Charleston, Tennessee, that served as the military operational headquarters for the entire Cherokee removal, an forced migration of the Cherokee known as the Trail of Tears from their ancestral homelands in the Southeast to Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. Fort Cass housed a garrison of United States troops who watched over the largest concentration of internment camps where Cherokee were kept during the summer of 1838 before starting the main trek west to Indian Territory, and served as one of three emigration deports where the Cherokee began their journey west, the others of which were located at Ross's Landing in Chattanooga and Gunter's Landing near Guntersville, Alabama.
Moosejaw.com is an online and brick and mortar retailer specializing in outdoor recreation apparel and gear for snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking, and camping. The company was founded in 1992 by Robert Wolfe and David Jaffe, two longtime friends who chose to sell camping equipment instead of becoming wilderness guides. Moosejaw is known for its nonsensical marketing called "Moosejaw Madness".
Scottie Mayfield is the president of Mayfield Dairy Farms.
The Santa Rosa Wilderness is a 72,259-acre (292.42 km2) wilderness area in Southern California, in the Santa Rosa Mountains of Riverside and San Diego counties, California. It is in the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert, above the Coachella Valley and Lower Colorado River Valley regions in a Peninsular Range, between La Quinta to the north and Anza Borrego Desert State Park to the south. The United States Congress established the wilderness in 1984 with the passage of the California Wilderness Act, managed by both the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. In 2009, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act was signed into law which added more than 2,000 acres (8.1 km2). Most of the Santa Rosa Wilderness is within the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument.
Washington Trails Association (WTA) is a non-profit organization that advocates protection of hiking trails and wilderness, conducts trail maintenance, and promotes hiking in Washington state. Their principal values emphasize the benefits of nature, the willingness of hikers to protect trails, and the importance of ensuring that the outdoors is made accessible. Its offices are currently located on the corner of Second and Cherry in Downtown Seattle.
Tennessee Tax Revolt, Inc.(TTR) is an American anti-tax political advocacy group active in the state of Tennessee.
The Chattanooga Whiskey Company is a producer of bourbon whiskey and "Tennessee High Malt" bourbon whiskey, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The company was founded by Tim Piersant and Joe Ledbetter. The brand was launched in April 2012, and the company simultaneously announced its intention to help change local distilling laws. The launch met with some initial criticism, primarily due to where the product was made, but Hamilton County laws prohibited the manufacture of "intoxicating liquors" at the time. Local public awareness eventually became a catalyst in galvanizing support to change Prohibition-era distilling laws. In March 2015, the company opened the first legal distillery in Chattanooga since Prohibition. The first experimental whiskey, "Batch 001: Tennessee High Malt", was released in August 2017.
The Land Trust for Tennessee is an non-profit conservation organization working to protect Tennessee's natural, scenic, and historic landscapes and sites. Since 1999, The Land Trust has conserved more than 135,000 acres (550 km2) of land across 65-plus Tennessee counties.
Stringer's Ridge Preservation Easement, generally known as Stringer's Ridge, is a 92 acre wilderness park located in North Chattanooga, Tennessee. The ridge overlooks the North Shore, the Tennessee River and downtown Chattanooga. The trail terrain consists of rolling hills and some short steep sections. Though the trail is well-groomed, it does have some tree roots along this single-track trail. Mature oak and hickory trees dominate the ridge. The Tennessee River Gorge Trust, the City of Chattanooga and The Trust for Public Land are involved in preserving and maintaining the area.
The Matilija Wilderness is a 29,207-acre (11,820 ha) wilderness area in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, Southern California. It is managed by the U.S. Forest Service, being situated within the Ojai Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest. It is located adjacent to the Dick Smith Wilderness to the northwest and the Sespe Wilderness to the northeast, although it is much smaller than either one. The Matilija Wilderness was established in 1992 in part to protect California condor habitat.
Ann Krcik was a senior director of The North Face and a co-founder of Camber Outdoors, the nonprofit created to push women's equality in the outdoor industry. She began working for The North Face at age 26, but left in 1992 to launch Extreme Connection, the first agency to represent athletes and secure endorsement deals and speaking engagements for them. She returned to the retailer in 2011, where she led global brand communications and outdoor exploration, with a strong focus on protecting public lands. She helped establish and lead The North Face's Explore Fund, which provides $500,000 annually to fund programs that increase outdoor access. Krcik was also elected to the Conservation Alliance board in 2015.
The Henegar House, also known as Ivy Hall, is a historic house in Charleston, Tennessee. Constructed in 1849, it is the oldest remaining brick structure in Bradley County. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1976.
The Lookout Wild Film Festival (LWFF) is a film festival based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The LWFF is a 4 day, 5 session event showcasing conservation and outdoor adventure films from around the world. Films are submitted via Film Freeway and/or selected by a volunteer screening team.
James Edwards Mills is an African American freelance journalist, author, outdoor guide, and independent media producer who specializes in telling stories about outdoor recreation, environmental conservation, and sustainable living.
The 1962 Chattanooga Moccasins football team was an American football team that represented the University of Chattanooga during the 1962 NCAA College Division football season. In their 32nd year under head coach Scrappy Moore, the team compiled a 5–5 record.