OIWC Launches Pilot Regional Chapter

Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition (OIWC) announced today the launch of a pilot chapter in the greater Washington D.C. area. OIWC, an organization dedicated to professional advancement of women in the outdoor, cycle, and snowsports industries, has recently developed a model that enables women to create and maintain regional OIWC chapters throughout the country.

“The premise behind regional OIWC chapters is to provide our members the ability to continue building on the momentum generated at our trade show events,” stated OIWC Director Sally Grimes. “We believe localized activity is empowerment. Now our members can take what they’ve learned through our professional development seminars and discussions and apply it to their community.”

At the recent D.C. gathering, OIWC Outreach Committee Volunteer Risa Shimoda invited members Elizabeth Preston of The Bicycle League of America, Mary Jo Tarallo of SIA, Angie Perez and Karen Kreamer of REI, to simply gather. “We are planning to develop our chapter organically, growing a base of participants before we employ the structure required to become an official chapter, according to OIWC guidelines. We’ll get there when we grow our group to a level that is sustainable, with a strategy for maintaining a club that will truly serve women in the Mid-Atlantic Region for years to come,” stated Shimoda.

If you live in the Metro Washington D.C. area and are interested in joining this chapter, you can receive additional information by contacting Shimoda, risa@theshimodagroup.com.

The OIWC Outreach Committee will continue to develop the pilot chapter during 2007, and in 2008 will open up the program to any OIWC member who wishes to form a local chapter in their area. To find out more about OIWC regional chapters, contact OIWC at info@oiwc.org or 720-249-2524.

OIWC is a non-profit corporation focused on the mission of equipping women to achieve their success. OIWC is sponsored at the Gold Plus level by EMS, Fox River, REI, and W.L. Gore & Associates. At the Gold level, sponsors are Jansport, Mountain Hardwear, Yakima, CGPR, and Womenspecific.com. Silver sponsors are Backpacker Magazine, Burton, GearTrends/SNEWS, Hi-Tec, Interbike, Marmot, Outdoor Industry Association, Outdoor Retailer, Outdoor Wares, Timberland, Tubbs Snowshoes, and SIA. Bronze sponsors are Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, Black Diamond, Camelbak, Cascade Designs, Chaco, Columbia, Contourwear, Fuji Bicycles, GoLite, Guyot Designs, Kokatat, Manzella, The North Face, Nuun Active Hydration , Outdoor Research, OutdoorMind, Primaloft, Quality Bicycle Products, Shimano, Sierra Magazine, Specialized, and Thule. Friends of OIWC include Chaos, Kiss My Face, EarMitts, Wallaroo Hat Company, Trade Association of Paddlesports.