Mesa County Outdoorsy Footwear Opportunity?

About just over a year and a half ago, I came up with an idea to do a GrandValli x Altra footwear project collab. Nothing came of it. It was just an idea; however, the original concept circled back to my mind today, and I keep thinking about it.

Today, I saw something on LinkedIn from the Mesa County Workforce Center that said, "Tourism and outdoor recreation are vital economic drivers in Mesa County, generating over $320 million in direct GDP and driving more than $366 million in annual visitor spending. By welcoming over 2 million visitors each year, the sector directly supports roughly 10% of all local jobs across the region."

Now, as a footwear head and with my original collab idea in my mind, I couldn't help but think once again that there is opportunity here in Mesa County that I think may be niche, but it is being overlooked too, at least from what I can see. Perhaps I may be missing something. We see footwear and outdoor brands like On, Nike, Hoka, and Adidas shoot marketing concepts in various locations. Why can't Mesa County be more of a top choice? Provided, I truly do not know if any brands have or have not used Mesa County as a backdrop for anything, and it would be naive of me, I think, to say that it has never happened or may not be happening as we speak. I guess, in my mind, I just see more reasons or opportunities for Mesa County to be used as a backdrop more repeatedly at the same level and caliber as other destinations.

Now, while many outdoor recreationists may not be footwear heads or sneakerheads, everyone wears shoes, and if people are outdoor athletes, they care about their activity, and they care about what goes on their feet. I get asked often what shoe is best for walking, hiking, traction, running, for beginners, people who run 5 miles a day, and hiking. If we simplify the math and the situation, if 2 million visitors come to Mesa County each year, and let's say they buy two pairs of shoes each to wear on their trip, and each shoe is $175, that is a $700 million opportunity. If you use the assumption that 20% - 50% of visitor spending remains local, provided both pairs were bought while on vacation in Mesa County, you could theoretically think that $140 million - $350 million would remain in the area. Then, if you apply the idea of a tourism multiplier to the locally retained money at 1.5 - 2.5, you are looking at a benefit of $210 million to $875 million. Now, I know the range is vast. There are a lot more things that play into this. I am looking at the opportunity with a simple, basic mindset. Let's not make it overcomplicated.

I think Mesa County has an opportunity to create a name in the footwear space, similar to what Eugene/Beaverton was and is to Nike. Is that a pretty crazy bold statement to make?

On the other end, it is likely that many travelers will already have the shoes they love to hike in and play around in with them. So, is the $700 million a true economic opportunity for Mesa County? Probably not. However, can there be an opening created for local outdoor businesses to lead the charge in what footwear recommendations and items are best for the area and curate shopping experiences or identities that help visitors plan ahead based on their recommendations so that they buy what was recommended, even if it isn't from the company, but they visit the company that recommended them? Maybe this is even more of a question for chambers or city visit organizations, like Visit GJ.