OK, some of you may have seen the board of directors responded to an online petition to stop doing business with Vista outdoors. They own craploads of great brands such as Bell helmets, Camelbak hydration bladders and packs, and Savage Arms which makes...GASP...the dreaded nasty black assault rifles. I stopped doing business with them when they did that, but my membership sits there, still active. Now they are electing boardmembers, best part, you can for "for" or you can "withhold". If enough folks "withhold" votes they leave the seat open. I'm voting withhold on any incumbent board member as I was not able to discern who voted yes and who voted no on the Vista decision.

Vote here: https://www.esc-vote.com/rei/

info here:
https://www.outdoorlife.com/th...vista-outdoor#page-3

http://ultimateupland.com/you-...pocrite-without-rei/

If enough of us get on board we have a chance to steer the ship off the rocks, or at least give it a nudge in the right direction.

Damn. You have to be an "Active" member, which means having spent at least $10 in 2018.

Since I haven't spent a single damned dime there since the Vista split, Mrs.BurtonRW and I are no longer active.

-Rob

Dang, of all the companies I give a shit about REI is not one of them. I would not spend a single penny with them. That is my vote.

I can't keep track of all of the businesses I am supposed to boycott. I love REI. Their quality and selection is unsurpassed by any other business.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:
Dang, of all the companies I give a shit about REI is not one of them. I would not spend a single penny with them. That is my vote.

It appears that REI has a Board that is elected by and responsive to its members.

It seems it would make more sense to me to become a member and then vote for Board members that are more pro-2A than to boycott them.

If you're a member of REI and a supporter of the 2A, you need to vote, even if it's a Withhold.

REI is a coop, which means it's more beholden to its members versus shareholders from a public corporate entity. I don't agree with everything that REI does but, it's selection and benefits are quite unique to the marketplace that most hook n'bullet shops don't do and incremental change like this is where it starts. This is how the libs take over various companies, it's time 2A members start to pay heed and do the same. You gotta know the rules to play the game.

Done. Voted 'Withhold' on every incumbent.

Yes, done again.

Done.

And done.

Do we know how the four members up for vote stood on the Vista decision? I didn't see anything in the linked pages. I will certain withhold for anyone that wanted to ditch those companies because of obscure links to firearms. but would like to know who wanted to ditch them.

I just check REI's website. They still have some Bell Helmets but no Camelbak stuff except one backpack in their outlet. They used to sell all kinds of Camelbak stuff.

I voted withhold also.

This is really a better plan of action than a boycott.

I wonder how many votes you would need to get elected to the Board.

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
Do we know how the four members up for vote stood on the Vista decision? I didn't see anything in the linked pages. I will certain withhold for anyone that wanted to ditch those companies because of obscure links to firearms. but would like to know who wanted to ditch them.

It can only be assumed, that they were in favor of ditching Vista's brands. We really don't know what their positions are, if someone has some time to dig into each persons backgrounds and extrapolate what their possible positions could be...

One can ruminate if every NRA member and every other 2A supporting association joined REI and weighed-in...

Good idea.

To others - I couldn't get the find member number option to work. I did a search on my email and found a March 9th email from REI. The link in the email populated my member ID making it easy to withhold the vote for all the nominees.

Voted "withhold" also.

Until more info is provided in their elevater pitch, “withold” is the best choice

quote:

Originally posted by comet24:
Do we know how the four members up for vote stood on the Vista decision? I didn't see anything in the linked pages. I will certain withhold for anyone that wanted to ditch those companies because of obscure links to firearms. but would like to know who wanted to ditch them.

I just check REI's website. They still have some Bell Helmets but no Camelbak stuff except one backpack in their outlet. They used to sell all kinds of Camelbak stuff.

Why couldn’t you request minutes of the meeting when they voted?

Outdoor Life wrote an intelligent article about the kneejerk corporate virtue signalling that was a fad 13 months ago. It's worth a read.

Think Before You Boycott: Guns, Public Land, and Vista Outdoor

'Hikers, birdwatchers, and cyclists who enjoy public lands benefit directly from ammunition and firearm sales (including AR-style rifle sales). And, Pittman-Robertson funds are apportioned through a formula that accounts for hunting-license sales numbers. So the more hunters you have in your state, the more Pittman-Robertson funding your state receives.

According to Ryan Bronson, Vista Outdoor Director of Conservation and Public Policy, “Vista Outdoor paid over $87 million in Federal Excise Taxes during our fiscal year 2017 to the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Fund.”'

voted withheld for all. thanks for the heads up!