After more than a decade based in Minnesota, GearJunkie is moving its editorial team to Colorado. Here’s why.
Outdoors gear is my life. It feels almost trivial to type those words. But beyond the obvious pillars of friends, family, love, and the like, the previous statement rings true for me.
And that’s why I’m proud to announce my new role at GearJunkie. We’re also announcing a major geographical change to my adopted hometown of Denver. GearJunkie is opening a new office and moving editors Adam Ruggiero and Nate Mitka from Minnesota to start a new chapter in the growth of our publication.
Starting this month, I am proud to be taking the helm as GearJunkie’s new editor-in-chief. With that, I wanted to update you, our readers, on all the goings-on and about our plans for the future of GearJunkie.
GearJunkie: History & Future
We founded GearJunkie based on journalism – plain and simple. Our goal was to tell good stories, break news, and offer honest, objective reviews and opinions on the best (and sometimes worst!) outdoors gear on the market. Today, we are revisiting that goal.
Gear is important for many people’s happiness, safety, and sometimes even sanity in the world we inhabit today. For some of us, time spent outdoors means connecting with family or friends on a deep level, or pushing personal limits. Be it skis, hiking boots, tents, or a mountain bike, gear can open doors to happiness and fulfillment.
Simply put, gear can make life better. We will continue to work with the top experts in the field to help you find the best in outdoors equipment.
Moving our editorial office to Denver allows us to evolve. Here we are in an epicenter of gear, where hundreds of brands sit within an hour’s drive. And the towering Rocky Mountains directly west won’t hurt our gear-testing efforts either.
Stephen Regenold & Sean McCoy: A Long History
Most people don’t know this, but the roots of GearJunkie go very deep. I met GearJunkie founder Stephen Regenold in 1997. We were two idealistic college kids with the dream of publishing a climbing magazine.
So we did. Regenold and I brought to life “Vertical Jones,” dubbed the Midwest’s own climbing magazine, for three years of ‘zine glory.
From those roots, we grew our chops both in media and as writers. We all moved on for a while, with Regenold growing a nationally syndicated newspaper column about outdoors gear, and myself heading to the Caribbean.
I spent 10 years covering sports and every manner of crimes, disasters, even occasional political scandals for the Virgin Islands Daily News.
But when the day came to return to the mainland, Regenold offered me one of the first paid assignments for GearJunkie.
Fresh from the Caribbean, I jumped on a fat-bike at an event and rolled onto a snowy crit course in Colorado, pedaling uphill into the white.
That was 2011. It was the beginning of what would be a journey into the belly of the gear beast, from trade shows and press events to mountain climbs, prototype equipment tests, and long days of chronicling it all for a growing audience of gear junkies around the world.
GearJunkie.com: Denver/Minneapolis Connection
Fast forward to today: GearJunkie has an audience in the millions, and we’re a growing staff of about a dozen people who write and produce thousands of articles and videos each year.
We chose to open an office in Denver for a few reasons. First, it’s close to the mountain playgrounds we value. Second, many of the top brands in the outdoors also choose to call Colorado home, with hundreds based along the front range in Denver, Boulder, and other communities nearby.
Finally, with Denver hosting the bi-annual Outdoor Retailer Convention, our decision came fairly easily. This town will be a hub of gear development for years to come. And we’ll be in the mix.
As editor-in-chief, I will strive to continue to serve you with honesty and integrity. I promise to offer great storytelling from our digital pages to inform and entertain you.
Your readership is a privilege I don’t take for granted, and I will work to earn your trust with every article we publish.
You can expect expanded coverage in the coming months. To start, look for more fishing, overlanding, and fitness articles to grace our pages from new authors. We’re excited to grow into new coverage areas for a more inclusive look at the outdoors.
But don’t worry, longtime readers, we’re also going to double down on our core gear coverage. From hiking to mountaineering to the latest FKT, our Denver office will offer solid reporting around our favorite pastimes.
GearJunkie Media: Minneapolis Office Refocus
We aren’t abandoning Minneapolis! On the contrary, our Minneapolis team will redouble efforts around business and projects. It will be the base of a rebranded creative arm, GearJunkie Media. Read on for more changes coming down the pipeline.
GearJunkie Media. The Minneapolis office pivots to focus on business and projects, including video, custom content, experiential events, activations, social media, advertising/media sales, SEO, interactive development, and content/affiliate commerce initiatives.
Publisher role created. Founder Stephen Regenold, former editor-in-chief, now serves as publisher of GearJunkie. In this newly created role, Regenold oversees all departments of the publication, including editorial, projects, and media sales.
VP of marketing/operations. Ryan Johnson joins GearJunkie to serve as a senior-level staffer. Johnson comes from 20+ years in the outdoors/active-lifestyle industry, most recently as VP of marketing at major bike-industry brand Quality Bicycle Products (QBP). He has been tapped to serve as lead in the Minneapolis office and spearhead GearJunkie Media.
New hires. Four full-time staff will be added to the GearJunkie Media team, including sales, development, and project positions. On the editorial side, new hires include editors to cover the Hunt/Fish, Auto, and Fitness verticals.
Monopoint Media. Co-launched with GearJunkie in 2006, Monopoint provides creative-agency services. Going forward, Monopoint will function as an independent business from The GearJunkie LLC, with a focus on design, video, content, and marketing services.
We thank you for an amazing 10+ years of readership and are excited for the future of our industry. Stay tuned as we continue to tell the stories of the outdoors. See you on the trail!
