Our Leadership: A Covenant of Stewardship
Before there was a company, there was a conviction. Before a single product was sourced or a storefront designed, there was a reverence for the silent majesty of God’s first cathedrals—the mountains, the forests, the untamed landscapes that have long been a sanctuary for the human soul. Outdoorville was born in the shadow of the Colorado Rockies, not as a mere retail concept, but as an answer to a calling: to build an institution that honors the integrity of the outdoors and the enduring values of those who find their strength within it.
Leadership, in the context of this mission, is not a position of privilege; it is a covenant of stewardship. It is a sacred trust accepted by men and women who understand that our balance sheet is eternally linked to a higher ledger. We are not simply managing inventory and supply chains; we are stewarding a piece of a promise—a promise to serve families, to strengthen communities, and to operate in a manner that reflects the divine order and beauty of the creation we celebrate.
While the world chases fleeting trends and quarterly gains, our leadership is oriented toward a different horizon: the long arc of generational impact. We build slowly, deliberately, and with a profound sense of accountability, because we are not constructing a brand for an era, but an institution for the ages. This requires a unique form of leadership—one grounded not in the shifting sands of popular opinion, but in the bedrock of unchanging principle. It is a leadership defined by weight, not visibility; by service, not status; and by a quiet, unwavering obedience to the truths we hold sacred.
The Source of Our Strength: The Restored Gospel as Our Foundation
To understand leadership at Outdoorville is to understand the wellspring of our convictions. We are, without apology, a company built upon the bedrock of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ—a foundation of sacred covenants, divine accountability, and unwavering stewardship. As faithful members of our church, we hold that there is no division between the sacred and the secular; our work is a form of worship, and our professional lives must be a testament to our deepest spiritual commitments. This conviction is not a talking point for public relations; it is the moral architecture of our entire institution.
Our faith informs our leadership philosophy in several critical, non-negotiable ways:
1. The Doctrine of Stewardship: We believe the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof. The breathtaking canyons, the towering peaks, and the serene wilderness are not just commodities for recreation; they are His creations, entrusted to our care. This belief shapes every decision. It compels us to champion conservation, promote responsible use of the land, and build a business that is sustainable and respectful of the natural world. Our leaders are therefore not owners, but stewards. They are accountable for how they manage the resources, talent, and influence placed in their hands, with an understanding that their stewardship will be judged by a divine standard.
2. The Principle of Agency and Accountability: The gospel teaches that moral agency—the power to choose—is a gift from God. At Outdoorville, we honor this principle by fostering a culture of high trust and deep accountability. We empower our leaders to make decisions, to innovate, and to act with conviction. We do not micromanage; we align on principles and trust our leaders to execute with wisdom. This freedom, however, is inextricably linked to accountability. We expect leaders to answer for their choices, to repent and correct course when they err, and to own the outcomes of their decisions with humility and integrity. This model creates leaders who are not afraid to act, but who are prayerfully deliberate in their actions.
3. An Eternal Perspective: Modern corporate culture is often defined by short-term thinking. We operate from an eternal perspective. This means we are building a company that we intend to last for generations. Our strategic planning is not confined to fiscal years or five-year plans; it considers the legacy we will leave for our children and our children’s children. This long-term view allows us to make difficult decisions that may not yield immediate returns but are essential for the enduring health of the institution. We invest in people, systems, and culture with the patience of a forester planting an oak, knowing that the greatest rewards are those that mature over a lifetime.
4. The Law of Consecration: While we operate as a for-profit enterprise, our work is consecrated to a higher purpose. We seek to build a prosperous company not for the accumulation of personal wealth, but to build the kingdom of God on earth. This means using our resources to strengthen families, to serve communities, and to be a light in the marketplace. It requires leaders who are motivated by a desire to serve and build, not by ego or appetite. They see their work as an offering, a way to use their unique talents and abilities to contribute to something far larger than themselves.
This foundation in the restored gospel is our competitive advantage. It provides us with a moral compass in a turbulent world, a source of resilience in the face of adversity, and a unified purpose that transcends profit. It is the reason we can demand so much of our leaders—because we know we are all in the service of a Master who asks for our whole hearts.
Our Leadership Covenant: The Four Pillars of Stewardship
Leadership at Outdoorville is governed by a covenant, not a corporate policy manual. This covenant is built upon four foundational pillars that guide every decision, action, and interaction.
Pillar I: Stewardship Over Ownership A steward protects, nurtures, and improves an asset on behalf of its true owner. Our leaders understand that this company, its mission, and its people are not their possessions. This mindset eradicates the entitlement and ego that poison so many corporate cultures. It fosters a deep sense of humility and responsibility. A steward-leader asks different questions: not "What can this company do for me?" but "What is my duty to this company and its mission?" Not "How can I build my personal brand?" but "How can I fortify this institution for the next generation?" They measure their success not by the size of their domain, but by the health and vitality of what has been entrusted to their care.
Pillar II: Service Over Status The Savior taught, "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant." This is not a suggestion at Outdoorville; it is an operational imperative. We reject the hierarchical, top-down leadership model that creates distance between decision-makers and the people they serve. Our leaders are expected to be in the field, on the store floor, and alongside their teams. They listen more than they speak. They exist to remove obstacles, provide clarity, and empower their people to do their best work. Leadership is not a reward for past performance; it is a commission to serve more broadly. Status is a byproduct, never the goal. The only authority we recognize is the moral authority that comes from selfless service.
Pillar III: Principle Over Preference In a world of compromise, we are unapologetically principled. Our leaders are expected to govern their decisions by the timeless truths of the gospel and our established cultural tenets, not by personal preference, political expediency, or the path of least resistance. This commitment to principle provides a bulwark against the corrosive influence of moral relativism. It means making the right decision even when it is the harder decision. It means standing firm on our values, even if it costs us in the short term. A leader guided by preference is unpredictable and builds on sand. A leader guided by principle is steady and builds on rock, providing the stability and predictability necessary for a system to scale with integrity.
Pillar IV: Revelation Over Reaction The single most important leadership skill at Outdoorville is the ability to seek and receive personal revelation. We believe that God is a God of order and that He will guide those who earnestly seek His will in their stewardships. We expect our leaders to be men and women of faith who make prayer, scripture study, and temple attendance a priority in their lives. Before making a critical decision, we expect them to counsel together, to study the issue out in their minds, and then to take it to the Lord in prayer. This practice of "counselling with the Lord" is not a platitude; it is our primary decision-making model. It allows us to move with a quiet confidence that transcends data analysis and market research alone. We value data, but we are governed by discernment. This spiritual discipline allows us to innovate with boldness and navigate uncertainty with peace, knowing that we are yoked to a source of wisdom far greater than our own.
Our Leaders: Field Stewards
In a world that too often mistakes visibility for value and charisma for character, leadership has been hollowed out. It has become a performance of influence, a chase for status, or a title on an organizational chart. At Outdoorville, we reject this hollow crown. We hold to an older, more enduring standard, one rooted in the bedrock of absolute accountability. Here, leadership is not a performance; it is a weight. It is the sacred and sobering stewardship of a covenant made with the families whose livelihoods depend on our wisdom, the customers who trust us with their safety, and the Creator who charged us with the care of His creation. We believe true leadership is measured not by the noise it creates in the marketplace, but by the quiet integrity of its promises, the resilience of its systems under pressure, and the generational strength of the foundations it lays. It is the daily, disciplined, and often unseen work of turning conviction into a living, breathing operational reality.
A doctrine this demanding requires a different kind of leader. A typical corporate résumé, with its record of climbing ladders and managing perceptions, is often insufficient for this calling. We are not assembling a team of executives; we are gathering a fellowship of guardians. We seek men and women who have been forged, not just trained—forged in the fires of real-world accountability, where the consequences of failure are immediate and absolute. They are leaders who carry their authority with the humility of a shepherd, who measure their success by the strength of their flock, and who see their work not as a career, but as a consecrated stewardship. They are the sentinels of our moral architecture, chosen for their unwavering character before their credentials, and for their spiritual alignment before their accolades. They are builders who understand that what we construct must be worthy of the trust placed in us by the hardworking people we are honored to serve.
The principles detailed on this page are not abstract corporate ideals; they are the living code by which these individuals operate. Their professional histories and personal testimonies are a testament to the belief that it is possible to build an institution of national scale without sacrificing its soul. The assembly of this council is a slow, deliberate, and prayerful process, as each new leader must add strength to the whole. On the following page, we invite you to meet these guardians. Learn their stories, understand their convictions, and see for yourself the depth of character that is being gathered to carry this great and sacred work into the next generation.
Our Leadership Archetype: The Steward, The Shepherd, and The Sentinel
We do not recruit executives; we call and cultivate leaders. We are not looking for résumés that list impressive titles; we are looking for lives that demonstrate unwavering character. While the world searches for "disruptors" and "thought leaders," we seek a different archetype, one best described by three distinct but overlapping roles:
The Steward-Architect: This leader is a master builder of systems. With the precision of an engineer and the wisdom of a patriarch, they design the processes, infrastructure, and financial models that allow the company to scale without sacrificing its soul. They think in decades, not quarters. They are obsessed with eliminating waste, simplifying complexity, and creating elegant systems that are both resilient and efficient. The Steward-Architect builds the "vessel" of the company, ensuring it is strong enough to carry the mission forward through any storm.
The Shepherd-Operator: This leader is the guardian of our people and our culture. They walk the floors, know the names of their team members, and lead with a palpable sense of empathy and love. They are fiercely protective of our people, ensuring they are treated with dignity, respect, and fairness. They are master teachers and coaches, focused on the spiritual and professional development of those in their care. The Shepherd-Operator understands that our greatest asset is the goodness of our people, and they cultivate a culture of trust, service, and mutual respect where individuals can flourish.
The Sentinel-Strategist: This leader stands on the watchtower, protecting the mission from internal and external threats. They possess immense strategic clarity and moral courage. They are fluent in the language of the market but are not seduced by its siren songs. Their primary function is to ensure that the company never deviates from its founding principles. They say "no" far more often than they say "yes." The Sentinel-Strategist is the keeper of our covenant, the one who ensures that in our pursuit of growth, we never lose sight of who we are and why we exist.
A successful leader at Outdoorville must be fluent in all three roles. They must be able to architect systems, shepherd people, and defend the mission with equal conviction. We are not looking for perfect people, but for principled, repentant people who are committed to this integrated model of leadership.
Forging a Generational Leadership Council
The executive team at Outdoorville is being forged, not just filled. We are engaged in a slow, deliberate, and prayerful process of assembling a leadership council that is built for a hundred-year war, not a quarterly battle. This is a high-trust ecosystem where cultural fit and spiritual alignment are paramount. A wrong hire at this level is not a mere inconvenience; it is a threat to the entire mission.
Our process for identifying and developing leaders is therefore intentionally rigorous:
1. We Hire for Conviction, Then for Competence: We believe that the right "why" will always find the right "how." We first vet candidates for a deep, abiding testimony of the restored gospel and a demonstrated history of living its principles. We look for individuals whose lives are ordered around faith, family, and service. Only after confirming this spiritual alignment do we rigorously assess their professional competencies.
2. We Promote from Within: Our first priority is always to develop leaders from within our own ranks. We are committed to creating a culture where a part-time associate in a rural store can see a clear path to the highest levels of leadership. This ensures our future leaders are steeped in our culture, loyal to our mission, and have a ground-level understanding of the business.
3. We Reject Vanity Hires: We will not hire for a prestigious name or an impressive résumé if the individual does not align with our core identity. We would rather operate with a leadership vacancy than fill a position with someone who does not share our foundational convictions. This discipline may slow our growth by conventional measures, but it is essential for building an institution that lasts.
4. Leadership is Measured by Fruit: We eschew vanity metrics. Leadership is measured by its fruits: the health of the team, the stability of the system, the loyalty of the customer, and the unwavering adherence to our mission. We measure clarity under pressure, wisdom in decision-making, and the spiritual and professional growth of the people they lead.
Built to Outlast: A Concluding Commitment
Leadership at Outdoorville is a burden willingly shouldered. It is the weight of knowing that our decisions impact the livelihoods of families. It is the pressure of stewarding a mission that is sacred. It is the daily discipline of aligning every action with an eternal truth.
We are not building another retail chain. We are building an institution in the service of God and His children. We are creating a platform to celebrate His magnificent creations and to serve the good people who find solace and strength within them.
This work requires a leadership that is as rugged, as resilient, and as unyielding as the granite peaks that inspired our founding. It requires men and women who are willing to kneel in prayer before they stand in a boardroom; who seek for revelation as earnestly as they seek for market share; and who are building for a legacy they will not see fulfilled in this lifetime.
The pressure is immense. The standard is absolute. But the reward—to be a part of something true, something enduring, something consecrated to a divine purpose—is a privilege beyond measure. We are not looking for executives. We are looking for fellow disciples, builders, and guardians who are ready to accept the covenant and help us build a company that is truly Built to Outlast.