Michael Crouch

Summary

Founder and CEO with 18 years of experience building consumer brands across outdoor and specialty retail markets. I’ve led brand positioning, product launches, creative production, athlete partnerships, and sales and marketing teams.

I’ve built businesses across national retailers, independent accounts, ecommerce, and international distribution. My work has meant doing the job myself, then hiring, coaching, and supporting the people who grow into it.

I built and reviewed full marketing budgets and tracked launch deadlines in ClickUp, using phone and in-person check-ins to keep teams aligned and accountable.

Brand Strategy / Go-to-Market Leadership / DTC & Wholesale / Creative Production / Athlete Partnerships / Team Development

Alpine Start

Chief Executive Officer
July 2019 to Present

Director of Marketing and Operations
January 2017 to June 2019

Grew Alpine Start to $2 million in annual revenue with a nimble team, building a brand at the intersection of coffee and outdoor culture.

• Led a three-person team spanning marketing, sales, and operations, alongside outside sales representatives and agencies supporting Amazon, social media, and PR.
• Built distribution through REI nationwide, Walmart, Whole Foods, King Soopers, Scheels, JAX, Sportsman’s Warehouse, and hundreds of independent accounts.
• Developed brand positioning and directed photography, film, packaging, launch materials, and consumer marketing for multiple products.
• Hired and coached Sophie McKean, who took ownership of Alpine Start’s social channels and grew its Instagram and TikTok presence.
• Developed co-op marketing programs with outdoor retailers and major accounts, including REI and HEB.
• Led teams producing point-of-sale materials and retail displays for REI and Whole Foods.
• Built applications and used AI agents to support creative asset organization and approval workflows.
• Supported international distributors in Canada.
• Grew Instagram from zero to approximately 30,000 followers from 2017 to the present, working with one marketing contributor.
• Built trade-show booths for Expo West and Fancy Food shows from 2017 to 2019.

From partnership to product launch.

I owned the year-long TINCUP Whiskey collaboration from outreach and product planning through manufacturing, packaging, inventory, photo and video production, and an REI holiday launch. The product sold out within six months, with two additional production runs.

Watch the TINCUP collaboration video on Instagram ↗

I also developed and sold a promotional product to Arc’teryx North America, coordinating athlete promotion and distribution through seasonal events and stores.

Athletes as brand partners.

Built an equity-backed athlete program with Cory Richards, Adrian Ballinger, Cody Townsend, Emily Harrington, Hilaree Nelson, Jim Morrison, Keith Ladzinski, Meagan Martin, Nina Williams, and Stephanie Howe.

I negotiated agreements and coordinated compensation, product seeding, media, and paid promotion. For 2019 and 2020 launches, we briefed Cody Townsend and gave him creative freedom, including promotion through The Fifty. We extended athlete content into paid advertising and across our website.

BIXBI Pet

Boulder Organics / BIXBI Pet
Co-Founder, leading Sales & Marketing
Board Member | 2018-2021

Led sales and marketing as we scaled BIXBI to approximately $20 million in annual revenue.

• Managed a five-person sales and marketing team and led major-account and distributor relationships across specialty stores and big-box retail.
• Built the branding and early distribution by signing distributors, working trade shows, and traveling store by store to meet independent pet shop owners.
• Coordinated product launches, creative assets, retailer sales materials, and marketing around distribution and seasonal selling timelines.
• Directed PR, social media, Amazon, and DTC marketing. Managed a $200,000 Facebook and Instagram advertising budget, with campaigns achieving approximately 8x ROAS during a period in 2016.
• Supported international distributors in Asia, Canada, the UK, and Europe.
• Led teams producing point-of-sale materials and retail displays, including PetSmart.
• Built trade-show booths for SuperZoo and Global Pet Expo from 2008 to 2016.

Education & Tools

University of Colorado Boulder
2003 to 2008
Journalism degree, Advertising emphasis

Shopify / ClickUp / Adobe / Figma
Agency and freelance management

Based in Echo Park. Available for four days per week in Irvine.