“Life in the outdoors is spiritual.”
— Jerry Stritzke, former CEO, REI Co-op
Key Moments in Jerry Stritzke’s Story
Jerry Stritzke was born in Oklahoma City. He majored in agricultural economics at Oklahoma State University. Later, he earned a doctorate in law from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. At 28, he opened his own law firm. After practicing law, he transitioned into retail consulting. That path led him to Limited Brands, America’s largest fashion group.
Limited Brands was the company behind Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. Stritzke became Chief Operating Officer of Victoria’s Secret. He oversaw inventory, logistics, supply chain, and brand growth strategy for over 1,000 stores. The structure was driven by quarterly earnings targets. Maximizing shareholder returns was at the center of decision-making. He then moved to become President and COO of Coach, a leading American luxury accessories brand. It was also a publicly traded company.
In 2013, Stritzke relocated to Seattle. He accepted the position of CEO at REI Co-op. REI was not a publicly traded company. Founded in 1938 by 23 mountaineers, it was a consumer cooperative. There were no shareholders. Profits returned to members. This structure had never changed since its founding. There was no pressure to go public, no obligation to explain quarterly earnings to outside shareholders. The former COO of Victoria’s Secret had chosen to become CEO of a cooperative.
On Black Friday 2015, REI gave all employees paid time off. It closed 143 stores. Stritzke sent an email to members: “While the world fights in stores, we’d like to meet you outside.” This was #OptOutside. It was a decision to forgo the single largest sales day of the year in American retail. The campaign repeated in 2016 and 2017. It became one of the most frequently cited cases not just in the outdoor industry but across marketing overall.
Stritzke stepped down as CEO in March 2019. The reason was that he failed to adequately disclose a personal relationship with another outdoor industry leader to the company. The transparency principle that the cooperative had upheld for 87 years allowed no exception, even for the CEO.
Why a Cooperative
Stritzke studied law. He understood how structure enables and constrains certain possibilities. As Victoria’s Secret COO, he directly experienced how the structure of having to explain quarterly earnings to shareholders shapes decisions. Within that structure, the choice to close stores on Black Friday is nearly impossible. Even if a brand wanted to, the structure doesn’t allow it.
REI was different. An annual membership fee of $30 for members. A refund of a percentage of purchases at year-end. A structure where profits don’t go to shareholders. Stritzke maintained this structure as-is. During his tenure, REI grew to 181 stores and over 12,000 employees. The larger a company grows, the more pressure there is to go public or seek outside investment. REI blocked that pressure through its structure. The cooperative form itself was the strategy.
In one interview, Stritzke said: “As a cooperative, our definition of success transcends money. We believe life in the outdoors is a life well-lived. We aspire to be stewards of great outdoor spaces.” There was a sense of place rooted in his Oklahoma agricultural economics background. He had climbed Mount Rainier. He knew firsthand the transformation that outdoor experience brings. He described it as “almost spiritual.”
A person who studied law, who served as COO of a public company, who knows numbers precisely—chose a cooperative. The decisions that followed came from that choice. Not changing the structure came first. Brand philosophy became possible after that.
Three Core Elements of Brand Philosophy
Structure Came First
REI never went public. The same was true during Stritzke’s tenure. Membership exceeded 20 million. Revenue grew to multi-billion dollar scale. Yet the structure never changed. Decision-making happened within a structure that didn’t distribute profits to shareholders. This structure made #OptOutside possible. The decision to close stores on Black Friday was feasible because there was no need to explain that loss to shareholders. Structure made the brand.
Deciding What Not to Sell
REI sells camping, hiking, climbing, cycling, water, running, and snow gear. It doesn’t carry hunting equipment. It excluded from the start a category that an outdoor specialty retailer would naturally be expected to sell. There’s no explanation. It simply doesn’t do it. Stritzke maintained this boundary. Even in a structure where expanding categories would increase revenue, he didn’t touch certain ones. What you choose not to do defines the brand’s scope.
#OptOutside and Paid Time Off
Stritzke challenged his employees specifically: “Find a way to demonstrate our values through action.” OptOutside was the answer. Paid time off for all employees on Black Friday. Store closures. An email to members. A decision possible because it was a cooperative. This campaign later led to partnership with the National Park Service. It led to multi-year investment in expanding outdoor access. It led to $1.5 million support for advancing women’s leadership in the outdoor industry. One decision shaped the brand’s direction.
Soulpapa Marketing’s Perspective
A person who was COO of Victoria’s Secret and COO of Coach can calculate precisely how much revenue is lost by closing stores on Black Friday. That person chose to become CEO of a cooperative. That person entered that structure.
What’s interesting is the order. Choosing the structure came first, and brand action came after. If #OptOutside hadn’t been selected as a structure from the cooperative framework, it would have been impossible. In a structure where quarterly earnings must be explained to shareholders, a decision to close stores on Black Friday is difficult to make. REI has maintained that structure since 1938, and Stritzke did not change it.
Not selling hunting equipment follows the same logic. Expanding categories increases revenue. But REI didn’t put deciding on a range before structure. Within the range that structure permitted, it decided what not to do. That boundary became the brand’s identity.
Philosophy doesn’t create structure. Structure preserves philosophy.
References
- Jerry Stritzke Named President and CEO of REI — REI Newsroom
- Jerry Stritzke — Aspen Ideas Festival
- REI CEO Jerry Stritzke Resigns — The Seattle Times
Frequently Asked Questions
What did REI do on Black Friday 2015?
On Black Friday 2015, REI gave all employees paid time off and closed 143 stores. CEO Jerry Stritzke sent a message to members: “While the world fights in stores, we’d like to meet you outside.” This launched the #OptOutside campaign, which repeated in 2016 and 2017.
What positions did Jerry Stritzke hold before becoming REI CEO?
Jerry Stritzke earned a doctorate in law from the University of Oklahoma College of Law and opened his own law firm at 28. He later transitioned to retail consulting and became COO of Victoria’s Secret at Limited Brands, then President and COO of Coach, before becoming CEO of REI Co-op in 2013.
Why did he move from a public company COO role to a cooperative CEO position?
As someone trained in law, Stritzke understood how structure constrains decision-making. As Victoria’s Secret COO, he experienced how public company structures requiring explanation of quarterly earnings to shareholders made decisions like closing stores on Black Friday nearly impossible. REI, maintained as a cooperative since 1938 with no shareholders and profits returning to members, allowed him to realize his business philosophy.
Original Korean: https://soulpapa.co.kr/2026/03/24/ceo-interview-rei-2026-03-24/
Insights from Soulpapa Marketing — Korea’s digital marketing agency.