BRA Names New Chairman, Executive Director

The Board Retailers Association (BRA), a non-profit organization representing thousands of independently owned surf, skate, snow and wake retailers, is pleased to announce that it elected a new Chairman, George Leichtweis of Modern Skate & Surf this year.  Having been on the Board of Directors as the Chairman of the Skateboard Committee for many years, George was a founding member of BRA and has been in the specialty retail business for 40 years.  Former Chairman, Bruce Cromartie will remain on the Board of Directors.

BRA Chairman George Leichtweis

George is passionate about independent retailers being successful and believes that they are the backbone and feeder system for all the board sport industries.  “It is where young kids have their first impression of each sport that will stay with them as they continue to grow into adults and pass on the ‘stoke’ to others.  Board Retailers Association can provide smaller retailers with the tools to be successful and keep their doors open to continue to turn new kids on to the sports that they love.”

George is the owner and president of Modern Sports, Inc, dba Modern Skate & Surf as well as Modern Skate Park.  Over the last 40 years, he has operated multiple Modern Skate & Surf stores in Michigan and also the world-renowned Modern Skate Parks in Novi, Madison Heights and Grand Rapids, Michigan and has been involved in the “Extreme Sports” arena since 1979.  He currently operates one location that consists of a retail store for Specialty Sporting Goods, a World Class Skate Park with over 1 acre of ramps and rails indoor and an event center.  The building is so big, that it’s in both Madison Heights and Royal Oak.

In addition to this change, the Association also shared the news that lifelong skateboarder and Oceanside resident Doug Works has been hired as the BRA Executive Director. Doug is originally from Tampa and brings over two decades of experience in the specialty sports arena having worked on all sides, including working as a vendor, a retailer, and a brand representative.  He has also managed a private skatepark and possesses an MBA from the University of San Diego.   His duties include creating and executing programs to promote and strengthen specialty board sports retailers, updating web and social media content, promoting BRA to potential Brand Partners, Vendor Partners and Community Partners and representing BRA at industry functions.

This transition of leadership personnel continues a great tradition of years of successful programs with industry partners, including Surf Expo, SIA, Agenda, Magic, SIMA and IASC.  BRA continues to offer a productive platform for retailers and manufacturers to come together to discuss issues and offer new ideas.

BRA is excited for the future and plans to continue to grow its educational programs, expand its exclusive member services and create new opportunities for retailers to be successful. The Association will continue to find new ways to encourage the exchange of information between independent retailers and manufacturer representatives, encouraging the sharing of new ideas to help everyone in the industry work better together and continue to prosper.  After all, we are all in this together and share the same goals.

About Board Retailers Association (BRA)

The Board Retailers Association (BRA) is a non-profit national trade association representing over 3,000 storefronts across the country. The association serves as the preeminent voice for independent retailers on a grassroots level with manufacturers, trade show representatives, and other associations. BRA also works to provide educational resources and exclusive discounts and savings from vendors on the day-to-day costs of business. To learn more about BRA Retail Membership or Associate Partnership benefits, visit Board Retailers Association

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