General Manager (with possibility of eventual ownership)
Posted by Midwest Mountaineering on 01/23/2022
Job Basics
Industry Sector: Outdoor
Job Categories: Retail - Management- Staff
Company Type: Retail
State: MN
City: Minneapolis
Country: United States
Required Experience: 7 - 10 years
Job Type: Senior Level
Salary: Starting at $85,000 + profit sharing + bonuses
Required to Relocate: Yes
Required to Travel: No
Employee May Telecommute: No
Job Seeker Must Live Within: 25 miles
Job Description & Requirements
Company Overview
Midwest Mountaineering (MWM), a single location retail outdoor store, was started 51+ years ago in Rod Johnson’s kitchen. Sales are currently favorable with about 50 employees and many of our customers say we’re their favorite store. The person applying for this position must be passionate about hiking, backpacking, paddling and Nordic skiing (interest in climbing is also valuable, although not required). The purpose of our existence is to get our customers active and having fun outdoors. It is not to sell as much merchandise as possible, although lately we’ve been very profitable. Maintaining a somewhat equal balance between customers, staff, the business and the owner is strived for. 100% owner, Rod Johnson, will be 73 years old in May and is looking for a person to run MWM, although he still plans to be involved, especially with marketing and events. He also desires MWM to continue its mission of getting people active outdoors for another 50 years by finding a general manager who would eventually own MWM.
MWM’s Management Philosophy
Successful retailing involves getting a lot done in a very short time. You must have the management, retailing ability and drive to get a lot of quality work done in a short amount of time. You must be super productive. You must be very attentive to detail and have good follow through. You must be a big picture person and be able to turn on a dime as situations require. If you need to spend a lot of time planning, don’t apply for this position. To be a successful business, the smartest person must make final decision, after input from your staff. If you want to make business decisions by having your staff vote, don’t apply for this position. In short, you must have the “Retail Knack” imbedded in your DNA. This isn’t something you can learn in college. The school of hard knocks is the best teacher.
Attention to detail and follow through are required, especially detail in housekeeping. Also fairness, honesty and commitment to staff and customers.
Benefits
- You can help others have fun being active outdoors for the rest of your life
- Properly structured, your outdoor adventures can be tax deductible
- MWM is very dog friendly. You can bring your well behaved dog to work or pet one of the other dogs.
- Generous vacation and time off options
- In an employee survey, staff said the thing they liked most was our great employee staff
- 1/3 of yearend after tax profits is shared by employees and there are many other bonuses
- Ownership opportunity when present owner is no longer able to run MWM
- Possible reimbursement of some moving and travel expenses
To Apply
Email resume to rjohnson@midwestmtn.com, please a completed job application from midwestmtn.com/employment/
Include details of each general manager position you’ve held
Include specific details of of hiking, backpacking, paddling and Nordic ski trips you’ve taken including when, where and how many days
About Midwest Mountaineering
Midwest Mountaineering is a leading independent specialty outdoor retailer located in
.jpg)