03/09/2026
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Retailer-turned-manufacturer Todd Frank shares the inside scoop on brand building, margins and shop-floor strategy:
In 2024, longtime paddlesports retailer Todd Frank, owner of Trail Head and Trail Head River Sports in Missoula, Montana, purchased inflatable canoe manufacturer SOAR Inflatables from longtime owner Larry Laba. The move abruptly saw him join the ranks of paddlesports manufacturer as well as retailer, providing a perspective few have in this industry.
For Frank, the acquisition just made sense. His existing paddlesports shop, Trail Head River Sports, already employed four canoeists on staff, and he loved the product.
“We’re thrilled with the purchase,” he says. “I knew about SOAR for years and a number of friends swore by them.” Frank was excited to take over a 30-year-old legacy brand of inflatable canoes for whitewater.
“While I wasn’t looking to expand, it was a fantastic fit,” he says.
The move also quickly thrust him into the role of paddlesport manufacturer, a far cry from his familiar role of specialty retailer.
“Retail I know and understand,” he says. “But being a manufacturer is new to me and the nuance of that is quite different. Both have similarities, but demand planning on the manufacturing end is far, far more important. That part in retail has a degree of insulation; we can and do cancel orders. But that doesn’t work well as a manufacturer.”
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✍️: Eugene Buchanan
📷: Courtesy Todd Frank
📖: This article was first published in the 2025 issue of Paddling Business
