Today we’d like to introduce you to Renee Tacka.
Hi Renee, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Uller’s Ski and Board was founded by Craig Miller, who managed the shop for almost 40 years. Craig grew the Uller’s brand to be the premier retailer for skiing and snowboarding in the Central Pennsylvania region. Craig’s passion for being on the cutting edge of the industry landed the shop numerous times on the “America’s Best Bootfitters.com” website.
Unfortunately, on Oct. 16, 2020, Craig passed away after battling leukemia. Before his death, talks regarding a change in ownership were held with a group of local investors and skiers, many of whom were close friends with Craig. In December 2020, the group decided to continue Craig’s legacy and purchased the assets of the company. Supported by the original Uller’s staff and sales team, Uller’s Ski and Board re-opened its doors in October 2021 as Uller’s Outdoor, a year-round sporting goods store.
This fall, Uller’s Outdoor will enter its third season of operation. Despite the challenges of opening on the heels of the pandemic, Uller’s found its footing. Located at 1031 Haines Road, York, PA 17402, the mission of Uller’s Outdoor is to encourage active living among people of all ages in a variety of seasonal and year-round outdoor activities, including, but not limited to, ski/board, electric bicycles, pickleball, disc golf, and watersports.
The resurgence of Uller’s provides the residents of York, and the surrounding areas of Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Baltimore, access to not only the best outdoor brands but also top-notch service and knowledgeable staff for decades to come.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Uller’s opened on the heels of the pandemic. Challenges with the supply chain, including production and availability of gear, made it difficult to stock the shelves. When we opened in 2021, we received only 75-80% of our inventory. A majority of snowboards didn’t arrive until January 2022! We also needed to take into consideration the fears that consumers had about once again buying in-store. The team followed all of the required precautions to ensure that the shop was a clean and comfortable place to shop.
Unlike Uller’s Ski & Board, Uller’s Outdoor is now open year-round. While it has been a challenge to extend into the non-winter (spring and summer) sporting goods categories, the owners have been working hard to bring in new and popular activities, such as electric bicycles, pickleball, disc golf, and watersports. Though these categories could be shopped online, most consumers want an in-store experience and the ability to experience the product first-hand before they buy. In our store, they can see and touch the product, demo the product (when available), and speak with one of our experienced staff members to answer questions.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My love of retail started at 15 years old when I got my first job as a Shop Hostess at Hersheypark in Hershey, PA.
While in college, I continued to work at Hersheypark and then at Lerner New York (now NY and Company), which was a division of Limited Brands, until my graduation from York College of Pennsylvania (’95) with a BS in Marketing.
Since that time, I have held a variety of sales and management positions in advertising, marketing, sales, and marketing services. As a Major Account Executive at Claritas, Inc., I graduated with an MBA in Marketing (’02) from York College of Pennsylvania. I continued to work with retailers as a Major Account Manager (’04-’11) and a Regional Sales Director, Major Accounts (’11-’12) in the newspaper industry until my department was eliminated in 2012. It was then that I decided to go back to school for my doctorate.
I started teaching marketing classes at York College of Pennsylvania as an adjunct (part-time) faculty in 2008 and accepted a full-time position in Fall 2018 while I was completing my doctoral work. It was at that point that I met Mike March, a fellow faculty member, who specialized in entrepreneurship and consulting. After graduating with my Doctorate of Business Administration from Wilmington University (Wilmington, DE) in 2019, Mike and I often chatted about my desire to run my own business.
When Mike approached me about the opportunity to become an investor in Uller’s Ski & Board in 2020, I was intrigued. It was a great opportunity to not only be an owner of a small, local business but also to invest in a 30+-year-old brand that was very popular in our region. I met with the team and was thrilled with their passion to support their friend’s (Craig Miller) legacy, so I signed onto the investor team in late 2020.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
The number of people who make Uller’s Outdoor a success is almost too numerous to count! We have a total of 11 owners who funded, guided, and advanced the plan to reboot the shop. The owners are as follows: Chip Konrad, Terry Holtzinger, Mike March, Todd Holtzinger, Dave Tacka, Renee Tacka, Kevin Konrad, Scott Burford, Brad Peters, Burt Boehling, and Casey Schardt.
More importantly, we have a stellar group of 13 employees, many of whom worked for Craig at the original Ski & Board shop. Without their knowledge, skills, and passion, we would not be where we are today. These people include Shawn McEachern, Al Kwiatek, Dave Gent, Erik Kleynen, Trent Shaw, Walker Monteith, Wade Walter, Ethan Grim, Aly Kleynen, Lee and Joanne McClellan, Austin Scott, Jake Bankert, and Maslyn Soisson.
We would also like to thank all of the loyal customers who continue to shop at Uller’s and the new customers that are learning about our non-winter lines. We’re adding new product categories and equipment every day in disc golf, pickleball, e-bikes, and watersports because we want an opportunity to serve many more customers in and around our region.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ullers.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ullersoutdoor
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ullersoutdoor
Image Credits
Uller’s Outdoor
