One of the first public things REI's new CEO Mary Beth Laughton did upon taking the reins in early spring was to apologize for the outdoor gear retailer's endorsement in January of President Trump's candidate for Secretary of the Interior, the agency that oversees public lands like the national parks.
The Seattle area co-op under her predecessor Eric Artz had signed onto a letter by a number of outdoor focused companies backing Doug Burgum with "strong support", saying it wanted a "seat at the table." But in his first months on the job, Burgum has called for extracting natural resources from pristine land in Alaska, building housing on public lands and supporting the coal industry, ideas that are anathema for many REI members and employees.
