Horny Toad was awarded the ‘Innovator of the Year’ award at the recent Outdoor Retailer trade show for an apparel buying tool called the ‘Dealer Toolbox,’ co-developed with ZaneRay. The ‘Toolbox’ is an online tool that allows buyers of Horny Toad clothing to drag and drop styles onto a palette to better visualize and merchandise their buy. The Toolbox has been enthusiastically accepted by sales reps and retail buyers within the Outdoor Industry.

Mike Wallenfels – CEO of Mountain Hardware – offered the award to Gordon Seabury (CEO) of Horny Toad at the ceremony. Wallenfels had this to say about the tool: “It is one of the most innovative tools in the outdoor industry. Basically, it gives retailers the tool to become really good buyers."

During his acceptance speech, Seabury explained that his vision of the tool was not to remain proprietary to Horny Toad, but to become available to others within the industry. Seabury sees the success of the Outdoor Industry as a collaborative effort. To Seabury, the tool is something that allows the retailers to make better buying decisions and to increase the efficiency of the buying process. The more manufacturers and retailers using it, the better.

ZaneRay is in the process of making the tool available to other apparel companies. To see more about how the Toolbox was developed, and where it’s headed, click here.

Horny Toad and ZaneRay have been working together since 2004. Horny Toad is an apparel company based in Santa Barbara, California. See their site at www.hornytoad.com.