ANNE BROHOLM, CEO of Ahead LLC, will be recognized by the SouthCoast Chamber of Commerce at its annual golf tournament for her contributions to golf and the local community. Her company provides merchandise to green-grass golf shops, resorts and professional golf tournaments nationwide.
How is the golf-apparel industry performing as a whole, and where does Ahead fit into the big picture? The golf-apparel industry is extremely competitive right now, with a lot of great brands in the space. At Ahead, we focus on the creative ornamentation and decoration on our apparel. Our offering is a tight grouping of fashion essentials for men under the Ahead brand and women under Kate Lord. We also do a tremendous job in screen-printed T-shirts, a growing segment of our business.
There’s talk that golf is in decline – what has your company done to combat industry challenges? While it’s true that by some measures the golf industry is not growing, there are some good indicators that bode well for our industry – including introducing new players to the game of golf through nontraditional ways – such as TopGolf, PGA Junior Leagues and other initiatives. That said, we realize we need to take steps to continue to grow our own golf business. On the product side, we are constantly working to innovate and also bring the newest decoration techniques to the market. But it’s also about service and making sure that we are the best partner to all of our customers – from the time they order until they get the product.
You are very active in the New Bedford region – what are the prospects for the city? I’ve been in the Southcoast area for just over five years now and during that time I’ve seen such progress and exciting developments in and around New Bedford. I think the prospects are great for this city to continue to thrive into the future. At Ahead, we love being located in the New Bedford area because of the high concentration of working artists per capita here – one of the top 10 in the country. That ties in so well into what we do and the skill set needed at Ahead with creative ornamentation and logo treatments on our products.
What has your experience been like so far as Ahead’s second CEO in its history? It has been exhilarating, challenging and extremely rewarding. When I took over, we were still a relatively young company – 17 years old to be exact. The company had a great history, a great foundation and the potential to continue building on what was started. I’d like to think that we’ve simply built on what was here when I arrived.
You’ve made a career in the golf industry, which is traditionally male-dominated. What has that experience been like? I’ve always approached any position I’ve held just doing the best possible job I can, an approach that has worked for me. And now as a CEO, I still rarely think of myself as a female CEO in the golf industry – I just think of myself as a CEO in the golf industry. It is on those occasions when someone remarks on it – or I get a question like this – that I do step back and realize it is a rare accomplishment. Women represent a significant opportunity for the golf industry – hopefully we can get more of them out on the course and also into leadership positions in our business.
Do you have a favorite local course when you find time to hit the links? I play at New Bedford Country Club and it’s a great course. I think the key part of that question is about finding the time. I’ve recommitted myself to playing, so hopefully I can get out there a bit more over the next year.