Who’s on the move: Another Yakima leadership change; Vanessa Pierce at RAMP Sports; Nate Baldwin at Klymit; Doug Smiley at Mizuno USA and more …

There’s been another management shakeup at Yakima. A year after the Portland, Ore.-based auto and sports rack company shook things up by eliminating its top position and parted ways with former CEO Jerry Heinlen, Yakima has brought back the position with the promotion of current Chief Financial and Operating Officer Mark Reis to CEO.

Reis, who has been with the company for five years, will be responsible for developing and executing the global strategic direction of the organization, officials said.

Leaving the company is Ron TenBerge, Yakima’s current senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Officials offered no reason for TenBerge’s departure.

With the new leadership, Yakima officials said they were implementing a new organizational structure with a three-person global executive team based in Portland, Ore.

Bobbie Parisi will be the newly assigned vice president of brand management. She previously served as Yakima’s global marketing director, and will now be responsible for global brand strategy, product category management, brand communication and brand creative.



Rich Jeli, senior director – engineering, will continue to be responsible for industrial design, product development and engineering.

The third executive will be senior director – supply chain, for which a search is currently in process, officials said.

In addition to restructuring, Reis said Yakima had formed three global business units including Europe, Australia/New Zealand and Mexico/Latin America. He said each would be led by a new general manager, positions to be announced in the coming weeks.

The USA/Canada market will continue to be led in Portland and a search is underway for that office’s national sales director. In the interim Dan LeRose, sales director, will become the acting head of sales.

• RAMP Sports recently announced the hiring of new Communications Director Vanessa Pierce. Pierce will take over duties of social as well as traditional marketing in this newly created position, effective immediately. Pierce’s background includes journalism, snow sports industry experience and social media management and social marketing, most recently at New York City-based PM Digital. Responsibilities as communications director will include overseeing strategy development and tactical execution for marketing initiatives and planning.

• Klymit has hired two new sales team account managers. Nate Baldwin and Tanner Allen will work to grow and maintain Klymit’s business relationships with retailers and dealers across the country. As a small start-up outdoor company, it is exciting to be growing and adding services for our retailers and dealers.

• Mizuno USA recently announced Doug Smiley has joined the team as the new running footwear business unit manager. He will be managing the running footwear category, which includes planning and executing seasonal footwear lines. Smiley will develop market leading running footwear in conjunction with the Global Footwear Group at Mizuno Corporation in Osaka, Japan. Smiley was previously with City Sports, Inc., where he most recently served as the running footwear buyer.

• Oboz, the outdoor footwear company based in Bozeman, Mont., has grown its staff to eight people with the addition of Danielle Fedore, its new customer service representative. Fedore began her new job on July 2. Fedore has broad experience in customer service, most recently with Simms Fishing Products, also based in Bozeman. Fedore worked with Simms for over five years, handling support for Simms’ R&D team, managing field test programs and organizing key marketing events such as the IFTD and ICAST fishing trade shows. Fedore is a graduate of Montana State University.

• Sazzi Footwear, created by Teva founder Mark Thatcher and based in Newport Beach, Calif., recently added to its team. Sazzi announced the addition of footwear and outdoor industry veteran Brian Walton as the company’s general manager. Walton, who started his new position in May, has become an integral part of the company’s ongoing day-to-day operations. He will oversee customer and dealer support, marketing, domestic sales and international distribution for Sazzi. Walton has been an active part of the outdoor industry for more than 25 years working in sales territories throughout the country with a variety of brands. For a number of years, he worked with Thatcher at Teva. Most recently, Walton oversaw sales for Patagonia Footwear in California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.

Have news of a new hire or promotion within the outdoor industry? Let us know at news@snewsnet.com

–Compiled by AnaTrujillo and David Clucas