Outdoor: Movin’ & Shakin’ – Pat Loomis, Hi-Tec, Engineered Apparel, Black Diamond, Polartec and more…
Pat Loomis lands at Green Guru Gear. Hi-Tec relocates in U.S. and abroad. Planet Dog PSA being considered for Emmy Award. Merrell offers barefoot running resource. Polartec and Mountain Hardwear name grant winners. Plus, more people news and briefs from the outdoor industry.
Get access to everything we publish when you sign up for Outside+.
Jetboil has hired James Bartho as international sales manager, and will handle growth of the brand in markets outside of North America, including Europe and Asia Pacific….Robert Peerson has joined Pyranha’s design team….Bradford Bates has joined Osprey Packs as director of sales and will directly manage the outdoor channel and the company’s overall domestic sales strategy….CostaSunglasses has added Bill Poupart to its team as the western regional sales manager responsible for all sales and marketing initiatives…Andy Yorkin has joined Gregory Mountain Products as North American marketing manager….European-based Haglofs has appointed Nicolas Warchalowski as its new CEO and divided his previous role as marketing and sales director into two separate positions. Sara Wanseth has been hired as the marketing director, while Richard Jagrud was promoted to sales director….Swix Sport appointed Jeffrey Lee as director of merchandising, sales and marketing for the textile division….Mercedes Marchand has joined GoodhewSocks as vice president of design and merchandising…. Ashley Tilman has been promoted to marketing manager for Outlast Technologies….Pat Loomis has landed at Green Guru Gear as COO…. SOAR Communications hired Alex Strickland as an account executive, handling clients such as Interbike, Outdoor Retailer, Primal Wear.
Hi-Tec Sports is relocating its global headquarters to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, this spring as part of its global expansion plans. The 24,000-square-foot facility will house the global product development, design, marketing, finance and executive management teams. The company also just moved from Modesto, Calif., into its new U.S. headquarters in Portland, Ore. Recent additions to the Hi-Tec team include Charles Willis as creative director, and a new North American executive management team of Dennis Hochwender, outdoor product director; Kirk Nichols, vice president of sales; and Erika Bruhn, director of marketing.
Canada Goose has acquired Engineered Apparel manufacturing facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba. With 120 employees, Engineered Apparel specializes in down manufacturing and the production of high-end garments for outdoor brands for the last 15 years. It has been a Canada Goose contractor for more than five years. Chuck Barbee, president of Engineered Apparel, will continue to operate his El Salvador operation that manufactures products for Arc’teryx and other premium outerwear brands…Outdoor equipment maker Clarus Corp., which boughtBlack Diamond Equipment and Gregory Mountain Productslast year, said its stockholders approved plans to change its name to Black Diamond Inc. Its Nasdaq stock ticker symbol is BDE….Eco-mills changed its name to One Source Apparel to better reflect its manufacturing apparel services (603-334-6454, www.1onesourceapparel.com).
The U.S. Senate has voted 81-17 to repeal the 1099 reporting requirements in the health care overhaul law that was passed last year. The new 1099 reporting required business owners to report all payments to non-employees, including contractors, vendors and third-party service providers in excess of $600 for services or merchandise to the Internal Revenue Service on a Form 1099. The 1099 provision was used as a major “pay-go” offset for the cost of the health care bill and was expected to raise as much as $17 billion over 10 years.
The public service announcement created for the Planet Dog Foundation, which is funded by sales of Planet Dog Products, has won the National 7DAYPSA contest and is now being considered for an Emmy Award. The 7DAYPSA competition gives filmmakers seven days to write, cast, direct and edit a public service announcement for a local non-profit. Created by the Hurf Durf filmmaking team, the PSA (click here to see ) won the Maine 7DAYPSA competition last fall and has been running on Maine-based TV stations since that win…. Chaco’s ReChaco program, which repairs sandals and now shoes, reached a new milestone having repaired its 20,000th pair since moving to parent’s Wolverine World Wide facilities. It salvaged 10,000 pairs in just the last seven months.
Merrell launched a new microsite — merrell.com/barefoot — as a resource on how to begin and train for barefoot running. Partnering with experts, the site will introduce barefoot adventure to users through videos, tips and news articles. Merrell also plans to introduce a barefoot training iPhone application this March…. Montrail named its 2011 trail running team, bringing back top runners Geoff Roes, Max King, Dakota Jones, Ellie Greenwood and Joelle Vaught and adding Megan Lund, Amy Sproston, Ryan Burch and Andy Henshaw. Roes was also selected, for the second consecutive year, as Ultrarunning Magazine’s 2010 Ultrarunner of the Year…. Yakima has partnered with Professional Ski Instructors of America, American Association of Snowboard Instructors and National Ski Patrol as the official supplier of each organization.
Polartec announced the recipients of its 20th annual Polartec Challenge Grant, which assists “frugal, low-impact teams” who serve as role models to outdoor enthusiasts. Four separate expeditions will receive funding and support in 2011: a solo climbing exploration in the remote northern Russian Arctic by Mike Libecki; a first-time circumnavigation of Ellesmere Island by Jon Turk, Tyler Bradt and Erik Boomer; a women’s climbing first ascent attempt in the Indian Karakoram by Janet Bergman, Zoe Hart and Kirsten Kremer; and a two-man first ascent attempt by Kelly Cordes and Kyle Dempster in the Charakusa Valley of Pakistan…. Mountain Hardwear’s 2011 Expedition Sponsorship Program will give $10,000 to help fund three expeditions: The Dusty Camel’s Pacific Coast Trail Thru-Hike and documentary film, to protect and conserve the PCT; Cerro Pollone 2011, first free ascents on the West Pillar and East Summit of the Cerro Pollone; and Human-Powered First Descents, Alaska in the Chilkat Range from the LeBlondeau Glacier near Glacier Bay National Park.
–SNEWS® Editors
Got any news or tips about somebody, some product or some company doing some moving or shaking? Let us know so we can slip it into our occasional Movin’ & Shakin’ updates. Just email shakin@snewsnet.com.