Outdoor Insight

N E W S / A N A L Y S I S OUTDOOR EYE Nomads, an outdoor shop based in Portland, Maine, announced that, effective January 1, 2022, Hannah Wolken is the store's new owner. Located on Commercial Street in Portland's Old Port, Nomads specializes in comfortable, functional, stylish and unique clothing. The store was founded by Kelly Fernald in 2003 with business partner Todd Forsyt. New owner Wolken has mostly worked for large companies, including WEX, Unum, and IDEXX, in new business development and long range planning, but she says her passion has been working with entrepreneurs and supporting the local business community. She is an avid biker, snowboarder, cross-country skier, and traveler. REI announced that it is building a distribution center in Lebanon, Tennessee to support its continued growth on the East Coast and in the Midwest and South. Expected to open in fall 2023, REI says the building and its opera- tions will "proactively address the employee experience, community engagement and environmental impact." It will be approximately 400,000 square feet and employ more than 280 staff. Arc'teryx Equipment has opened 21 of its own stores internationally in the past 12 months. In addition to brand stores carrying the complete collection of Arc'teryx apparel and equipment, Arc'teryx also opened the first ReBird Repair and Service Center in New York with plans for more in the year ahead. Mountain Hardwear named Sablle Scheppmann as the brand's new Director of Sales. Scheppmann held the role of Mountain Hardwear's national sales manager for the past three and half years. The brand says its U.S. wholesale growth is projected to be over 63 percent year-over-year at the end of 2021. Dahlgren Socks, which was purchased in 2021 by Canadian distributor In-Sport Fashions, is back with a whole new collection. The brand's return to market includes novelty styles, iconic brand silhouettes and vibrant color ways. Dahlgren socks are made in the USA, feature Alpaca fibers and are designed to offer durability and moisture-wicking properties # T H E B U Z Z T he new year kicked off with new executive appoint- ments at The North Face and at ECCO USA. Nike veteran Nicole Otto is taking the reins at The North Face in the position of Global Brand President for the VF Corp.-owned brand. Otto succeeds Steve Murray who will retire in June 2022. Otto will report to VF Chairman, President and CEO, Steve Rendle, and serve on VF's Executive Leadership Team. Otto spent 16 years at Nike, and most recently served as Vice President of Nike Direct North America from 2018 through May 2021. In this role, she oversaw Nike's digital experiences and full fleet of inline and factory stores throughout the North America region. Otto was responsible for integrating the company's physical and digital retail and under her leadership, Nike launched new flagship and Nike Live experiences in New York City and Los Angeles and began its expansion of owned retail across the U.S. In other executive news: Denmark-based footwear firm ECCO Sko A/S has appointed Tom Berry as president and CEO of ECCO USA. Berry assumes responsibility of this new role immediately. Berry's long history in consumer goods and footwear includes his most recent position with Levi Strauss & Co, where he served as SVP of Global Business Development. He also served as Managing Director for several of Levi's subsidiaries and led their global licensed business. Prior to Levi's, Berry held executive and general management positions at The Tecnica Group, adidas-Salomon, and VF Corporation / The North Face.—Cara Griffin New Leadership at The North Face & ECCO USA 4 • Outdoor Insight • Winter 2022 outdoorinsightmag.com Nicole Otto Tom Berry Kelly Fernald and Hannah Wolken Rebrand: MacNeill Pride Group Now Gathr Outdoors M acNeill Pride Group, designer and manufacturer of outdoor products and sporting goods, is rebranding, and is now known as Gathr Outdoors. The new branding is meant to better reflect the company's mission and the industries within which it operates. Gathr Outdoors is a portfolio company of PE firm Centre Partners. Gathr Outdoors has acquired numerous outdoor brands over the past two years under the MPG name. Recent acquisitions include ORCA, GCI Outdoor, Klymit and Rightline Gear. l

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