Outdoor Research Adds 3 New Posts to Sales, Technology Teams
OutdoorHub 07.26.11
SEATTLE, Wash. (July 26, 2011) – After adding five new management-level positions on its product development team in recent months, Outdoor Research, a leading, independent manufacturer of outdoor apparel and accessories, this week announced it added three newly created jobs in its sales and technology divisions and hired team members to fill them.
The additions are engineered around the goal of providing superior customer service, support systems, and visual merchandising to Outdoor Research’s dealers, said Alex Kutches, VP of Sales.
New team additions include: Cherie Appleby-Lannan, Customer Services and Sales Director; John Prince, Management Information Systems Director; and Andeaux Borunda, Visual Merchandiser.
Appleby-Lannan will focus on building customer-service tools and enhancing the ordering process with the goal of offering exceptional service at both the dealer and consumer levels. Prince will oversee system updates in customer support, order entry, inventory management and web presence, with a focus on making it more efficient to do business with Outdoor Research. Borunda is charged with overseeing and upgrading Outdoor Research’s overall look and feel as it pertains to retail, and working with dealers to help more effectively display OR merchandise.
Since launching its technical apparel program in Fall 2007, growing that category to approximately half of Outdoor Research’s commercial business, and realizing growth in apparel and other core product categories each subsequent year, 2011 marks an inflection point for the brand, and a time to reinvest heavily looking toward growth in coming years, said CEO Dan Nordstrom.
“Adding to the product development team to make sure our apparel, handwear, headwear and accessories are best-in-class was an obvious place to reinvest, but we also want to make sure we’re making it as easy as possible for dealers to do business with us,” Nordstrom said. “That’s what these investments in the sales and technology arenas are about.”
Appleby-Lannan comes from Columbia Sportswear, where she was National Manager of Customer and Consumer Services. She also has worked at Yakima Products as Director of Dealer and Consumer Services and Nike as Strategic Accounts Manager.
Prince brings extensive international corporate and business unit experience in management and leadership positions, with exposure to many different IT sectors. Most recently, he managed a global infrastructure systems team for Getty Images. He also has managed and developed an enterprise monitoring organization for Washington Mutual in Seattle, and has managed voice and data networking projects for global operations at BP/Amoco and at ConocoPhillips.
Borunda comes to his post from a 10-year career at the Billabong Group, where he also oversaw visual merchandising. He has been in the action-sports industry for 25 years.
About Outdoor Research
Based in Seattle, Wash., Outdoor Research designs and manufactures functional solutions for human-powered adventure. Outdoor Research offers technically innovative and superior apparel, headwear, handwear, gaiters, storage and shelter systems. Product testing and high-quality construction is backed up with OR’s Infinite Guarantee®. Outdoor Research enthusiastically supports the outstanding conservation, access, and educational efforts of a variety of organizations and encourages our customers to do the same. Outdoor Research – Designed by Adventure®.
