After a three-and-a-half month search, Patagonia has named its new CEO. Ryan Gellert will rise from within the company鈥檚 ranks to take on the new role. For more than five years, Gellert has served as the brand鈥檚 general manager of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

Before that, Gellert worked in various roles at Black Diamond for almost nine years. He has also served on the board of Protect Our Winters and the Access Fund.

According to a press release, Patagonia鈥檚 board of directors, in naming Gellert, determined that his deep commitment to the company鈥檚 mission and long-held values, as well as his international experience, best positioned Patagonia for success in these uncertain times. The company also says that Gellert鈥檚 attentiveness and dedication to seeing others excel, and his passion for Patagonia鈥檚 product and activism, made him the right choice for the organization鈥檚 next chapter.

His colleagues agree. “Ryan came on as our GM in Europe six years ago and was handed a Patagonia crash course in building a team, bolstering our values internally and externally, managing an extremely important part of our business, and launching our mission 鈥� saving our home planet,” Bruce Old, head of Patagonia wholesale, told 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal. “Not only did he build an amazing organization in Europe but his perspective and opinions have been valued throughout the company for quite some time. I鈥檝e certainly welcomed and benefited from his advice many times over. Ryan knows us very well and I look forward to not losing a step as we balance our business and our mission.”

Gellert succeeds Rose Marcario, who led the company for 12 years and resigned unexpectedly back in in June 2020. 鈥淐ircumstances around the pandemic created a natural inflection point for reimagining our business,鈥� Patagonia told OBJ at the time. During Marcario鈥檚 tenure, sales at Patagonia quadrupled revenue. She was also behind the launch of sustainable food company Patagonia Provisions as well as the brand鈥檚 amped up activism and strong political stances.

COO Doug Freeman had been acting as interim CEO during the search.

Gellert, 48, a passionate climber and snowboarder, will likely carry those torches, which have become a hallmark of the billion+-dollar company. In an interview with Fast Company, he spoke about the company鈥檚 upcoming Spring 21 initiative on renewable energy, which he became interested in during his time in Europe.

鈥淚 am honored and humbled by the opportunity and keenly aware of the responsibility to lead this company in this critical time,鈥� said Gellert in the press release. 鈥淣o one鈥檚 expectations of Patagonia are higher than our own. Everything we do needs to ladder back to our mission of being in business to save our home planet, and we need to do that in a way that is just, equitable and inclusive of all people. Ambitions don鈥檛 get much bigger than that. And while there will be more tough days ahead as we challenge norms, I am excited to do the work alongside Patagonia鈥檚 talented and passionate professionals. And, I am certain we will also have some fun along the way.鈥�

The post Patagonia Names New CEO appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Patagonia announced the departure of its CEO, Rose Marcario, who has served as the company’s chief executive officer since 2008. “Circumstances around the pandemic created a natural inflection point for reimagining our business and Rose and the Board felt it made sense for those who would be carrying that work forward to step in now and lead the process of reimagining the company,” a company spokesperson told 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal via email.

Marcario has been heralded for leading a number of initiatives that have cemented Patagonia as an activist company with major clout on issues of public lands and the environment. In late 2019, she managed to raise $10 million dollars in donations for grassroots environmental efforts, which she then matched for a total of $20 million in donations to more than 1,000 organizations.

Marcario鈥檚 Legacy

鈥淩ose has grown our advocacy efforts in ways I could never have imagined,鈥� said Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard in a statement. 鈥淲ith Rose at the helm, we are leading an overdue revolution in agriculture, challenging this administration鈥檚 evil environmental rollbacks, growing a movement to increase voter participation in our elections and raising the bar on building our product in the most responsible manner possible.鈥�

Marcario has also been a driving force behind many of the company’s internal initiatives.聽She has been a vocal supporter of on-site child care, which Patagonia established in 1983. Under her leadership, 100 percent of the company’s working mothers have returned to work after giving birth. In 2017, Marcario opened an on-site child care facility at Patagonia’s distribution center in Reno, Nevada. Marcario believes that employer-operated child care facilities are the answer to getting more women on company boards and in CEO positions.

She also pushed for deeper supply chain transparency and reducing the company’s packaging. She pushed forward on new technologies like recycled down, and launched new product lines like Patagonia Provisions, the sustainable food company.

Marcario has never shied away from politics, either. In October 2018, Patagonia endorsed political candidates (in Montana and Nevada) for the first time. Shortly thereafter,聽she launched the Time to Vote initiative, in which she gave all Patagonia employees time off to visit the polls in the midterm elections. Nearly 150 companies followed suit.

Marcario’s tenure at Patagonia ends on June 12, and as of yet no replacement has been announced, but the transition will be led by Chief Operating Officer, Doug Freeman.

The post Rose Marcario Steps Down from Patagonia appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

On Election Day, Patagonia wants voters in Nevada and Montana to choose two specific U.S. Senate candidates who have vowed to protect public lands and waters.

This is the first time in the brand’s 45 years that it has publicly supported candidates and Patagonia insists the endorsements are “not born from a desire to get into partisan politics.”

Nevada is home to Patagonia’s global distribution center, more than 650 employees, and the famous Worn Wear repair center. It’s also home to the Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area; Gold Butte National Monument; Basin and Range National Monument; and millions of acres of wilderness in Clark, Lincoln, White Pine, Humboldt, and Lyon counties.

Patagonia supports Democrat Jacky Rosen to represent the Silver State for her track record of fighting for the state’s outdoor recreation economy, calling for permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and urging interior secretary Ryan Zinke to reconsider shrinking efforts at Gold Butte and Basin and Range.

鈥淪he will fight to protect Nevada鈥檚 public lands and the vibrant outdoor industry that depends on them,” Patagonia CEO and president Rose Marcario said in a statement, mentioning Rosen’s strong record of defending public lands in Congress and protecting access to clean air and clean waters. “We need her leadership to protect Nevada鈥檚 economy and the basic health of its people, so the business community can thrive and so Nevadans can prosper,” Marcario said.

In Montana, Patagonia has an important outlet store and it’s where the brand created the 1% for the Planet program. The brand has given $5 million in grants to the Montana Wilderness Association, supported the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Project鈥攁n effort championed by Democratic senator Jon Tester that proposes to expand a wilderness area by close to 80,000 acres. According to Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, “he gives a damn about protecting public lands.”

“He goes to work every day for the 95 percent of Montanans who believe recreation on public lands is a priority, unlike Republicans in Congress who only serve the fossil fuel industry,” Chouinard said in a statement. “He also knows something about living off the land鈥攖he only organic farmer in the Senate, and the only one bringing the beef he butchers through airport security when he has to travel to DC. Jon is a real advocate for hunters, hikers, and Montana鈥檚 thriving outdoor economy at a time when threats to clean air, clean water and public land are worse than we鈥檝e ever seen.鈥�

For more information about candidates in your state, view Outdoor Industry Association’s scorecard and Protect Our Winters’ voter guide.

The post Patagonia Endorses Political Candidates for the First Time Ever appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Everyone knows that some of the outdoor industry鈥檚 top brands are led by strong females鈥擱ose Marcario of Patagonia, Sue Rechner of Merrell, Donna Carpenter of Burton, Rue Mapp of Outdoor Afro, Amy Roberts of Outdoor Industry Association, Deanne Buck of Camber Outdoors, and Marisa Nicholson of Outdoor Retailer. But in celebration of International Women鈥檚 Day, we sought out a selection of smaller companies that you may not have heard about or may not have realized are headed by equally amazing gals.

The Rad Women

Shelma Jun, Flash Foxy Founder

At the end of March, more than 300 women will gather in the rocky foothills of Bishop, California, for a weekend packed with climbing, panels, and clinics as the first of two events in the third year of the Women鈥檚 Climbing Festival. Shelma Jun is behind the fest and the online platform Flash Foxy, which celebrates women getting outside with other women. Jun is a current Access Fund board member and often speaks about the importance of cultivating a climbing community that welcomes everyone who calls themselves a climber.

Kristin Carpenter-Ogden, Verde Brand Communications CEO and founder

With multiple offices throughout the Rockies, Verde Brand Communications is a PR firm that represents outdoor-focused clients like Gu Energy Labs, Gregory, and Petzl, among others. Led by Kristin Carpenter-Ogden, the firm is a member of several outdoor, environmental, and socially responsible organizations. Carpenter-Ogden is also the personality behind the Channel Mastery podcast.

Sally Bergesen, Oiselle founder and CEO

Oiselle, a French word for bird pronounced wa-zelle, is a Seattle-based athletic apparel company binding women together through run groups and giving back through various programs. Sally Bergesen started it in 2007 with the goal of making a well-constructed running short, but her original vision has blossomed into a sisterhood for women of all ages and running abilities.

Alyssa Ravasio, Hipcamp founder and CEO

Born out Alyssa Ravasio鈥檚 frustration over finding an ideal campsite to watch the first sunrise of 2013, Hipcamp was founded in San Francisco, revolutionizing and streamlining the experience of booking an overnight spot in nature. The travel service covers all national, state, regional, and Army Corps Parks in all 50 states鈥�5,756 parks, 13,421 campgrounds, and 329,567 campsites.

Teresa Baker, founder of the African American National Park Event

The African American National Park Event founded in 2013 by Teresa Baker of California, engages communities of color in nature and encourages outdoor entities to prioritize diversity. Several events are held across the country every year. Baker also is an Outdoor Afro leader and blogs about her love of the outdoors at African American Explorations.

Katy Hover-Smoot and Cassie Abel, Wild Rye founders

Wild Rye, a technical apparel design company launched in 2016, makes women-specific pieces in soft fabrics and colors鈥攆rom a pale aqua merino midweight to a cozy pair of pineapple-colored leggings鈥攖hat are meant to be worn in the wild. Katy Hover-Smoot and Cassie Abel are avid outdoorswomen who can be found crushing on trails oftentimes in Tahoe, California.

Chris Ann Goddard, CGPR founder

A seasoned PR guru with decades of institutional knowledge of the outdoor industry, Chris Ann Goddard leads the 25-year-old agency CGPR. Her team represents multiple big-name outdoor brands such as Kelty, Adidas, Merrell, Vibram, and Winter Park Resort.

Sarah Castle and Alison Wright, The Cairn Project founders

Founders Sarah Castle and Alison Wright met in Boulder, a mecca for outdoor exploration. Their organization, The Cairn Project, nurtures and empowers girls to be self confident in the outdoors mountain biking, backpacking, mountaineering, and more.聽 They’ve provided $50,000 in grants to eight different partners devoted to expanding access for underprivileged young women.

Jen Gurecki, Coalition Snow CEO

The skis on the market didn鈥檛 cut it for Jen Gurecki and other women she heard from, so in 2013 she ventured out to design a series of skis and snowboards specialized for women, by women鈥攏ow known as Coalition Snow. Gurecki has a varied background as founder of Zawadisha, a Kenyan-based social enterprise providing small loans to rural women, and is formerly co-owner of a white water rafting outfitter based in Lake Tahoe.

Alison Hill, LifeStraw managing director

LifeStraw does much more than make water filters.聽The technology introduced in 2005 as a personal 鈥渟traw-like鈥� filter was designed for people in developing countries without access to safe, clean water. Led in part by Alison Hill, the company under health group Vestergaard has delivered more than 10,000 products.

The post 10 Companies Led by Rad Women appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.