Tubbs Snowshoes has expanded its product development team and taken steps to strengthen its women’s snowshoe business. The company has named two women to key product development positions in its Berkeley, CA based design center. The Tubbs brand has enjoyed an unprecedented 300 percent growth over the last three seasons in sales of its women’s snowshoes. The 05/06 women’s collection features eight women’s specific models, together with an unique on product donation program and Romp event series linked to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

The brand has also announced that after moving its manufacturing to K2’s China factories earlier this year, it will keep its U.S. sales, global marketing, and manufacturing support operations at the same location in Stowe, VT – The Ski Capital of the East.

Tubbs will continue to operate out of the same building on River Road in Stowe where it has been based for the past 18 years.

On the product side, Deidre O’Mara has been hired as K2 snowshoes category manager by K2 Sports, parent company to Tubbs Snowshoes, to oversee product development of the Tubbs product line. O’Mara, holds a BA from Princeton University and a MS in Engineering with product design specialty from Stanford. Most recently, O’Mara worked at IDEO as a human factors designer where, among other things, she designed new strategic directions for Hewlett Packard and Visa.

At the same time, Tubbs has also named Rachel Lin to the position of development engineer where she will help drive product innovation, materials research, product testing, and the manufacturing process for Tubbs in China. Lin is familiar with the Tubbs brand having been instrumental in the sublimated manufacturing process of the new Altitude women’s Floral collection, a hero product in Tubbs women collection this year.

“Having a team of women who can champion women’s performance products while continuing to design and development the most advanced snowshoes for men, women and children is a major step forward for the brand,” said Kathy Murphy, general manager of Tubbs Snowshoes. “With this new product team in place we’re excited about what retailers will see from Tubbs as we approach the brand’s 100th anniversary next year,” said Murphy.

Rounding out the new product development team at Tubbs is Joel Foster. Foster, who has held the position of Tubbs Plant Manager in its Stowe facility for 10 years, plays a key manufacturing role in facilitating Tubbs patented technologies and high quality manufacturing processes in China. Foster has been instrumental in transitioning Tubbs manufacturing to China, building training and testing programs to insure customer and dealer satisfaction.

Rounding out the Stowe-based brand team is Robin Racine, Tubbs marketing coordinator/webmaster for Tubbs four websites, Paul Adams, Tubbs events manager and Romp to Stomp Out Breast Cancer Series™ lead, and Bruce Barrows, Tubbs U.S. sales manager. To contact Tubbs Snowshoes, please call 802.253.7398 or email info@tubbssnowshoes.com