Shred on Wednesday announced its new national sales team. The eyewear and protection brand for skiers, snowboarders and mountain bikers (whose name is stylized as SHRED.) has created a new sales force composed of experienced reps in all key regions of the United States.

“Our specialty retailers are essential to Shred’s success—and we aim to be essential to theirs,” said Ted Ligety, Shred co-founder, chairman and two-time Olympic champion. “And after our relaunch last winter and the addition of our new sales team, we’re better equipped than ever to create strong and lasting partnerships with our retailers. Our sales force is passionate and driven—they’re experts committed to meeting our retailers’ needs, supporting sell-through, and ensuring we’re all growing through a true partnership.”

Carlo Salmini, Shred co-founder and CEO, said the addition of this sales force is a crucial milestone in the brand’s evolution.

“We’ve spent the past two years developing a wealth of innovative products and breakthrough technologies that further our position as a premium brand,” he said. “We completely reimagined Shred by strengthening our identity, refining how we connect with our customers, and amplifying the support and profit margins we provide our retailers. And we’re arming them with a special product assortment that offers unrivaled performance and a unique story. Shred’s goal is to be a market leader in the ski, snowboard, and bike industries—and the addition of our new sales force allows Shred to fire on all cylinders and charge harder than ever.”

“We’re making a concerted effort to talk clearly about our products and technology while placing an emphasis on making Shred inclusive and accessible,” Salmini added. “This shapes everything from how we train our reps to our social media and marketing initiatives to the new point-of-purchase resources we’ve developed with our specialty retailers for improved consumer outreach.”

According to Salmini, key product developments include the launch of a new flagship helmet, the Notion. This premium helmet will hit the shelves of specialty retailers in the fall of 2020 and feature Shred’s exclusive Smart Impact Protection System to combat rotational and linear forces.

This advanced technology can be found in additional helmets in both the brand’s snow and mountain bike collections. Through its collaborative research with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MIT Sports Lab, Shred is also continuing to refine its proprietary Contrast Boosting Lens technology, which is used to maximize contrast and image definition in its goggle lenses. Salmini said, “Our Contrast Boosting Lens technology is unlike anything on the market. It’s unmatched in its ability to help you read the terrain and see details on the snow in all conditions—and it especially excels in flat light.”

Ligety emphasizes that with these recent developments, the brand is better positioned to support its retailers. “Shred’s innovative product technology truly offers something different and better,” Ligety said. “We’re a small, independent, privately-owned company that swings above its weight class—and we have a compelling story and premium products that we feel are the best in the world. And thanks to our experienced and dedicated sales force, we’re confident we can keep going full-throttle to help our specialty retailers thrive well into the future.”

Shred’s new sales force includes:

  • Ben Manning will be serving as Shred’s Territory Manager for the Northeast.
  • Zach Littlepage and his associate Marin Kammer will serve retailers in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming as independent agents.
  • Kennon (Ken) Smith will serve retailers in the Southeast as an independent agent.
  • Eric Krantz will serve retailers in the Western Great Lakes region as an independent agent.
  • Janie Fausold will serve retailers in California and Nevada as an independent agent.
  • The Redstone Group with Nate Pickens, Shaun Olcott, Darren Stone, Kendall Dewey, and Marshall Knapp will serve retailers in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and Montana as an independent agency.
  • Dan Gump and Rick Foster will serve retailers in New Mexico and Arizona as independent agents.
  • Shred is currently finalizing the team to cover the Eastern Great Lakes Territory.