OBIT: Onitsuka Kihachiro
ASICS Corporation chairman Kihachiro Onitsuka died on Saturday, September 29 of heart failure in a hospital in Kobe, Japan. He was 89. Mr. Onitsuka was born on May 29, 1918, in Tottori Prefecture in western Japan. In 1949, he started Onitsuka Co. Ltd., t
ATTA Reports Membership Spike in Past Year…
The Adventure Travel Trade Association is seeing remarkable success in its third year since it relaunched. ATTA membership is on the rise, more than doubling in the trailing 12-month period to over 480. Additionally, in its third annual Adventure Travel W
Under Armour’s Plank Donates $75,000 to Univ. of Maryland
Under Armour founder and CEO Kevin Plank donated $75,000 to the University of Maryland, his alma mater, towards the new fund for the Smith School's Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship. Plank, a 1996 graduate of the Smith School, launched Baltimore-ba
Former Huffy Plant in Wisconsin to Close
Russell Corp. has notified Wisconsin state officials of its intention to close the former Huffy Sports Co. plant in Sussex, eliminating the last 50 jobs there by the end of March next year. Russell ended production of basketballs and backboards at the pla
Cabela’s to Open in Billings, Montana
Cabela's Incorporated announced plans to build a store in Billings, Mont. The store is anticipated to encompass 80,000 square feet as part of the Billings Town Square development to be located near the South Billings Boulevard exit off I-90. Construc
Glove It Names National Sales Manager
Glove It, LLC has added Brian Lohman as their national sales manager. Brian is an 18 year veteran of the golf, resort and specialty retail industry. Most recently, Brian was VP of sales for the Oxford Golf Group. In addition to his experience on the man
Ecco Named ‘Best New Supplier’ By NGBA
Renowned Danish shoemaker ECCO was named “Best New Supplier” of 2007 by the National Golf Buyers Association (NGBA) during the group's annual Order Writing Conference at The Woodlands, Texas…
Victorinox Swiss Army Opens U.S. Headquarters
The new North American corporate headquarters of Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc. officially opened Oct. 1 in Monroe, Conn. The facility, which has some 200 employees, is both the official North American headquarters and the official distribution center of Vic
LPGA Unveils New Logo/Online Shop
The LPGA released a new logo, an updated version of the “swinging lady” mark, its fourth different logo in the tour's 58-year history. It also opened an online store at www.LPGAproshop.com…
Orange 21 Responds to Thesis: No Plans to Sell
In response to the letter issued by Thesis Capital Management late last week, Orange 21 co-chairmen of the board, Mark Simo and John Pound, sent a pair of letters, one to Thesis and the other to the company's “friends and constituents” saying that t
GBMI Names Sales Directors for NOMASS, Kids
Global Brand Marketing Inc. has appointed Mike Balzer as director of sales for NOMASS, and Rob Burrus as director of sales for the GBMI Kids division. Both sales executives will each have a sales force for their respective divisions and will be reporting
Sierra Designs Names Director of Product Development
Sierra Designs named product design veteran Melodie Miller as director of product development and merchandising for Sierra Designs and Ultimate Direction. Miller brings nearly three decades of freelance and in-house design and development of technical and
Brooks Appoints Team Sales Manager
Brooks Sports, Inc. has hired Charlie Wilson as team sales manager. His major responsibilities include driving the team sales efforts, developing successful sales programs with individual team dealers, and working with the external sales force to provide
TJX Settles Lawsuits…
TJX Cos. has agreed to settle a series of class-action lawsuits stemming from a massive security breach of customer data in 2005 affecting at least 45 million credit and debit cards. The retailer estimates that the settlements will bring its total losses
Outdoor Brands Outline Growth Strategies at the Latest Investor Conferences…
At the recent Thomas Weisel Consumer Conference and the Piper Jaffray Consumer Conference in London, several outdoor brands offered their views of the global market today and the strategies they will use to grow going forward. In London, Deckers, Under Ar
