Chris Fuentes has been named president of Sugoi, the cycling and running apparel brand owned by Dorel Industries. He replaces Stan Mavis, who has left the company.
Fuentes has 30 years of experience in sales and marketing in the lifestyle apparel sector, working for companies like VF Corp. His most recent position at VF was VP, marketing for its Intimates Coalition, which was sold to Fruit of the Loom in late 2007. Previously, he was VP of marketing over the Nautica brand for VF.
Mavis was president of Sugoi since early 2006. Shortly after Pegasus Partners bought the Canadian apparel company from its founders, David Hollands and Carol Prantner. Mavis helped launch Pearl Izumi in the U.S.
“Stan was asked to leave,” said Rick Leckner, spokesman for Dorel Industries, in an interview. “He's a great guy but because of the plans that we have for ramping up Sugoi and ramping up apparel, we needed someone more qualified to take things to the next level.”
He said in the first year of the Cannondale acquisition, Dorel management “really had to kick the tires and shake things up in a sense to make sure we knew what all the pieces were.”
“We have very definitive plan to grow our Recreational/Leisure segment as much as our juvenile business,” said Leckner. “Dorel is a public company but the four main principles are very much entrepreneurial and we will looking at enhancing shareholder value, getting sales and profits up, and having some fun.”
Sugoi saw an 8% increase in sales in the first quarter of 2009, and 9% growth in the second quarter.
