Mountain Hardwear Inc., has appointed Ted Ganio to the new position of Director of Merchandising. Ganio will be responsible for the global strategic vision and management of all of the company’s product design and development. He joined Mountain Hardwear in the fall of 2004 and until now has managed the company’s expansive Outerwear and Snowear categories.

With over 20 years of experience in the outdoor industry, Ganio has held a variety of key positions relating to merchandising. Prior to Mountain Hardwear he was the vice president of operations at Adventure Medical Kits; the director of operations at Sierra Designs; and vice president of merchandising at Adventure 16 the Southern California outdoor specialty retailer. He holds BS in engineering from UC Berkeley, and is passionate about outdoor activities, including cycling, backpacking and kayaking. Ganio will report to Mike Wallenfels, president of the company. “It is with pleasure that I announce this new appointment. With his skill as a team leader and his diverse background in the industry, Ted is more than capable of maintaining Mountain Hardwear’s position as a leading supplier of technical outerwear and equipment,” said Wallenfels.

The new Merchandising Director position will cover a large part of what was overseen by the company’s vice president and co-founder, Paul Kramer. Kramer is retired as of May 12, 2006. He has been in the industry for over 30 years designing and developing high end outdoor products with the last 13 spent at Mountain Hardwear. Under his direction, the company has won six Backpacker Editors’ Choice awards and has obtained several patents. Kramer will continue to work with Mountain Hardwear on a contract basis developing new products with a special concentration on new construction techniques and other technology based projects. “We look forward to working with Paul in this new capacity and hope that he can spend more time on the tennis court and the slopes,” said Wallenfels.