Outdoor Research's Maurice Brenninkmeijer who has served as Sales Manager – Canada for OR, has been named the new Director of Sales – Europe.

“Maurice has done a tremendous job assembling a team and achieving unbelievable sales results across Canada,” said Alex Kutches, VP of Sales and Marketing. “We’re looking forward to unleashing his talents and skills in the European market.”

For the past year, Outdoor Research has invested significant time and energy gathering market data that will allow the company to enter Europe in an effective and committed way.

“The European distributor model has changed greatly over the past five to eight years and we wanted to be sure we had all the right parts in place to expand successfully and make an immediately impact,” said Kutches.

The European market is the largest outdoor marketplace in the world. Until now Outdoor Research has used a third-party distribution model to maintain its presence on the European continent.

“We recognize that the European market is vital to our growth – particularly the central European market,” said Brenninkmeijer. “Having someone on the ground to help grow the business will be a huge advantage for Outdoor Research in the next phase of our growth.”

“Maurice has a deep understanding of the brand DNA as well as the inner workings of the organization. This combination makes him the perfect person to assemble a team that will truly penetrate the core European markets,” commented Kutches.

Brenninkmeijer has been with Outdoor Research since 1995 and has been heading up the Canadian market as Sales Manager since 2005. Brenninkmeijer is a Swiss born Dutch citizen.

“Obviously Maurice’s language skill, which include German, Dutch, French and English, will make a huge difference in credibility in the eyes of the marketplace,” said Kutches.

“I look forward to the move in the second quarter of 2010 and am excited to begin the task ahead,” said Brenninkmeijer.