Scarpa North America, maker of footwear for the full range of mountain sports, has named Melanie Hood as the company’s marketing manager. Hood brings a wide range of experience in both marketing and sales to the role, along with a broad perspective from working both inside and outside of the outdoor marketplace.
Hood will lead the marketing team at Boulder, CO-based Scarpa North America, the wholly owned distributor for the 80-year-old Scarpa brand, headquartered in Asolo, Italy. She will direct all aspects of North American marketing strategy and communications, including web, advertising, marketing collateral, public relations, social media, athlete relationships, sponsorships and events.
Most recently, Hood worked for six years as the marketing and development director at the National Ski Patrol, a partner with the Scarpa brand. There she set strategic marketing direction and oversaw all marketing and communications programs, including social media and a resort-based influencer effort. Her role also included overseeing National Ski Patrol Magazine.
Before that she worked for seven years for the American Heart Association as youth market director in the Denver area, where her role encompassed partnering with businesses, schools and government entities, fundraising and overseeing marketing activities to get the public engaged behind the organization’s mission.
Hood also brings a retail perspective to her role. She held two positions in sales at Nautica and Saks 5th Avenue for four years. In the latter, she was a buyer for 60-plus stores, through which she gained an in-depth perspective around the consumer-purchasing journey, building a brand-to-customer relationship and how world-class service and quality help drive sales.
She also has a degree in business management.
“I love companies with a history and ones that have proven the test of time, and Scarpa has clearly done that. I’m really proud to join a brand that has such a strong heritage and such great products. It’s a bonus that it’s in an industry I love,” Hood said. “I’m excited to dive in and help people understand not just the products, but more about who the Scarpa brand is.”
Hood was born and raised in the Front Range, and has been a skier since she was three. Her family is a group of avid outdoorspeople—they enjoy hiking, skiing, climbing, biking and camping—and she is also a volunteer ski patroller at Winter Park.
“We’re very excited to have Melanie join our team,” said Kim Miller, CEO of Scarpa North America. “Part of what made her such a great fit is that she brings a really broad set of experiences, and that gives her a well-rounded view into all aspects of the activities we do here at Scarpa North America and the people we are working to reach through our marketing and communication initiatives.”
