Mountain Hardwear has again promoted from within for a key leadership position.
The Richmond, California-based outdoor brand—a subsidiary of Columbia Sportswear Co. since 2003—on Thursday announced it has appointed outdoor industry veteran Troy Sicotte as president.
Sicotte served as the brand’s vice president of sales for the past three years. He takes over from Joe Vernachio, who in June was named COO at footwear brand Allbirds after about four years as Mountain Hardwear president.
For the last four months, Sicotte was interim co-president of Mountain Hardwear along with Mike Parker, the brand’s director of finance. Sicotte will now oversee all aspects of the organization in his new role.
“Troy is a modern, pioneering, and energetic leader with diversified experiences that will serve Mountain Hardwear well,” said Craig Zanon, senior vice president, emerging brands, Columbia Sportswear. “We are happy and proud that Troy’s internal promotion facilitates a smooth transition for the team and business.”
Before joining Mountain Hardwear in 2018, Sicotte was global director of sales at 034Motorsport. He also spent more than 11 years with The North Face in various leadership roles, most recently as director of sales, footwear, and director of sales, national outdoor and sporting goods. His resume also includes a stop at Birkenstock.
“My last three years with Mountain Hardwear have been the best of my career because of the hardworking and passionate people that have made this resurgence possible,” Sicotte said. “I’m honored to help lead the brand’s continued global growth alongside the amazing teams in Richmond, Portland, and abroad. Our focus will remain on innovative mountain sport products and thoughtful distribution that will optimally serve consumers and our retail partners across the globe.”
It’s the second executive appointment—and second internal promotion—in five months for the iconic outdoor apparel and gear brand.
In April, Mountain Hardwear elevated Matt Burbach to director of marketing from his previous role as the brand’s director of marketing content and creative. Burbach is responsible for “connecting all brand marketing efforts across direct-to-consumer e-commerce, wholesale, and distributor channels, both domestically and globally,” the brand said.
We met Burbach in Park City, Utah, where he told us that the brand had hired an executive search firm to replace Vernachio. Burbach says Vernachio’s shoes will be hard to fill because “Joe left the brand in the best place it’s been in a long time.”
In the second quarter, Mountain Hardwear sales improved 97 percent to $19.3 million, according to Columbia’s latest earnings report.
“We eclipsed pre-pandemic first-half 2019 financial results, marking an important milestone in our recovery,” said Tim Boyle, Columbia’s chairman, president, and CEO. “It is clear that our brand portfolio is resonating with consumers, and we are well-positioned to benefit from current consumer and outdoor trends.”