Teva Hires Action-Sports Exec.
Teva, a division of Deckers Outdoor Corp., has action sports on the brain. The shoe brand tapped Toshi Corbet, the former Red Bull athletic manager, as its sports marketing manager and hired Sole Tech alum Mickel Tingley as its new business-development manager for “action outdoor.” The move comes less than a month after Deckers acquired Sanuk, the surf sandal brand.
Corbet and Tingley come on as Teva prepares to launch the Blue Line Collection, Teva’s new collection that “merges Teva’s water-performance expertise with innovative technologies.” The result is a range of mountain bike– and boardsport-inspired performance footwear such as the Links and Gnarkosi and, new for 2012, the Fuse-ion classic-style sneaker, Cherry Bomb 2 kayak bootie and Bomber Flip performance flip-flop, a release from the company said.
“The outdoor world is on a collision course with the action-sports world, and the result will be a blended action-outdoor market that thrives in urban environments as well the back country,” said Joel Heath, Teva’s senior global-marketing director, in the statement. “Mickel and Toshi will help us empower this movement and engage with the next generation of Teva enthusiasts.”
Corbet has been tasked with strengthening Teva’s team of sponsored athletes “as community mentors and brand ambassadors within the realms of freeride mountain biking, kayaking, boardsports, climbing and surfing,” the release said. Tingley, who, prior to joining Sole Tech, owned Giant Skateboard Distribution, will drive the creation and execution of go-to market strategies for Teva’s new action-outdoor initiatives, which currently include sponsorship of action-sports athletes, the Kokanee Crankworx freeride mountain-bike festival, Teva Mountain Games and, starting in 2012, the Winter Teva Mountain Games.
“Mickel’s experience in action sports and the footwear industry, both domestic and international, makes him a great addition to the Teva Tribe,” said Jake Brandman, Teva’s vice president of sales, in the statement. “He will be pivotal in Teva’s leap forward into the action-outdoor market.”
