MANUFACTURING
Athletic Wear Maker Prana Names New President
Prana has named a replacement for its longtime president, Scott Kerslake, who left last month to become the chief executive of Nixon watches.
Russ Hopcus has been appointed as the new president of the company, taking over the position on Oct. 1.
Previously, Hopcus served as senior vice president of North America sales for Columbia Sportswear Co., which acquired Prana three years ago for $190 million.
“As a 32-year veteran of the active apparel and footwear industry, Russ brings extensive leadership experience in brand and market development to Prana,” said Doug Morse, a senior vice president at Columbia Sportswear. “He will be relocating to join our Prana team in Carlsbad, Calif., and be responsible for managing the brand in all channels and continuing to strengthen the brand’s position as a leader in both performance and sustainability.”
Succeeding Hopcus at Columbia Sportswear will be Joe Craig, who was promoted to senior vice president, North America sales. Craig first started working at Columbia Sportswear, based in Portland, Ore., in 1995, representing the brand in nine states as an independent sales representative and as co-owner of CW Outdoors. He then joined Columbia Sportswear in 2009.
