byLarry EderTom Carleo, one of the more colorful and creative members of the running footwear business has just been named General Manager for Running and Outdoor Business at New Balance Athletic Shoes, Inc. Carleo was most recently at Saucony and before that he spent many years at Nike, where he was very involved in the Bowerman line of running shoes, as well as the track and field line. Tom was one of the guys you would see at all of the major events, and his love of the sport, and sense of humor added color to an event.
Carleo is one of the people who loves the business and also the sport. A former BC athlete, Tom qualified for the 1988 Olympic Trials in the 1,500 meters. A quick wit and one that could liven any discussion on the sport and the business of running, Tom Carleo will be a strong addition to the New Balance team.
The new position was announced in a press release, which follows. What should be noted is that Joe Preston is back in the Footwear and Marketing world at NB, and his comments on “Product is the true hero at New Balance” is a good indication that the management at New Balance has noticed that they, like their competition, are battling for every pair of running footwear sold around the globe.
As running seems to be the only part of the footwear business doing well in this global economic nightmere, the competition is bolder than it has ever been. Making a good shoe does not cut it, being nice to the retailer is not enough. An integrated program where great product is enhanced by great marketing, grass roots advertising and strong relationships with the retailer is what is needed for 2009.
New Balance is putting together a strong team. We wish Tom Carleo well with this new endeavor.
NEW BALANCE STRENGTHENS PRODUCT MANAGEMENT TEAM
BOSTON, October 8, 2008 – Boston-based New Balance announces two key
additions to enhance its product management team. Tom Carleo has been
named General Manager for the Running and Outdoor Business Units and Mark
Cavanaugh will be Strategic Business Unit Manager for Sport & Outdoor.
“Product is the true hero of the New Balance brand and Tom and Mark’s
expertise and leadership will play a key role in helping us continue to
create the best footwear product in the industry.†says Joe Preston,
Executive Vice President, Global Footwear, Product & Marketing at New
Balance. “New Balance has achieved solid brand growth, particularly in
running, in recent years and this enhanced focus on delivering superior
product will enable us to increase our market share over the next five
years.â€
Tom Carleo has been named General Manager for the Running and Outdoor
business units. Carleo has more than twenty years of experience working in
the global footwear industry, including his most recent role as Senior Vice
President Product for Saucony. Prior to that, Carleo worked for Nike as
their Global Footwear Product Director, Cross Training, and as the
company’s Senior Global Product Line Manager for Running. He was also with
Nike Running and Track & Field in Japan and Oregon for more than six years.
A college track and field athlete who competed in the 1988 USA Olympic
Trials qualifier in the 1500 meters, Carleo earned his Bachelor of Art at
Boston College.
In addition, the company recently named Mark Cavanaugh as SBU Manager for
Sport & Outdoor. Cavanaugh was most recently at Nike, Inc. as that
company’s Global Director of Sports Marketing for Nike Bauer Hockey after
managing Nike’s cleated footwear business for more than 13 years. Cavanaugh
earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Northeastern University and
played football for the Huskies.
Both Carleo and Cavanaugh will report to Ray Hilvert, General Manager for
Footwear at New Balance.
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission:
Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes
are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud
to host. New Balance employs more than 4,000 people around the globe, and
in 2007 reported worldwide sales of $1.63 billion. For more information
please visit http://www.newbalance.com.
# # #
Runblogrun.com encourages you to check out the sites of Shooting Star Media, inc. (www.shootingstarmediainc.com): American Track & Field (www.american-trackandfield.com), Athletes Only (www.atf-athlete.com), California Track & Running News (www.caltrack.com), MIssouri Runner & Triathlete (www.morunandri.com), Latinos Corriendo(www.latinoscorriendo.com), Coaching
Athletics Quarterly (www.coachingathleticsq.com), and USATF Fast Forward (www.usatf.org). All of the above magazine websites can be found at RunningNetwork.com (www.runningnetwork.com).
