DENVER, CO (BRAIN)—Denver-based Boa Technology has restructured its team, while adding several new employees.
“These moves position us well to better serve our growing partner base while also ensuring that we maintain close collaboration with our current partners, continue to innovate product, and work to raise the profile of Boa worldwide,” said Boa president Mark Soderberg.
The recent changes include a wide range of hires, departmental shifts and promotions.
Eight-year Boa veteran Jimmy Capra will head up the new Medical Business Unit. Said Boa CEO Gary Hammerslag, “Jimmy has worn many hats at Boa, from sales to product development to marketing; he is uniquely and perfectly qualified to maximize the exciting avenues for our product in the Medical Category.”
In response to Capra’s promotion, Ilya Minkin—the former global category manager in the sales department—will assume Capra’s previous position as product manager. “Ilya possesses a deep understanding of our product and a personable collaborative approach that make him ideal for this spot,” Hammerslag said.
The sales department, overseen by recent hire vice president of sales and marketing Chuck Mason, has also welcomed several new team members. Most recently, Vin Connolly re-joined the company as global category manager. The move represents a homecoming for Connolly, who spent the past two years at Burton Snowboards. In addition, both Karl Wurm and Eric Weis will join Boa as development support specialists. Wurm comes from One Track Mind, a snowboard shop in Beaver Creek, Colorado, and adds 20 years of snowboard expertise to an already seasoned team. Eric Weis comes to Boa after working for four years at Recreational Equipment Incorporated, where he was a sales and product expert. At the same time, Kim Polak and Jeff “Woody” Woodard have moved from development coordinator positions to become regional account managers.
In the marketing department, Garett Graubins has been promoted to marketing director. Before joining Boa in 2008, Graubins worked at The North Face, Trail Runner Magazine, and Denver-based marketing firm The Integer Group. Coming from product development, Andi Vlegos has shifted to marketing coordinator. “We’re lucky to have Andi,” Graubins said. “As we grow, it is vital to both Boa and our partners that we raise awareness of Boa’s features and benefits. Andi will play an important role in helping us to achieve this crucial goal.”
The operations department has also grown with the addition of two new employees. Recently, Ashley Griffith joined Boa as development support coordinator. “Ashley brings exactly the combination of passion for detail and creative problem solving that we seek out,” said operations director Lonnie Thomsen. Boa has also welcomed Dieter Tantius as factory account coordinator. Previously, Tantius was forecast planner at Louisville, Colorado-based Pearl Izumi.
The finance department recently welcomed Kathleen Coleson. Coleson joins Boa from a payroll-processing company. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management with a minor in Finance from Oklahoma State University.
Product Development added two new Boa employees in 2011: Daniel McGlynn and Andrea Kilness. McGlynn comes from Club Workshop—a community workspace for personal projects—where he honed his skills and taught classes. He has a B.F.A. in Electronic Media Arts Design from the University of Denver. Kilness brings a hard charging, entrepreneurial spirit to the team; she previously had her own plush toy company, Planet Ogie. She holds a B.F.A. in Graphic Design and Interactive Media from Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, as well as an Associates Degree in Photography from Colorado Mountain College.
Moving out of Product Development, Boa’s Kris Lovett has taken on a role as technical concept specialist in the product design department. Lovett studied Industrial Design at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Product Design director Brett Vladika said, “After two years of honing his craft through hands-on product integration at Boa, Kris’s creativity, hard work and innate aesthetic sensitivity created a natural pathway into the world of design.”
In response to the growing headcount, the information technology department welcomed Ryan Scott. Scott joins Boa from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. He also brings past experience at Cisco Systems and various IT and software companies.
