Outdoor Research Invests With Sales Team Hires, New Technology Platform To Support Wholesale

Outdoor Research, the Seattle-based manufacturer of industry leading outdoor apparel and gear, hired Andy Burke as Head of Commercial Sales. Burke comes to his new post from Prana, where he worked for more than six years as its national sales manager.

In addition, Outdoor Research hired Dan Petersen as Senior Manager of Corporate Sales. Peterson joins Outdoor Research after more than 20 years at Marmot and Patagonia, working in corporate and group sales at Marmot and in retail planning at Patagonia.

At Outdoor Research, Burke will focus on maintaining and strengthening tight partnerships with the brand’s network of specialty retailers and on creating a strong brand experience for retailers and consumers. He will oversee the in-house sales team and the OR network of independent sales agencies.

“The thing that attracted me to Outdoor Research was its authenticity as well as its dedication to delivering super high-quality products,” Burke said. “I’ve long been impressed by the level of product innovation at OR season after season. My goal will be to continue to help elevate recognition of what’s special about the brand working in concert with our dealers.”

The addition of Burke and Petersen also coincides with implementation of Elastic, a comprehensive wholesale ecommerce technology designed to streamline and improve the product procurement experience for Outdoor Research retailers. The system not only makes it simpler to merchandise products for retailers, it also integrates with the inventory management system at Outdoor Research.

Prior to Outdoor Research, Burke worked at Prana for a decade, where he held roles as customer experience manager and in sales operations before taking his post as national sales manager. He also brings perspective from specialty retail to his new post. Burke worked as a buyer, store manager and retail associate at Nomad Ventures, an independent retailer in southern California, and at REI. In his free time, Burke is an avid climber, surfer, snowboarder and cyclist, and worked many years prior as a climbing gym manager and route setter.

Petersen worked at Marmot for 11 years, most recent as Senior Sales Manager for Corporate, Group, Uniform and Partnership. He also held positions in strategic planning and as a retail distribution analyst. Petersen also was at Patagonia for 11 years, where he worked in retail management, overseeing distribution strategy for Patagonia retail stores.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Andy and Dan to the Outdoor Research team,” said Michelle Wardian, President of Outdoor Research. “Both of them bring a perfect mix of understanding of our brand, perspective from many different facets of the outdoor industry, and a personal passion for what we do at Outdoor Research.”