Colin Lantz, former president of La Sportiva North America, has been appointed by Brandforce to the new position of vice president for North America. Based in Boulder, Colorado, he will support the existing brand partners of HeiQ and handle the development of new business in the western half of the U.S. and Canada. He will report to Timothy Skedzuhn, president of Brandforce, who will continue to support existing key accounts in the U.S. Various American brands including The North Face and Timberland have adopted the fluorocarbon-free Durable Water Repellence (DWR) technology developed by HeiQ, a Swiss textile technology company, which has also established a new subsidiary and a manufacturing facility in Australia.