An American outdoor industry veteran, Bill Sinoff, has been named general manager of Evolv climbing shoes. The Los Angeles-based company, founded in 2003 by Brian Chung, was acquired by the Italian Oberalp Group last summer.
The Oberalp Group, which also owns Salewa, Dynafit, Pomoca and Wild Country, bought the American climbing shoe brand from BRS Outdoor Holdings, an investment platform of BRS & Co., for an undisclosed amount. At the time of the acquisition, Oberalp stated that Evolv would remain an independent brand, but that synergies with Wild Country would be used, for example, in the areas of quality and sustainability.
Bill Sinoff has 20 years of experience in the outdoor business and started his career in 1999 as a sales rep for Patagonia. Over the years, he gathered valuable and broad expertise in business development, sales, and general management in both private and publicly held companies, including Black Diamond and Ex Officio. Before joining Evolv, Sinoff served five years as general manager and, in the process, as managing partner at Bigtruck, a U.S. headwear and accessory brand. He successfully prepared and led Bigtruck to a capital increase, established a board of directors, and created a full complement of organizational governance.
Evolv’s founder, Brian Chung, will continue to play a crucial role in the company’s product and brand management. Sinoff’s responsibilities include brand management, North American and international sales and marketing, including the company’s shoe resoling and retail businesses, and the supervision of product design and development, supply chain management and production. Sinoff will also manage the Evolv team and have administrative oversight of the Los Angeles office while sharing resources with Oberalp North America’s Boulder office for administrative functions as well as customer service and warehousing. He will additionally have global responsibility for defining and implementing strategies to expand the Evolv brand and business, which will also have an impact on the scope and scale of Oberalp’s North American and international business. Working from Evolv’s office in Los Angeles, he will lead a team of nine employees, including Brian Chung. He reports directly to Oberalp’s chief executive, Christoph Engl, in Bolzano, Italy
