George Poulos Joins Prince as Global Category Director for Footwear Business
Former Nike and Adidas Executive Tapped to Implement Company’s Continued Growth
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Zach Perles
One Advantage Court
Bordentown,
609-291-5932
zperles@princesports.com
11/05/07 - Bordentown, NJ – In a move reflective of its recent success and plan for continued growth, Prince Sports, Inc. has hired former Nike and Adidas executive George Poulos as the company’s new Global Category Director in charge of footwear.
In his new role, Poulos will be responsible for refining and managing Prince’s implementation of the company’s global strategic plan for the category which encompasses US and international markets, a range of consumer targets from frequent players to leisure usage, as well as varied channels of distribution and price points.
“I am thrilled to join Prince, a brand that is held in high regard by other footwear companies, knowledgeable tennis players and retailers,” said Poulos. “Prince is an industry leader, a forward thinking company that has, in the last few years, brought some of the most innovative products to market. The company is poised for growth in the coming years and I am excited to help them achieve that. More importantly, I am completely focused on delivering players the best tennis footwear available.”
Poulos comes to Prince with seventeen years of proven, global experience in product and brand marketing, key account sales, and merchandising for footwear, apparel, and accessory product lines. He was an integral part of the management teams at Nike, Adidas, and Russell Athletics. While with Nike, Poulos spent ten years in sales as a territory representative before moving on to manage several key accounts. For over three years, he was Nike’s Product Line Manager for Men's, Women's and Kid’s tennis and also held the position of Category Sales Manager for both tennis footwear and apparel. While with Adidas, Poulos was a key account manager for apparel and was involved in the merchandising, marketing and line direction for their tennis collection.
An avid tennis player with a passion and knowledge for the game, Poulos played varsity tennis at the University of North Carolina where he completed his undergraduate studies before going on to get his M.P.A./M.B.A (Combined Masters in Public Affairs and Business) from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has also worked as a teaching professional, and as a Tennis Magazine playtester. Originally from central New Jersey, Poulos currently lives outside Atlanta with his wife and two sons but will be returning to the Garden State in coming months.
“George is the perfect person to lead and build a category where we've had some success and are looking to do more," said George Napier, CEO of Prince Sports, Inc. "He has the background and energy to help us solidify our position in the US and to expand our business internationally. We are delighted to have him join us.”
Currently Prince has three footwear models ranked in the top ten ranked by year-to-date dollar sales - two of which are part of the company's M Series line (MV4 and MC4) featuring the exclusive Precision Tube Technology. Prince footwear was voted #1 in overall company rating, according to the 2007 Early Season Dealer Report and was voted #1 in field sales reps, in-house customer service and product delivery according to the ES Dealer Report.
About Prince Sports
Prince Sports, Inc., based in New Jersey, is a recognized leader in game-improvement technologies and engineering-based, high-performance sports equipment. Since 1970, Prince and Ektelon have revolutionized tennis, squash and racquetball with innovations including “Oversize,” “Longbody” and “Extender” racquet technologies, Natural Foot Shape footwear technology, Synthetic Gut String and Electronic Ball Machines. In 2005 the Company introduced its O Tech platform building the brand with O3 Original (2005), O3 Hybrid (2006) and O3 Speedport (2007) racquets which give players speed, stability and a larger sweet spot. Since then, the Company has licensed, under the O Tech trademark, its award winning O Technology to leading brands in other sports as a product performance booster. In 2006, Prince introduced M Series footwear with Precision Tube Technology, an innovation that gives players maximum cushioning, stability and ventilation. In 2007, Prince introduced AeroTech apparel, an advanced technology based fabric system, engineered to fit your game. Prince Sports has operations on three continents and distribution in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.princesports.com.
