WILLISTON, Vermont ??” Rossignol/Quiksilver has announced the hiring of Luke Edgar to oversee all sales and marketing responsibilities for Rossignol Snowboards. Edgar will also oversee all commercial activities for Mervin, which consists of the following brands: Lib Tech, Gnu, Bent Metal and Roxy. This new snowboard hard goods division will be located at the Mountain Center in Park City, Utah. Marketing and production of the Mervin brands will remain in the Pacific Northwest.

Edgar, who recently was a Division Director of OGIO International, comes to Rossignol with a wealth of knowledge and passion for the snowboard industry. Pete Saari, VP Marketing and co-founder of Mervin states, “Luke created the Festicle. What more do you need to say? He has a long history in snowboarding, is from the Northwest and understands our business and Mervin brands well. We spent many years competing against him in our backyard. It is going to be fun to have his global experience, creativity and endless energy and enthusiasm for snowboarding working with us. We can’t wait to get started.” Edgar, a passionate snowboarder who loves to earn his turns, has spent countless hours on snow with retail partners across the country. “I’m coming into a position where I will be surrounded by super talented and passionate people from Rossignol, Mervin and Quiksilver. From the top down, snow is more than a job for this group, it’s a way of life,” says Edgar. “We are creating a destination for retail and media partners to come see and use our new products as well as help us to develop future products. After living in Park City for the past year, I can’t wait to show off this place and the new Mountain Center. I had the most amazing summer biking, hiking and fly-fishing, and then it started to snow, and it just kept on snowing. This is going to be fun!”

Edgar will be responsible for positioning each snowboard brand in coordination with the company’s global strategy. This will include sales and distribution strategies, customer relations and organizational structure for all the brands, as well as marketing plans for Rossignol Snowboards. Furthermore, he will also participate in the development and execution of the strategic direction for the Outdoor Mountain Group located in Park City.

In 2005, Rossignol was acquired by global sports lifestyle brand Quiksilver, and became the foundation for the creation of the Quiksilver/Rossignol Outdoor Mountain Group. In order to drive integration and innovation, the decision was made to move the group to Park City and create a unique environment where everyone could live, eat and breathe the mountain sports lifestyle. Opening in June 2006, the Mountain Center will be a place where mountain board sports and the mountain lifestyle converge, and where the lines between work and play blur creatively. Here staff, designers, team riders and guests can collaborate, confer and relax.

“Luke’s personality and passion for the mountains fits in perfectly with the outdoor lifestyle culture that will exist at the Mountain Center,” says Francois Goulet, President of Rossignol Group North America.