Under Armour: Kip Fulks To Become COO

Under Armour is a little new when it comes to creating and selling sneakers when compared to the likes of Nike or adidas but they have grown very quickly in the past five years. Going from strictly athletic apparel and casual apparel to the addition of footwear is not a simple task for any company. Coming up with designs for sneakers and new technology is no easy game. Wayne Marino, who has been serving as UA’s chief operating officer in March 2008, has decided to retire. Pushing four years as the company’s COO, he will be replaced by Kip Fulks, executive vice president of products.

What does this mean for fellow sneaker addicts? That’s the question as of now. Becoming the COO, Fulks will now oversee the company’s sourcing and information technologies and add onto his previous workload of managing the company’s apparel, footwear and accessories products. In shorter terms, he will help the company grow even further as a supply chain which leads to improvements among apparel, athletic gear and of course, sneakers.

Just last fall, UA introduced their first basketball shoe. Four years prior to that, UA introduced their first shoe in general. UA has been evolving rapidly and a change in management could mean a change in technology and selection of products. Marino brought the company over the $1 billion mark as a whole during his eight year tenure and Fulks will look to continue that.

It may not have a big impact now or maybe even a few months from now, but changes in UA’s management could lead to bigger and better things. It’s going to be interesting to see how UA continues to build on their sneaker products to deliver their highest quality athletic shoes along with future signature models. Looking past the promotion of Fulks, a lot has changed with UA. Sure, Brandon Jennings technically has a signature shoe, looking at all the athletes that have endorsements with UA shows a bright future.

Will we ever see a Kemba Walker, Derrick Williams, or better yet, a Tom Brady signature shoe? Only time will tell. One thing is for sure, we can expect to see more from Under Armour’s footwear selection in the future.

Source: SOS