Five Outdoor and Design Industry Leaders Selected as Project OR Cycle Nine Judges
OutdoorHub 07.18.12
Representing decades of experience in all aspects of the design cycle, Outdoor Retailer named the five individuals who will mentor student competitors throughout and evaluate finished prototype designs created during Project OR Cycle 9. Project OR is the industry’s original 48-hour concept-to-prototype design competition, held during Outdoor Retailer Summer Market August 2-5, 2012.
The five Summer Market 2012 judges include:
- Annemarie Furey – Talent, energy and proprietor behind product and development firm, Product Think Tank LLC. Nearly two decades of creative experience with Turtle Fur, Burton Snowboards and Boston Traders. Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Apparel.
- Gregg Bagni – President of Alien Truth Communications, a Colorado-based strategic marketing and communications firm. Develops and executes award winning campaigns for brands in the cycling, outdoor and travel markets.
- Haysun Hahn – Twenty-year trending veteran and consultant at Fast Forward Trending. Specializes in design and color trends with a talent for social trend application. One of the most sought-after speakers in design.
- Jen Keesey – Footwear industry leader and brand ambassador at RYZ, a platform for budding and experienced creative talent, alike. Excels in product design, strategy, management, marketing and communications, and strategic partnerships for footwear brands and nonprofit organizations.
- Skip Yowell – Founder of JanSport and creator of the number one selling day pack in the world. Also credited with creating the first dome tent, waist-suspension flexible frame pack, travel pack and the panel-load daypack. OIA and Big City Mountaineer board member.
“Our panel of judges is truly an all-star lineup of industry veteran design personalities, and we are grateful to them for participating in Project OR. They have not only successfully navigated the notoriously competitive design and outdoor markets, but have each made a name for themselves through creativity and hard work,” said Kenji Haroutunian, vice president at Nielsen Expositions and OR show director. “Their mentoring and guidance during the competition will definitely enhance the students’ Project OR experience.”
Expanded biographies for each of the judges are available on the Summer Market Project OR web page.
Project OR is possible through support from the outdoor and textile industries. Hyperbola and Bemis are supporting sponsors of Project OR. Cycle 9 material sponsors include Brookwood Companies, Cordura, GE/eVent, Invista, Invista Cordura, JML Apparel, Polartec, Rogers Corporation, Schoeller and YKK.
Textile Insight is a media partner for Project OR.
Project OR is directed by Eric Steele of Steele Media and guided by academic liaison Kathlyn Swantko of Fabriclink and non-profit Textile Exchange.
For more information about Project OR sponsorship opportunities or becoming a Project OR supplier, please contact Marisa Nicholson at marisa.nicholson@nielsen.com or 949.226.5760.
Webisodes of past Project OR competitions can be found on www.outdoorretailer.com.
