Karl Salz has been named president and chief operating officer of Retail Concepts, Inc. The appointment follows another solid year of growth, with Sun & Ski Sports opening a new store in the La Plaza Mall in McAllen, Texas, adding to a growing Colorado mountain presence by being the exclusive retailer at the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Expo, and expanding its online inventory to push the retail boundaries of e-commerce offerings.
Under the leadership of CO-CEOs Frank Stanley and Steve Rath, Salz will continue to oversee the store operations, omnichannel, and marketing teams. In this newly expanded role, the merchandising team will report to Salz as well.
“Sun & Ski Sports understands that life is a wondrous adventure,” said Stanley. “As our new president, Karl is an embodiment of that message.”
Part of the Sun & Ski Sports family for almost 14 years, Salz moved from senior vice president of store operations into his role as COO in 2016. Before joining Sun & Ski Sports, he worked with The Sports Authority as a regional director. Prior to that, Salz was with Galyan’s Trading Company for 12 years, starting as a sales associate and moving his way up that organization to store manager and later vice president, territory director of stores.
“In searching for a President, we asked ourselves if we want proven insider experience, out-of-the-box thinking, or familiarity with the entire industry,” said Rath. “Karl checks every one of those boxes.”
