The president of Sorel resigns for health reasons

EXECUTIVE CHANGES: Outdoor conglomerate Columbia Sportswear Company has revealed that one of its top leaders brand was withdrawing for health reasons.

After 16 years with the company, Sorel Brand President Mark Nenow has stepped down “in order to focus on his health,” according to a statement released by Columbia on Friday afternoon.

Last year, it led Sorel to net sales of $347 million, said Columbia Sportswear President and CEO Officer Tim Boyle. "His leadership has been invaluable to this company, and we wish him the best."

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In an earnings call last year, Boyle enthused about how Sorel's sneaker styles and wedges" have contributed to phenomenal demand and brand warmth. As such, Columbia has revealed plans to invest more in product creation and demand with the goal of making of Sorel a billion-dollar brand. At that time, the company said it expected Sorel to be its fastest-growing brand, with an expected compound annual growth rate of 20% to 22% over the next three years was a key part of the Portland, Oregon-based sportswear company's goal to add more than $700 million in sales net by 2025.

Another internal executive, Craig Zanon, senior vice president of emerging brands, stepped in to take on Nenow's former responsibilities as the company seeks his successor.

Nenow joined the company in 2007 to lead its footwear division. In the years that followed, he worked to evolve the Sorel brand from a men's winter work boot specialist to a trendier women's brand all year round. Eight years later, he took the leadership role and focused on the functionality of Sorel's boots, sandals, sneakers and other styles.

With Nenow at the helm in 2015, the Sorel Capsule Apparel Collection — parkas and jackets for men and women - debuted. Many of the same features found on its shoe line, such as sturdy clasps and triple stitching, have been incorporated into the collection. More recently, the Sorel headquarters moved to a single-use building on Columbia Sportswear's main campus in Washington County, Oregon.