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SCARPA brand includes ski, hiking, mountaineering boots
BOULDER - It s all about location. Realizing that, the family that's owned a well-known Italian brand of mountain footwear products for 50 years decided it was time to open a branch in North America.
"The Parisotto family hand-picked all of us because we all have extensive backgrounds in the outdoor industry in sales and operations," said Jonathan Degenhardt, SCARPA North America customer service manager.
In the early '50s, the Parisotto family purchased the SCARPA brand, which had been producing handmade mountain footwear since the '30s. In July 2005, the family established the North American branch in Boulder.
SCARPA, which stands for Societ Calzaturiera Asolana Riunita Pedemontana Anonima (Associated Shoe Manufacturing Company of the Asolo Mountain Area), has its headquarters in Italy.
With six employees, the Boulder office focuses on coordinating sales and shipping logistics for North America. The office doesn't sell products from its site. They're shipped from warehouses in Denver and in Kamloops, Canada. Shipment began in January.
"Canadians appreciate being recognized as their own country, and we respect and try to serve that," said Kim Miller, SCARPA North America chief executive. "A lot of people in the states don't do this, but it makes it easier for the customer, and our No. 1 priority is being a sales and marketing extension of SCARPA Italy."
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