An apparel supplier at the forefront of sustainability efforts in the promotional products industry has made a couple key leadership moves.

Storm Creek (asi/89879) has named Derek Walters, formerly the firm’s director of brand experience, to the position of national sales manager. Maureen Olson, new to the Eagan, MN-headquartered company, will replace Walters in his former role under the title director of marketing.

“It’s a transition that’s been in the works for a few months,” Walters told ASI Media.

Derek Walters and Maureen Olson of Storm Creek

Going forward, Olson will be responsible for what Storm Creek described as executing the company’s brand vision to drive growth across all business channels. Olson has about two decades of experience that includes digital marketing, e-commerce, data and overall marketing strategy.

Holding a digital media and marketing certificate from Duke University, Olson graduated with a degree in English literature from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.

She spent about 14 years in the lighting industry. Her positions included vice president of channel management/national e-commerce sales manager at Varaluz Lighting. At Kichler Lighting, Olson was strategic account manager of e-commerce, a role in which she directed strategy and acted as sole national account manager for the e-commerce channel.

Most recently, Olson led digital strategy and design teams at Irish Titan, a Minneapolis area e-commerce and digital strategy company.

Walters joined Storm Creek in June 2017 as marketing communications manager. He rose to director of brand experience in January 2019 and then national sales manager in March 2022. Prior to joining Storm Creek, he worked for nearly 20 years in media and communications.

Past roles include being a television news reporter, bureau chief and anchorman in North Dakota, as well as serving as senior marketing communications officer for the Energy & Environmental Research Center, a research, development, demonstration and commercialization facility for energy and environment technologies development in Grand Forks, ND.

A certified woman-owned business, Storm Creek provides outdoor-inspired apparel and outerwear to retailers and promo products distributors throughout the U.S. As of autumn 2021, the company’s entire product line contains recycled materials and sustainable components. To date, Storm Creek says its products have saved more than 7.5 million plastic bottles from landfills and oceans.

Many of Storm Creek’s mills are Bluesign or Oeko-Tex certified for sustainable practices, water conservation and environmentally safe chemicals, the company says. All of the factories Storm Creek uses are certified by the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production and Business Social Compliance Initiative programs.