New Era appoints new North America general manager

New Era Cap LLC announced the appointment of Steve Gallo to the role of North America general manager, effective September 2023.

In the new role, Gallo will lead the headwear company’s product, marketing and commercial efforts in the United States and Canada. He is based at the company’s Delaware Avenue headquarters, reporting to New Era co-presidents, ​Jim Grundtisch and Jim Patterson.

Gallo joins New Era from recovery footwear brand Oofos, where he served as president. Prior to that, he served as general manager of the sports licensed division at Adidas Group, and spent time as senior marketing director at Reebok.
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“We are thrilled to add a leader of Steve Gallo’s caliber to our ranks. His arrival as general manager for North America speaks to New Era Cap’s renewed commitment to attracting top-tier talent,” said Grundtisch.

“We concentrate on our people—from customers to employees to partners—because they are the heart of our brand. It was clear from our first conversation that Steve not only has the expertise and acumen for the job, but he also gets what makes New Era Cap so special and iconic.”

The news comes on the back of rumours in September that the sportswear manufacturer has kicked off preparations for an initial public offering (IPO) in New York that could value it at $4 billion to $5 billion, according to sources. The IPO could take place as early as 2024, according to a Reuters report.

​​New Era makes caps affiliated with the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Basketball Association (NBA).

The company is controlled by its founding family and in which private equity firm ACON Investments holds a significant minority stake. MLB, the NFL and the NBA also hold minority stakes in New Era.