Vrignaud leaving Burton after 22 years

Longtime Burton sales rep Laurent Vrignaud is leaving Burton after a long run, Burton announced this morning.

Laurent represented Burton for 22 years, and was responsible for sales in the key territory of California, in addition to Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii.

Laurent, an early investor in watch company Nixon, is an avid marathon runner. He said he will be resting, recharging, chasing his daughter and also thinking about what he will do next.

"Bottom line, I will never retire," he said.

Burton also announced Laurent's former territory will now be divided up.

Ryan Queen, formerly the principal rep in Utah, will be in charge of Southern California, Arizona, Las Vegas and Hawaii.

Brad Fisher, who currently works with Laurent in Southern California, will take over Northern California and Northern Nevada.

Below is the official release:

Burton Snowboards Revamps its California Sales Organization

BURLINGTON, VT (May 25, 2011) Burton Snowboards today announced several key changes to its independent sales organization in California, including the departure of the region’s principal sales representative Laurent Vrignaud. After 22 years of representing Burton, Laurent will move on to pursue new opportunities as of June 1st.

“Laurent has been a part of the Burton family for so long, and we all thank him for dedicating over two decades of his career to growing the brand and the sport,” said Jake Burton, Founder and CEO of Burton Snowboards. “Everyone here wishes him the best on his next chapter, and we look forward to a new era with our valued dealers in the territory.”

Following Laurent’s departure, Burton will divide the region into two distinct sales territories. The principal sales representative for Burton in Southern California, Arizona, Las Vegas and Hawaii will now be Ryan Queen, who previously charged it as Burton’s principal rep in Utah. Brad Fisher, who currently works with Laurent Vrignaud in Southern California, will now serve as Burton’s principal sales rep for Northern California and Northern Nevada.

“Providing the best possible service for our specialty retailers is a major priority for all of us at Burton,” said Jake. “Since California is such a critical and influential market, it makes sense to split the region into two sales territories so our reps can deliver the personal service that our dealers deserve. It’s been an incredible ride with Laurent, and he’s leaving us with a very solid foundation for Ryan and Brad to build on.”

About Burton

In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn. Since then, Burton has fueled the growth of snowboarding worldwide through its groundbreaking product lines, its team of top snowboarders and its grassroots efforts to get the sport accepted at resorts. In 1996, Burton began growing its family of brands to include boardsports and apparel brands. Privately held and owned by Jake, Burton’s headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with offices in California, Austria, Japan and Australia.