The National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) filled an open spot on its Board of Directors with the recent appointment of Cole Johnson of Johnson-Lambe Sporting Goods in Raleigh, NC. Johnson’s three-year term took effect June 1.

Johnson has filled a variety of roles in his nine years at Johnson-Lambe, which is in its fourth generation as a family-owned and operated business since it opened in 1935.

“Cole is going to be a great addition to the NSGA Board and will bring a unique perspective as one of the young leaders in our industry,” says Matt Carlson, NSGA president and CEO. “Cole combines a lot of enthusiasm with a strong background in order to embrace the changes and challenges to help our members and everyone involved in our industry.”

Johnson started in retail for one year and transitioned to focus on youth team sales for a year. Since then, he has taken on operations management and high school/collegiate sales while continuing to handle youth sales. He has also played roles in purchasing, IT work, human resources and vendor relations. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Appalachian State University in 2014.

“Sports and sporting goods have always been a major part of my life,” Johnson comments. “Being in a family business, I’ve been putting together trophies and football helmets as far back as I can remember. I’ve had the privilege to grow up around some of the best men and women in this industry and the knowledge I’ve gained from them has been a guiding light through these last few difficult years.

“We are facing a rapidly changing business landscape that has created many new challenges, but also new opportunities. I look forward to working with the NSGA Board to explore these new opportunities and to help our industry grow.”

Kevin Bezanson (Cleve’s Source For Sports/Halifax, Nova Scotia), Bob Fawley (Capitol Varsity Sports/ Oxford, Ohio), Gordon Geiger (Geiger’s/Lakewood, Ohio) and Ron Rugal (B&R Sporting Goods/Shelby Charter Township, Michigan) were also recently reappointed to three-year terms on the NSGA Board.