New Era Cap reached outside of the headwear business recently to name Steve Gallo, most recently president of the recovery footwear brand Oofos, as general manager for North America. Working from the company’s Buffalo corporate headquarters, Gallo will lead all product, marketing and commercial business in New Era Cap’s largest region — the U.S. and Canadian markets.

With Gallo’s appointment, New Era Cap filled an important role in its new strategic vision under co-presidents Jim Grundtisch and Jim Patterson. The company outlined its plans in Fall 2022, focusing on three strategic pillars— – brand, e-commerce and apparel – each identified as growth drivers and customer expansion for New Era Cap.

“Throughout my career, I’ve always wanted to associate myself with brands that have high consumer advocacy and an enormous amount of growth potential. New Era Cap has both of those foundational elements,” says Gallo. “I was fully bought in after meeting with company leadership. Chris Koch, Jim Grundtisch, Jim Patterson, and the team are building something very special here, and I’m excited to oversee and help shape the success of its blueprint across North America.”

Oofos reported that during Gallo’s tenure at the company, he helped “increase revenue by significantly expanding the brand’s e-commerce capabilities, where direct-to-consumer website sales led the overall business.” His tenure also included inking “several wide-reaching partnerships with professional athletes and sports organizations, contributing to greater consumer brand awareness and advocacy.”

As a former general manager of the sports licensed division at Adidas Group, Gallo was accountable for all facets of licensed apparel, including product creation, marketing, supply chain, operations, and finance. The division reported it achieved record sales under his leadership.”