Vermont Organic Recruits Kiniry

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 1/26/2009 12:00:00 AM

Middlebury, Vt. —

Organic wool home textiles manufacturer Vermont Organic Fiber Company has named outdoor industry entrepreneur Edward Kiniry ceo.

Matthew Mole will continue as VTOF founder and president, responsible for materials sourcing and developing new products.

Kiniry will be responsible for driving sales of the company's O-Wool brand of fabrics, blankets and other products made with wool grown and certified to USDA organic standards. He was formerly president of Winterquest, LLC, the parent company of Tubbs and Atlas snowshoes, selling the company to K2 Inc. in 2003. Kiniry was also a board member of the Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, appointed by the governor in 2007. He previously worked in operations at Wilson Sporting Goods.

O-Wool yarns and fabrics are made from certified organic Merino wool spun, knit, woven, and finished at facilities in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina. Woolen spinning in the United States is certified to new GOTS standards, as is worsted spinning carried out with partner mills in China, the company said.