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Design Director

As an experienced industrial and softgoods designer, I bring cut and sew projects from inception all the way through development and commercialization. As a creative leader, I lead teams of designers and prototype facilities to build world class product- facilitating award winning design while hitting aggressive timeline and margin targets. 

Specialties: Softgoods, Cut and Sew, Outdoor Gear, Sporting Goods, Product Design, Product Development, Luggage, Injection Molding, Softgoods, Carry, Design Leadership, Project Management. 

See more of my portfolio at www.blackthreadcreative.com


-	Creative Direction: consistently leading product teams to award winning product. Institutionalizing product and brand direction to keep consistency among multinational teams of designers, developers and engineers 
-	Inspiring and coaxing great work out of design staff! 
-	Fostering leadership in team members- creating opportunities for employees and mitigating personnel risk for the company. 
-	Management of people, process, and department- Including annual budgets and project load.
-	Problem Research to understand consumer journeys, product shortcomings and c... See more



-Lead the creative direction, design and early development of Thule’s initiative into the technical outdoor backpack market.
-Lead the creative direction, design and early development of Thule’s renewed initiative into the luggage and travel market.
-As lead designer for technical packs, Managed and worked with external engineering and design resources to bring blue sky ideas to fruition at profitable margins.
-As a designer, I worked closely with Thule’s global group of athletes, engineers, product managers and developers to bring function driven designs to market.
-Facilitated strategic brainstorming sessions for overall product strategy, both in office and with sponsored athletes (Thule Team)
-Pitch products to sales teams, traveled on sales calls to important vendors to 1. Help answer complex product questions and 2. Hear feedback to bring back to the design teams. 
-Instrumental in instituting sewing and quality standards needed for technical outdoor product.
-Frequent travel to vendors to develop and bring design concepts into mass production

Lead Technical Pack Designer

-Work closely with Product Line Manager to create product briefs including design objectives, competitor research, and market
segment analysis, for final approval by the director of R&D.
-Accountable to a bi-annual product plan that meets defined design objectives and margins/pricepoints while maintaining a level of
innovation and aesthetic that leads the technical outdoor market.
-Maintain a high-functioning prototype lab and team; ensures the junior design staff actively engage in 3-dimensional prototyping for
proving concepts and form development (2-direct reports).
-Responsible for keeping up to date on global and local market and consumer trends.
-Frequent travel overseas to finalize product and costing.
-Additional responsibilities include design/development staff training and mentoring, product “fit” guidelines and standardization,
and helping to foster and maintain a high-level of creativity among design staff.

Product Designer III

Find out detailed information about Mark Thibadeau, Design Director in Longmont, CO

Mark Thibadeau: Design Director in Longmont, CO

Mark Thibadeau

Thule Inc

Thule Inc

Gregory Mountain Products

Georgia Institute of Technology