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Management & Sales Team

Kent Larson, CEO/President

A native of Minnesota, Kent was born and raised in Austin, Rochester and Blue Earth. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Kent remains a huge Golden Gopher supporter and booster! Kent founded Minnesota Athletic Apparel in 1991 after spending a number of years working in the retail sporting goods industry. Kent and his wife Leah live in Minneapolis with their 4 very active sons! The 6 of them spend a lot of time running to, and playing, various sports!

Steve Gnoza, VP/Sales

Steve grew up on Hibbing's Iron Range hunting, fishing and exploring the great north woods. A graduate of St. Cloud State, Steve now resides in Edina and enjoys traveling, in-line racing, riding motorcycles and snowmobiles and being in the outdoors. His time is also dedicated to volunteering and is involved with making the North Minneapolis community a better place to live.

John McIntosh, Manager- IS/IT/Sales

John was born and raised in Schaumburg, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Prior to college, his family relocated to northwestern Minnesota, where John graduated with an A.S. in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota-Crookston and a B.S. in Marketing from Minnesota State University-Moorhead. John has worked in the promotional products industry for 17 years and serves as M.A. Apparel's Manager, Information Systems and Technology/Sales.

In his spare time, John enjoys coaching his kids' ball teams while serving as a volunteer coach. John is an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Wild. He loves the outdoors and has a special passion for Minnesota winters. He currently resides in New Hope with his wife, Jyl, and their two children, Michaela and Johnny.

Jeff Northrup, Graphics and Marketing Manager

Jeff was born and raised in Cedar Falls, IA. After graduating from high school, Jeff moved to Waterloo, IA where he attended college and in 1992 received his AAA (Associate of Applied Arts) degree. In 1995 Jeff began working in the screen printing industry, and has specialized in this area ever since. Jeff moved to the Twin Cities in 1998 and began working as a free-lance artist and quickly learned the many facets of the ASI industry. After nine years as a free-lance artist, Jeff joined forces with M.A. Apparel and brings the latest and greatest in cutting edge graphics & technology.

Jeff currently resides in New Hope with his lovely wife Tammy, and their three children, Brandon, Brooke, and Brady. Jeff enjoys family time, boating, fishing, camping and playing pool.

Chris Babiash, Sales Representative

Chris is originally from the land of cheese, Green Bay, Wisconsin and made his way to the greater Twin Cities in route to the University of Minnesota. He graduated in 1999 with a B.A. in Leisure Services Management. In 1998, during his undergraduate tenure, Chris was introduced to M.A. Apparel, Inc. as a college intern and has been with the company ever since. While at the U of M, Chris became highly involved with the University Rugby Team where he became Captain for 3 years.

Chris is still extremely involved in the rugby community where he is on the Board of Directors for the Minnesota Amateur Rugby Foundation (MARF) and President of Metropolis Rugby Club (www.metropolisrugby.com). As a result of his involvement in rugby and years of doing rugby team sales under the M.A. Apparel umbrella, Chris was the drive behind the launch of our sister company Rugby Athletic, Inc. in September, 2005 (www.RugbyAthletic.com).

Chris currently resides in Lino Lakes, MN with his wife, Jen, and two sons, Cal and Beckett - & man's best friend (the dog), Dixie. In his free time he enjoys rugby, tailgating at sporting events, and spending time with his family - GO PACK.

Jay Johnson, Sales Representative

Jay is a native Minnesotan who grew up in Hastings in a family of 8, spending much of his youth playing a variety of sports. He continued playing basketball and baseball while attending the University of St. Thomas and majoring in business administration. Jay has been a sales associate for M.A. Apparel since 1997. He currently lives in the Macalester/Groveland area of St. Paul with his wife Jeanne and 4 children. Jay spends much of his time away from the office volunteering at his kids' school, and coaching his kids while serving on the St. Paul Basketball and Highland Park Little League Boards. He also helps with a variety of alumni functions at the University of St. Thomas. Hobbies include golf and forever working on his St. Paul bungalow.

Kevin (K.C.) Johnson, Sales Representative

K.C. grew up in Maple Plain, MN, a suburb of the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and attended Orono High School. After high School K.C. attended Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato, MN, where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. During his tenure at Bethany Lutheran College, K.C. lettered in baseball four years and was named first team All-Conference his junior and senior years, and first team All Midwest region his junior year. K.C. spends most of his free time involved in the baseball community. He still plays town ball in the summer for the Maple Plain Diamond Devils, while also helping out the Orono H.S. varsity team in the spring, and is the head coach of the Maple Plain legion team.

Adam Kopp, Creative Director/Sales Representative

In early 2010, Adam joined the team to build brand awareness and west coast sales. Located in Seattle, WA & Vancouver, B.C. Canada, Adam has joined us remotely to build the online presence through social media and website presence. As Creative Director his focus is to develop the M. A. Apparel brand, as well the brands of our clients. He joins our already strong Art Department to bring variety of client work and different creative approach. Adam comes from an advertising background and plans to help take the M. A. brand and capabilities to the next level.

Barbara Hillesland, Corporate Controller

Barbara grew up in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities in St. Louis Park and Golden Valley. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, she obtained degrees in Finance and Horticulture. She has been the Controller of M.A. Apparel since 1995. Barbara continues her love of horticulture as a Carter/Scott County Master Gardener. She resides in Savage, MN with her husband, Norman, and two sons, Andrew and Zachary.