Newsmakers: May
2021 Issue

Written By Shooting Staff

2021

R. Lesser

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Hires Managing Director

Riza Lesser was named the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s (RMEF) new managing director of marketing.

Steve Decker, RMEF chief revenue officer shared, “Riza has a vast knowledge of the outdoor industry and a strong passion for elk, hunting and conservation. We are thrilled to have her join us.”

Lesser comes to RMEF following a successful career with Leupold & Stevens Inc. She brings extensive experience building programs, working with industry partners and collaborating with conservation groups.

C. Bennion

Tactical Solutions Promotes Sales Director

Tactical Solutions (TacSol) announced the promotion of Cody Bennion to director of sales. Bennion joined the TacSol sales team early 2020, and promoted to national sales manager in June. In his new role, Bennion will be responsible for management of sales personnel and all sales functions worldwide.

“Cody has done a tremendous job here at TacSol,” said Darin Strickler, TacSol CEO. “Cody’s accomplishments are unprecedented, and he has proven himself as the perfect fit to be our director of sales.”

L. Tobiassen

Buck Knives Names President

Buck Knives welcomed Lane Tobiassen as president where he assumed companywide leadership for all core business elements from sales, marketing, finance, product development and operations.

“The final piece of the puzzle was to bring in outside expertise to lead the daily operations. It is a testament to the family’s commitment to make our company more robust and less vulnerable to fluctuations in our marketplace or the broader economy,” said CJ Buck, CEO and chairman of Buck Knives.

Most recently, Tobiassen was president of the Firearms Division of American Outdoor Brands (Smith & Wesson). Among other roles throughout his career, he also spent 14 years at Crimson Trace as marketing director, president and CEO.

L. Green

Fausti USA Adds Manager

Lynne Green has been named national sales manager for FAUSTI USA, a wholly owned division of FAUSTI Stephano SRL based in Marcheno, Italy. She is focused on supporting existing dealers, adding new dealers and hosting shooting, hunting and clay target events, and is working closely with fellow national sales manager Jeff Sizemore and GM Steve Allen.

Green commented, “I am looking forward to expanding the FAUSTI brand recognition to new and seasoned hunters and shooters across the U.S.”

Green most recently worked as the brand manager for Syren USA.

B. James

Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. Promotes COO

Barrett Firearms Manufacturing Inc. recently promoted Bryan K. James to COO where he oversees the daily activities of the engineering, operations, sales, marketing, training and quality departments.

Barrett President Sam Shallenberger said, “This was a logical move for us as Barrett’s recent business successes can be directly attributed to Bryan’s leadership approach with his teams. I am certain he will continue to help lead the company to our next milestone.”

James has served on the executive leadership team since joining the company in 2011, first as the VP of sales and marketing, then SVP.

He has a combined 30 years of experience in the firearms industry; he served as director of training for GLOCK and director of law enforcement for Smith & Wesson.

M. Jardell

B. Berry

Primary Arms Optics Promotes, Hires Managers

Primary Arms Optics recently promoted Marc Jardell to the position of senior operations manager and hired Becky Berry as international sales manager. Jardell will build on Primary Arms Optics’ operational advantages, including in-house quality inspection and elevated customer satisfaction standards.

Joyce Banda, managing director of Primary Arms Optics shared, “Marc’s teams are the backbone of the division’s continued exponential growth.”

Since joining the company in 2016 as a firearms product specialist, Jardell has advanced through various positions including customer service manager and Optics team operations manager.

With over 25 years’ experience, Berry’s knowledge is central to Primary Arms Optics’ new global sales strategy.

“It became clear that serving our international business would require another person, a leader,” said Ozge Cumberland, Primary Arms’ SVP of business development. “Becky Berry is someone with an open mind and experience in the industry, product, sales and international market. It just had to be her.”

Berry has spent nearly 16 years in optics sales and manufacturing with companies such as Weatherby and Leupold & Stevens developing a portfolio of successes with many of the industry’s top-selling products.

R. Casper

R. Hansen

Legacy Sports International Appoints Director, SVP

Legacy Sports International welcomed Randy Casper as its new director of merchandising, and Rod Hansen as the SVP of finance and operations.

Caspar joins Legacy with vast experience in purchasing, inventory management and transportation and logistics.

Hansen has an extensive background in finance, system integration, supply chain and merchandise planning. He held executive positions at Camping World, West Marine and Sports Authority.

M. parker

5.11 Inc. SELECTS SVP

In an effort to enhance the brand’s direct-to-consumer channels and customer experience, 5.11 selected Mark Parker as its SVP of omni channel retail.

“[Parker] has worked with many world-class brands and led omni channel teams, human resources, digital development, communications and more, both domestically and internationally. His experience, knowledge, and commitment will be a tremendous asset to 5.11,” stated 5.11 CEO Francisco Morales.

Parker’s 40 years of professional experience includes roles at The Disney Store, Vans and The North Face, giving him a significant understanding of the outdoor apparel and gear industry.

C. Cochran

E. Macaya

Chattanooga Shooting Supplies Inc. Expands Sales Team

Casey Cochran and Ed Macaya are the two newest additions to Chattanooga Shooting Supplies’ sales team. The company launched an expansion in 2019 to hire an experienced remote sales team in several regions of the country.

“This is a great opportunity for us to serve our expanding customer base and further fortify our southwest and southeast regions. Hiring these two seasoned veterans strengthens our focus on exceeding our customers’ expectations,” said CSSI President/CEO Ron Staffieri.

D. Rohlfsen

RubLine Marketing Adds Data Analyst

RubLine Marketing welcomed Dylan Rohlfsen as a new data analyst for the company’s portfolio of brands.

She joins a team of analysts who examine thousands of minutes of video and images, audits performance of contracted media placements, pulls analytical data all for social media integration and processes the data into client dashboards. The data supports the strategist’s decision-making process as they review various campaign results.

“Dylan has always strived for perfection in her work and being related to anyone in the workplace is never easy, especially the owner. It’s with a tremendous amount of pride [I see] the quality of work and dedication to the trade she has all while balancing her studies to earn her degree in marketing from the University of Northern Iowa,” stated Chase Rohlfsen, RubLine president.

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Newsmakers: May 2021 Issue