Newsmakers
September 2023

AMMO Inc. Announces CEO

AMMO Inc., the owner of GunBroker.com, announced Jared Smith is officially the company’s new CEO.

“It was always my intent to engage a permanent successor when I founded AMMO in 2016 and took the reins as CEO. Jared has impressive leadership skills and knowledge of our company’s targeted marketplace, and he is singularly focused and committed to deliver on the strategic imperative of further strengthening and growing AMMO and GunBroker.com, leveraging our amazing employees and technological market differentiators,” said outgoing CEO and Executive Chairman Freg Wagenhals.

Smith has 17 years of experience in the firearm and ammunition sector. He most recently served as the GM of Fiocchi of America and held other executive positions during this time there.

Fiocchi Names Sales VP

Fiocchi USA recently welcomed Chris Tinkle as its new VP of sales.

David Blenker, Fiochhi USA president and CEO, said, “As we continue to expand our manufacturing capacity and footprint in the U.S., and integrate new technologies across our product lines, having an experienced and proven leader like Chris guiding the sales effort is essential to effectively communicating with and servicing our valued customers.”

For the past decade, Tinkle has held roles at Remington, LaserMax, Steiner E-Optics, Flir Outdoor and Tactical Systems and most recently, Leica Sport Optics.

Pass It On — Outdoor Mentors
Adds Board Member

Beth Shimanski, Savage Arm’s director of marketing, has joined the Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors board of directors. Shimanski plans to support Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors as they grow throughout the nation and help them make an impact in the industry by pairing the Outdoor Mentors’ mission with Savage Arms’ products and platform.

Brittany French, CEO of Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors, shared, “Under Beth’s leadership, our partnership with Savage Arms has allowed us to grow our mission and provide continued outdoor opportunities through mentorship to youth in our community! I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to learn from her and continue our great work at Outdoor Mentors!”

Luth-AR Advances National Sales Manager

Luth-AR announced Shane Cuperus’s promotion to national sales manager. Cuperus will lead all North American distributor and dealer-direct sales activities for Luth-AR’s L.E., dealer, wholesale and OEM markets.

Randy Luth, CEO and founder, said, “We are excited to have Shane out generating excitement around the Luth-AR products and innovations. His depth of experience and capabilities will complement our growing team and initiative to support our national growth.”

Cuperus joined the Luth-AR team in 2019 as the GM with an extensive background in distributor sales, dealer direct sales, law enforcement and government bids.

Davidson’s Inc. Taps
Merchandising Director

Davidson’s announced the addition of Ronald Dan as the director of merchandising.

“Ron has an outstanding reputation and brings extensive industry knowledge with him,” said Wayne Tumlin, president of Davidson’s. “We look forward to having him lead our merchandising efforts as a member of the executive team.”

Dan joins Davidson’s with 16 years of experience in the firearms industry. He most recently served as the president of Trailblazer Firearms.

He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida where he earned a B.S. in business marketing.

PRADCO Outdoor Brands
Expands Sales Team

PRADCO Outdoor Brand’s Hunting Division announced new hires for its sales division: Heath Stanford as director of sales, Jimmy Smith as national sales manager and Joshua Liley as e-commerce sales manager.

Brian Malone, VP and GM, PRADCO Signature Game and Land Management shared, “Adding these three talented individuals rounds out our strong existing sales arm and puts PRADCO Hunting in the best position to service our retail partners.”

Stanford joins the team from within PRADCO and held a similar position at Texas Hunter Products. He will oversee all sales efforts for PRADCO Hunting, including national accounts and manage the entire sales team.

Smith now has responsibility for managing regional, distributor, independent and buying group accounts.

Liley joins PRADCO’s Moultrie Mobile and Signature Game & Land Management teams to set account strategy and drive execution to meet and exceed sales goals across e-commerce platforms.

Hi Mountain Seasonings
Promotes Assistant GM

Hans and Kimberly Hummel, owners of Hi Mountain Seasonings, announced the promotion of Brian Tucker to assistant GM where he will maintain his sales responsibilities and take on overseeing the production department.

Hans Hummel said, “He has been a tremendous asset to our team, and we look forward to Brian continuing to play an integral role in all aspects of our company as we move forward.”

Tucker joined the company in 2013 as an account executive. In 2016, he advanced to the role of national sales manager.

Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. Elects Board Member

Michelle J. Lohmeier is now serving on the Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. board of directors.

Robert L. Scott, chairman of the board, shared, “[Lohmeier] brings substantial experience serving on other public company boards of directors, and her experience working for companies in heavily regulated industries, including aerospace and defense, will be a tremendous asset to Smith & Wesson.”

Lohmeier is a former senior advisor to the CEO of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. She previously served as SVP and GM of Airbus Programs at Spirit AeroSystems until her retirement in 2019. She also held a number of senior positions with Raytheon Company.

She holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in systems engineering from the University of Arizona.

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