Newsmakers:
August 2020 Issue

Davidson’s Inc. Names SVP, Promotes Manager

Davidson’s has welcomed Wayne Tumlin as senior VP and general counsel, and appointed Leah Tappan as credit manager.

Tumlin has served as Davidson’s corporate legal counsel and adviser since 2012. He will oversee Davidson’s general operations, as well as legal and compliance matters.

“[Wayne] has provided more than just general counsel, but also great business advice to us for the past decade. I have been really impressed by Wayne’s decision-making and breadth of knowledge,” said Bryan Tucker, Davidson’s president and CEO. “Wayne is already well known by Davidson’s senior management and can hit the ground running.”

Tumlin has been a practicing business attorney for 28 years, serving as outside general counsel to a number of national and international closely held businesses.

Tappan, who has worked for Davidson’s and ProForce for 12 years, now supervises the six-member credit-department team and oversees the department’s credit-granting process to assess customer situation and needs.

Davidson’s CFO Andrew Kramer shared, “Leah has demonstrated exceptional customer service skills and understanding of the Davidson’s business model over her many years with us. We are very pleased to see Leah grow in her role with the Davidson’s team.”

1791 Gunleather Appoints Marketing Director

Tim O’Connor recently joined 1791 Gunleather as director of marketing where he will oversee all marketing activities for the company.
“Tim brings a myriad of marketing skills and experiences with him and we look forward to bringing him into the family and benefiting from his guidance and counsel,” said Ramiro Romani, 1791 CEO.

O’Conner has more than 25 years of sales and marketing experience in the hunting and shooting industries. He spent 19 years at Leupold & Stevens Inc., serving in several sales and marketing roles. Most recently, he worked in Crimson Trace’s marketing department. He’s also been a Gunsite instructor since 2014.

Walther Arms Inc. Taps Sales VP

Walther selected Rob McCanna to fill the position of VP of sales. He will lead all sales planning and execution using a hands-on leadership approach to promote collaboration and accountability.

“Rob’s passion is sales, building sales teams and helping people grow and develop. He enjoys strong relationships and a solid reputation with customers in our industry,” said Adam Blalock, CEO of Walther Arms Inc.

McCanna has built a broad array of expertise in sales, marketing, product management, operations and finance throughout his 15-year career. He was the senior VP of global sales and marketing at Remington Arms, and president of Orca Coolers.

Primary Arms Fills Sales Positions

Primary Arms has announced the hiring of Jeff Schneider, Justin Stewart and Matthew Foust to fill various sales positions.

As the optic sales representative for the southeastern U.S., Schneider will support Primary Arms Optics retailers throughout N.C., S.C., Ga., Fla., Ala. and Miss. He has extensive experience within the defense and aerospace industries.

Stewart, the new internal advertising sales manager, brings nearly two decades of marketing and sales experience within the defense industry. Acting as both a consultant and sales manager, he will advise partners with an analytical and expert opinion to help them earn their greatest returns when purchasing ad space.

Foust will assist L.E. partners through the purchasing process, from initial information requests through post procurement product support as the eastern region law enforcement sales agent. He has decades of experience in policing operations.

Benchmade Knife Company Solidifies Leadership Team

Benchmade Knife Company announced leadership changes with the addition of Joe Prebich as VP of marketing, promotion of Kristine Gittins to EVP and Charles Darby’s advancement to senior director of sales.

“I am thrilled to have established a new leadership structure at Benchmade,” said President Jon deAsis. “The addition of Joe and Charles to the team means we will continue to grow our brand, create value and enrich collaboration with all market partners. Kristine has been an integral part of the culture and success at Benchmade, and her promotion caps off a year that has challenged every industry.”

Prebich’s previous experience with leading brands like Fjällräven, Oakley and Red Bull bring a level of consumer expertise key to Benchmade’s commitment to best-in-class customer experiences.

With the company for 15 years, Darby will focus on a continued commitment to the brand’s long-time relationships across multiple channels of sales and elevate responsibilities for Benchmade’s global sales and retail affairs.

Gittins enters her new role with a focus on securing strategic access to capital and ensuring execution of the company’s corporate mission.

SDS Imports Welcomes GM
SDS Imports welcomed Dave Biggers as its new general manager. Biggers will take over daily operations at the SDS Knoxville facility and oversee imports and distribution of the entire SDS product line while leading the effort to scale the organization to meet projected growth.
Biggers comes to SDS after serving as Samson Manufacturing’s director of sales and marketing. He also held prior positions with Lone Wolf Distributors and XS Sights.

Guidefitter Hires Marketing VP
Guidefitter, the industry network for professional outdoor guides and outfitters and leading influencer marketing platform for hunting, fishing and related outdoor brands, announced Ian Jackson has joined the company as VP of marketing.

Jackson comes to Guidefitter from PopSockets, where he led e-commerce and digital marketing — which helped the company achieve a record sales year in 2019. At Guidefitter, he’ll be responsible for composing the overall marketing vision, bringing together each aspect of the consumer experience.

Second Amendment Foundation Mourns Loss
Joseph Tartaro, who retired last year as executive editor of TheGunMag.com —formerly Gun Week — and still served as president of the Second Amendment Foundation, passed away June 13 following a brief bout with cancer.

Tartaro is most often remembered as an architect of what has come to be known as 1977’s “Cincinnati Revolt,” when gun-rights activists calling themselves the Federation for NRA transformed the National Rifle Association from a traditional hunting and shooting organization into a political powerhouse defending and advancing the Second Amendment.

FMG Publications’ Contributing Editor Massad Ayoob wrote, “I don’t know of anyone who did more than Joe to promote grass-roots activism at the state and community level on gun owner’s rights and self-defense issues. We have lost one of our strongest voices.”

Have new hires or promotion announcements to share?
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editor@shootingindustry.com