Brought to you Extreme Outfitters
The second day of the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference Wednesday saw a surge of patrons at the 10 a.m. opening and again just after lunch.
More than 300 vendors worked under the banner “Accelerating the Force†and welcomed long lines of anxious patrons who sought refuge from the heat in the air-conditioned Tampa Convention Center.
Montgomery Marketing Incorporated of Montgomery, Alabama, teamed up with product associates from Extreme Outfitters of Jacksonville, North Carolina, to highlight Granite Tactical Gear’s line of packs, pouches and sleep shelters.
Hundreds of special operators from the military, law enforcement and contracting community also had a chance to view the Recon series of sleeping bags, Walkstools and pouches and NATO tourniquets and pouches – just to name a few products from Extreme’s over 250 vendors. For more information visit www.tacticaledge.com.
Patron Michelle Kalphat of Army Research Laboratories in Orlando, Florida tested a 60-pound stuffed version of the Granite Tactical Gear Chief Patrol pack and was thankful for her work outs prior to the show.
“That time in the gym paid off,†said Kalphat, who was wearing a dress and tactical high heel shoes.
Elsewhere a team from Princeton Tec lighting from Trenton, New Jersey, was thankful for the increased traffic they experienced on day two of the event, where associate Ryan Ditta saw unique opportunities to network and promote his products.
“We hope to show the customer – the end user – the capabilities that Princeton Tech has,†Ditta said.
Princeton Tec associate David Cozzone said they thought the event went very well.
“We’ve met some very good end users and decision makers,†Cozzone said. “There could be a few more, but we have another day.â€
Both Ditta and Cozzone expressed a desire to focus more on the quality of their contacts rather than just the quantity of people they might meet in a large crowd.
“It was definitely busier today more people who trust our brand,†Ditta said. “There were more people (Wednesday than Tuesday) to give us valuable feedback.â€
There really weren’t any surprises for the Princeton Tec team, because they have been to literally hundreds of trade shows before.
Still, they still have tasks to perform with goals to achieve.
“The biggest challenge we found is trying to stand out like a little fish in a big sea,†Ditta said. “We have technologically-advanced products that are consistently engineered for this market and we want to find our niche and stand out as a leader.â€
“We’re very passionate about the military and anxious to get our products in their hands because we know their lives may depend on it,†Cozzone said.
The networking opportunities between manufacturing, marketing and product developers will likely lead to future collaborations that should have a positive impact on the Special Operations community.
At one such networking event during an after-product-show party gathering Wednesday night, in a popular game of skill, Team Extreme handily beat teams from Princeton Tec and Outdoor Marketing Alliance of Birmington, Alabama, three times in a row for friendly bragging rights – at least for the evening.
The conference exhibit hall is scheduled to be open one final day from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
Eric Steinkopff
Extreme Outfitters Staff
Vertx recently posted a sneak peek at their upcoming Gunfighter top. Think of it as an alternative to “traditional” combat shirts. They’ve kept the basic concept but made it as more of a utility piece with a woven torso as well as sleeves. Additionally, they have added inset bicep pockets as well as a mandarin collar for wear under armor. One major deviation from other designs is that it has a front opening so you put it on like a jacket. As you can see in the photo the sample is in MultiCam and based on talks with Vertx they plan on offering it as well as several solid color options. Available not soon enough from www.wearvertx.com. 
