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Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category

MYSTERY RANCH New Fire Program Manager – “Luke, Luke, the Fire Duke”

Thursday, March 28th, 2019

MYSTERY RANCH is excited to announce their new Fire Program Manager, “Luke, Luke, the Fire Duke” – Luke Mayfield. In this position, he will lead MYSTERY RANCH’s on-going efforts to provide the fire community with purpose-built, fire-specific packs. Luke hails from Medford, OR where he was Assistant Hotshot Superintendent. Prior to that, he had 18 seasons of United States Forest Service under his belt, 12 seasons in which he was with multiple Hotshot crews including Zig Zag Hotshots, Silver City Hotshots, and Rogue River Hotshots. 

In an interview with Luke, he quotes “I’m most excited to assist in supplying the world’s best load-bearing equipment available to the people that deserve it, all while staying relevant and active in the fire community.”

Since the launch of MYSTERY RANCH’S fire-specific product line, our Bozeman, MT-based company has seen tremendous sales and feedback coming from this category and Luke will take the lead on bringing these packs from development to the firelines. 

www.mysteryranch.com

L3 Technologies Field Vision Systems Names Francisco Hidalgo Vice President and General Manager

Thursday, March 28th, 2019

ANN ARBOR, Mich., March 27, 2019 – L3 Technologies announced today that Francisco Hidalgo has been named Vice President and General Manager of its Field Vision Systems business. Mr. Hidalgo most recently served as Chief Executive Officer for Heckler & Koch USA.

Mr. Hidalgo brings more than two decades of international manufacturing leadership to Field Vision Systems, with extensive experience in both the consumer and defense markets. He will oversee operations of the Field Vision Systems portfolio of brands, including EOTECH®, Vudu™ and L3 Field Vision.

“I am thrilled to be joining Field Vision Systems during such a dynamic period in the company’s history,” said Mr. Hidalgo. “With EOTECH’s recent award from the United States Special Operations Command, the relaunch of Vudu precision optics and the debut of the L3 Field Vision brand of premium sporting optics, the opportunity for success and growth at our division has never been greater.”

Prior to joining Heckler & Koch, Mr. Hidalgo spent nearly 20 years at Hanover, Germany-based automotive manufacturing company Continental, where he served as President of ContiTech North America for more than nine years.

An L3 company, Field Vision Systems delivers cutting-edge sporting optics technology and products, including holographic sighting systems and magnified optics. The company is dedicated to providing high quality, rugged products for military, law enforcement and commercial markets around the world. Visit www.eotechgear.com to learn more.

With headquarters in New York City and approximately 31,000 employees worldwide, L3 develops advanced defense technologies and commercial solutions in pilot training, aviation security, night vision and EO/IR, weapons, maritime systems and space. The company reported 2018 sales of $10.2 billion. To learn more about L3, please visit the company’s website at www.L3T.com.

Clandestine Media Group

Wednesday, March 27th, 2019

Clandestine Media Group was created from the marketing department of RE Factor Tactical.

A unique marketing service made up of former SOF operators turned visual artists/photographers, Clandestine Media Group offers unilateral photoshoots, joint photoshoots, SEO services, and more. They pride themselves in their ability to make each shoot look authentic as possible through a combined 20+ years of SOF experience.

www.clandestinemediagroup.com

Combat Flip Flops’ CEO, Matthew Griffin, Named Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow

Tuesday, March 26th, 2019

Aspen Institute Mobilizes New Generation of Leaders

March 25, 2019 [SEATTLE, WA] –– The Aspen Institute has announced its 2019 Class of Henry Crown Fellows, including Combat Flip Flops’ CEO, Matthew ‘Griff’ Griffin. The Henry Crown Fellowship mobilizes a new breed of leaders, between 30-45 years, to tackle the world’s most intractable problems. All are proven entrepreneurial leaders, mostly from the world of business, who, having achieved professional success, are now ready to apply their creative talents and skill sets to building a better society.

Henry Crown Fellows explore their leadership, core values, vision for a Good Society and their desired legacies. But the Fellowship is not just about reflection. It is also about action: each Fellow launches a Leadership Venture that will stretch them and have a positive impact on their communities, their country, or the world.

“We are especially delighted with this year’s class of Henry Crown Fellows, the most politically and geographically diverse ever,” said Tonya Hinch, executive director of the program. “For society, they represent a potent force of talent, ready to focus their energies on some of the greatest challenges of our times. For them, they are embarking on a personal journey—a journey ‘from success to significance’—that will change their lives forever. I know. I’m a Henry Crown Fellow too.”

“It’s humbling to be nominated and selected as a Henry Crown Fellow,” state Griff. “This was made possible by the family and friends that supported the dream of Combat Flip flops and backed that support with relentless action. I look forward to the challenge of the fellowship and will endeavor to use the experience to positively contribute back to my communitity, country, and planet.”

2019 Henry Crown Fellows:

Yemi Dele Akinyemi, Creative Director, Founder & CEO, JAD Productions, Prague, CZ.

Sean Bielat, Chief Executive Officer, Endeavor Robotics, Carlisle, MA.

Sarah Bird, Chief Executive Officer, Moz, Seattle, WA.

Jewel Burks Solomon, Founder, Partpic (acquired by Amazon), Atlanta, GA.

Jerry Coleman, Founder, Offerpad, Gilbert, AZ.

Beau Ferrari, Executive Vice President, NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, Miami, FL.

Jose Garcia-Aranda, President, Alberici Global Automotive Constructors, LLC., St. Louis, MO.

Max Goldberg, Co-Owner, Strategic Hospitality, Nashville, TN.

Matthew Griffin, Cofounder & CEO, Combat Flip Flops, Issaquah, WA.

Yvonne Hao, Chief Operating Officer, PillPack, Cambridge, MA.

Poppy Harlow, Anchor, CNN Newsroom, CNN, Brooklyn, NY.

Taavet Hinrikus, Chairman & Cofounder, TransferWise, London, UK.

Tara Hovey, President & COO, Optima, Chicago, IL.

Pete Kadens, Cofounder & Former CEO, Green Thumb Industries, Winnetka, IL.

Toni Ko, Founder, TKRP LLC & NYX Cosmetics, Los Angeles, CA.

Brit Morin, Founder & CEO, Brit + Co, Mill Valley, CA.

Shegun Otulana, Founder & CEO, Therapy Brands, Birmingham, AL.

Ruben Sigala, Former EVP & CMO, Caesars Entertainment, Denver, CO.

Stacey Tank, Vice President, Home Services, The Home Depot, Atlanta, GA. Amber Venz Box, Cofounder & President, rewardStyle, Dallas, TX.

Rodney Williams, Cofounder and Chief Commercial Officer, LISNR, Cincinnati, OH.

For more information on the Fellowship, please visit agln.aspeninstitute.org/fellowships/henrycrown.

SureFire Announces 40th Anniversary Legacy Video

Tuesday, March 26th, 2019

Fountain Valley, CA—SureFire, LLC, is continuing its milestone 40th anniversary celebration as the leading manufacturer of suppressors, high-performance flashlights, weapon-mounted lights and tactical products by releasing a new video, Legacy.

The goal of the video is to remind the viewer how a legacy isn’t about wealth or status, or about being celebrated in a parade or via a monument. It is chronicled by examples that are set, lessons taught and impressions left. A legacy is seen in the next generation that is living a life of honor, courage and commitment.

“The video was an idea from JD Potynsky of Northern Red,” said Andrew Wright, Public Relations Manager, SureFire, LLC. “We were talking about the global war on terror and how it has been going on for so long that there are now veterans who have sons fighting in the same war they did. This video is a fitting tribute to those warfighters, and it corresponds well with SureFire’s 40th anniversary. SureFire has always been proud to provide tools for heroes from all walks of life, who have created and maintained individual legacies.”

US Optics Is Moving to North Carolina

Thursday, March 21st, 2019

US Optics released the following statement regarding their impending move:

We’re excited to announce that we are moving our HQ to a new location. Our upcoming move will provide far more capabilities for future expansion, production, and intricate product testing. We will close our Montana HQ ?on Friday, March 22nd? at 3:30p to begin the moving process and will be fully up and running at our new North Carolina location ?Monday, April 15th at 7:30 a.m.? Our website, email, and telephones, will be fully operational during the moving process, but you may experience a small delay in customer service response time. Please allow 1 business day for our Customer Service, Sales, Marketing, and Accounting team to respond via phone or email. Please be aware that a 3-week delay in production, repairs, and shipping during this time is to be expected. We appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any questions about how our upcoming move will affect production and repairs, please contact us at ?406-300-4090? or ?info@usoptics.com?

Judge Determines USMC Plate Carrier Soft Armor Vendor Not Small Business

Monday, March 18th, 2019

About a week and a half ago I started hearing reports that the contractor for the Marine Corps’ Plate Carrier soft armor panels losing their small business status. This is significant because the contract was set aside for a small business.

Naturally, I asked to see some paper work and sure enough, I eventually received a copy of the order.

On February 8th, 2019, Administrative Judge Christopher Holleman of the Small Business Administration, ruled in favor of a protest by Hardwire, LLC against the small business determination of Central Lake Armor Express, Inc which had been awarded a $59,369,617 ceiling, firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the production of up to a maximum 65,469 Plate Carrier Generation III – Soft Armor Inserts and data reports by Marine Corps Systems Command On October 25th, 2018.

Judge Holleman determined that CLAE was not a small business for this contract (750 employees) because CEO James Henderson also serves simultaneously as CEO of Steel Connect and ModusLink.

It’s important to point out that this ruling is only for this solicitation. In fact, this business situation may have already changed. However, multiple companies have filed protests against CLAE over their business size.

Although the Marine Corps previously issued a delivery order, there’s no word yet on how they plan to deal with this ruling. Interestingly, MARCOSYSCOM released a Justification and Adjudication (J&A) to raise the ceiling on the contract without having to rebid. They did this on February 7th, just one day before the Judge made his decision.

The Safariland Group Announces Brad E. Williams as President

Thursday, March 14th, 2019

JACKSONVILLE, Florida – The Safariland Group (“Safariland” or the “Company”), a leading global provider of safety and survivability products designed for the public safety, military, professional and outdoor markets, today announced it has named Brad E. Williams as president.  Williams, previously the Company’s executive vice president and COO, will report to Warren B. Kanders, Chairman and CEO of the Maui Acquisition Corporation, Safariland’s parent company.  Williams will have direct responsibility for all business units and corporate functions within The Safariland Group. 

Longtime leader and president Scott O’Brien will become the Chairman for The Safariland Group supporting Williams on key initiatives and strategic projects. 

“For decades, Scott has grown Safariland to become one of the most recognized and revered brands in our industry,” said Kanders.  “His many accomplishments include fostering an open and collaborative work environment with our customers, suppliers and associates, and I am pleased he will continue with the organization in a strategic capacity.”

“In order to build the business and preserve the rich legacy Safariland has built over its 55 years, I began a journey two years ago to find my successor,” commented O’Brien. “I met Brad and quickly recognized he was the person to lead the Company into the future.”

Williams began his career with Safariland in the spring of 2017 after spending 20 years in executive and leadership positions within IDEX Corporation, Danaher Corporation and Ingersoll Rand Company. Williams holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. 

O’Brien began his tenure with Safariland in 1973 and led its body armor division, became vice president of manufacturing in 1985 and  president of Safariland in 1993.