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Wild Things Calls Off Acquisition By Mission Ready Services

Tuesday, September 5th, 2017

Mission Ready not able to meet financial obligations to complete the deal.

Middletown, R.I., (July 28, 2017) – Wild Things LLC, a leading manufacturer of technical outerwear for the U.S. Military, law enforcement and consumer markets, today announced that its acquisition by an affiliate of Mission Ready Services (MRSI), signed on March 8th 2017, has been cancelled due to MRSI’s failure to pay the purchase price in accordance with the terms of the promissory note executed at closing. Per the terms of the agreement, Wild Things’ prior investors will receive a break-up fee from MRSI and will continue to operate the business independently from MRSI.

“This is a very disappointing outcome for all of the parties involved in this deal,” said Ed Schmults, President of Wild Things. “However, Wild Things will be fine back on our own. No customers, suppliers or employees will be impacted by this. Our bookings are up significantly so far this year and we are looking forward to continued growth and success.”

The two companies kept the Wild Things business separate pending full satisfaction of the promissory note so the operational impact to Wild Things is negligible. The two companies worked well together and intend to explore ways to work together in the future.

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Posted in Advertiser, Industry, Press Release | 5 Comments »

Personnel Change at Heckler & Koch

Tuesday, August 29th, 2017

August 29, 2017. The supervisory board of H&K AG, the parent company of the Heckler & Koch Group (“Heckler & Koch”), has revoked the appointment of Mr. Norbert Scheuch as Chairman of the Executive Board and as Chief Executive Officer of H&K AG with immediate effect. The appointment of Mr. Norbert Scheuch as executive director of Heckler & Koch GmbH was also revoked with immediate effect.

Until the appointment of a successor in the near future, Mr. Wolfgang Hesse, the sole executive board member of H&K AG and the sole executive director of Heckler & Koch GmbH, will take over Mr. Scheuch’s duties, in close cooperation with the supervisory board.?

The already initiated strategic realignment of the Group, the operational transformation process and the product innovation initiative will be continued unchanged.

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Posted in Industry, International, Press Release | 3 Comments »

ARES Defense – FightLite Industries Announce New e-Commerce Site

Monday, August 28th, 2017

FightLite® Industries, a division of ARES Defense Systems® Inc. located in Melbourne, Florida announces the launch of a new e-Commerce website to help streamline the ordering process for its online customers.

Featured on the new FightLite.com website are FightLite® Industries’ popular and patented MCR® and SCR® product lines, including full rifles, upper receiver assemblies, lower receiver assemblies, performance upgrade kits, spare parts, and accessories that expand the operational envelope and overall utility of these products.

The innovative and patented FightLite® SCR® (Sport Configurable Rifle) is the first of its class of firearms that is not only legal almost anywhere in America including New York, New Jersey, California and other restrictive states, but is also the first rifle to successfully combine the traditional lines of a hunting pattern rifle with the modularity of an AR-15 rifle.

The FightLite® SCR® blends strength, reliability, accuracy and rugged all-weather characteristics of America’s longest serving infantry rifle with the classic lines of an American sporter. Lightweight, accurate and featuring a MIL-STD 1913 flat top upper receiver that accepts most modern optics, the FightLite® SCR® is designed to perform under the most demanding field, competitive shooting or tactical conditions. The multi-caliber, modular design permits the user to instantly change calibers in the field by simply pressing two pins and exchanging one upper receiver assembly for another.

Designed for optimal configuration, the FightLite® SCR® accepts most Modern Sporting Rifle accessories and parts including magazines, upper receivers, barrels, bolts, handguards and optics; so it can be easily and effectively reconfigured for each individual shooters’ style and activity. Supported by a full line of performance accessories and manufactured of the highest quality aircraft grade alloys by American craftsmen, the weatherproof and dependable FightLite® SCR® will provide its users with a lifetime of accurate shooting pleasure and can be passed down from generation to generation. SCR® – One Rifle, Any Season!®

The patented FightLite® MCR® – Mission Configurable Rifle is an 8.5 lb weapon featuring gas piston operation, a 3-second quick change barrel system and has the capability to feed from both M27-linked ammunition belts and standard AR15/M16 box magazines at user discretion.

As FightLite’s premier rifle offering for the commercial marketplace, the MCR® vastly improves upon the standard AR15/M4 by offering exceptional flexibility with its dual-feed capability and quick-change barrel. This flexibility, combined with other unique features, allows users to instantly customize the MCR® without tools for virtually any use.

The MCR® quick-change barrel allows users to configure the MCR® in seconds without the aid of tools and is available in 12” (NFA Rules Apply) and 16” inch lengths. Furthermore, the MCR® features gas-piston operation that provides greater reliability in extreme conditions, and is cleaner, cooler and more reliable in adverse conditions than the legacy direct-gas system.

The unique design of the MCR® also allows customers to upgrade their existing rifles by simply substituting a FightLite® supplied MCR® upper receiver assembly in place of the legacy upper, which are rearward compatible to the earliest AR15’s from the 1960’s. MCR® – One Weapon, Any Mission!®

www.fightlite.com

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Posted in Industry, Press Release, weapons | 10 Comments »

Kühl Sues Jägermeister

Monday, August 21st, 2017

I know what you’re thinking, you often wear Kühl clothing while kicking back some Jägermeister, but why would they sue? The answer is this promotional campaign by Jägermeister.

Kühl holds trademarks for clothing, spring water and beverages and asserts that Jägermeister’s use of the term will suffer loss of revenue and goodwill as a result of customer confusion. As evidence of this, Kühl’s President issued this statement last week, “Using the trademarked name KÜHL to promote Jägermeister tarnishes our brand and is a clear infringement of our trademark rights. When I received a screenshot from a magazine publisher asking if KÜHL did a collaboration with Jägermeister, I knew this has created confusion and dilution in the marketplace.” Consequently, they filed a lawsuit against Jägermeister in US District Court in Utah, alleging trademark infringement and dilution.

What do you think?

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Posted in Industry | 28 Comments »

Rio Ammunition Expands its Sales Team

Friday, August 18th, 2017

Irving, Tx. (August 15, 2017) – Rio Ammunition, Inc, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, just added three experienced staff to its growing salesforce. With the new state-of-the art manufacturing facility completed in Marshall, Texas, Rio Ammunition has the capacity to produce more than a million shotgun shells per day, therefore sales and service demanded the expansion of the sales and product management team.

Darrell Morrow was recruited to lead the new team as Director of Sales. Darrell brings over 15 years industry experience to the team, and as an avid hunter and shooter, is looking forward to being in the ammo side of the business. Darrell most recently served as the VP of Sales at Vertx successfully growing the tactical apparel and gear line over the past 6 years while building strong relationships in the retail area. Darrell is a graduate of LSU with a degree in Business Administration.

Another industry expert is Tes Salb who will be one of two new Key Account Executives. With 16 years of experience in the industry, Tes has an expansive marketing and communications background having worked for companies like Benelli, Armalite, FN America and the NRA. She is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame in Marketing.

Finally, Bill Vitiello joined the team as the other new Key Account Executive. Bill is an Army veteran coming from Knights Armament with both LE/Military and Commercial sales experience.

Earlier this year Rio added Annie Foster (now Wilcox) to the sales team. She brings with her 10 years of in-depth experience in marketing, sales and manufacturing from her time at Colt Competition Rifles, XS Sights and Warne Scope Mounts.

To focus on products specific to the US market, Bryan Bornes has taken over in the newly created position of Product Marketing Manager. Bryan has been at Rio for 2 ½ years, having previously been one of the key people in the growth of Able Ammo and is considered a pioneer in online firearms and ammunition sales. Bryan has been deeply involved in the Skeet and Sporting Clays market and provides great insight to future product lines and improvements.

General Manager, Ken Pfau commented, “I’m very excited about the quality of talent coming on board at Rio. We’ve always had a great product at a good value, now we will be able to focus on our levels of service and bring additional new products for the competitive shooter and hunter. Rio is already one of the top brands in the world and we look forward to being one of the key shotgun shell brands in the US.“

Rio Ammunition, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Marshall (Texas), is MAXAM’s sports shooting and hunting cartridge subsidiary in the United States. Rio Ammunition’s success is based on proprietary technological developments – as a result of ongoing investment in R&D – and a totally integrated production chain ranging from the manufacturing of the main raw materials to the production of all the cartridge components (cases, primers, powder, wads and lead shot).

www.rioammo.com

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MMI Certified as Women Business Enterprise and Women Owned Small Business

Friday, August 18th, 2017

MMI Textiles, Inc. Certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council

WESTLAKE, OH – MMI Textiles, Inc, a leading supplier in the textile industry, is proud to announce national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise and Women Owned Small Business by the Ohio River Valley Women’s Business Council Certification Committee, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and Women Owned Small Business (WOSB).

“These certifications mean a lot to me and my organization for many reasons, but chief among them is that we do a lot of business with large, private organizations and with the government who have initiatives to do business with woman-owned enterprises. Women have come a long way in our society at pushing equality with the male gender, and these certifications help our communities see that women can be an important part of the fabric of that community with job creation and active involvement”, said founder and president of MMI Textiles Inc., Amy Bircher.

WBENC’s national standard of certification implemented by the Ohio River Valley Women’s Business Council Certification Committee is a meticulous process including an in-depth review of the business and site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women.

By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs.

www.mmitextiles.com

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Posted in Industry, Press Release | 2 Comments »

ADS Issues Statement Regarding Civil Suit Settlement With DoJ

Friday, August 11th, 2017

ADS, Inc Settles Civil Investigation With US Department of Justice

Virginia Beach, Va. – Virginia Beach-based ADS, Inc. has agreed to settle a civil investigation brought by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as a result of a qui tam lawsuit filed by a private party.

The settlement marks the end of the DOJ’s investigation into the company’s past eligibility to bid on federal set aside contracts, and other allegations regarding bidding on contracts. ADS believes it has always complied with standards promulgated by the Small Business Administration (SBA). Notwithstanding any incorrect comments to the contrary, the DOJ did not intervene in the case, ADS settled the matter with no admission of liability on any of the allegations underlying the investigation, and there were no such findings, including any of fraud. ADS made the decision to settle after incurring millions of dollars in legal fees and countless hours of time value over three years responding to interrogatories and burdensome document requests by the government, hindering the company’s ability to continue serving its customers and employing its people.

“After spending many months cooperating closely with the government’s investigation, we concluded that our company, our customers, and our employees would be best served by putting this matter behind us. We are pleased that we were able to settle the matter amicably and that the settlement does not impede in any way ADS’s continuing service to all of its customers under its current contracts,” said ADS Communications Director, Caitlin Stojanovich.

“ADS strives and will continue to strive to assure compliance with all legal requirements and our Office of Compliance will work to keep meeting that critical goal,” stated Nikki Williams who leads the Office of Compliance for ADS and is responsible for ensuring the company continues to operate in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

“We are focusing on the future of our business as we move ahead and continue to be committed to doing the right things for our customers and our employees,” Stojanovich added. “ADS has always taken the very best care of our men and women in uniform and that is what we will continue to do.”

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Gunwerks Announces Caylen Wojcik As Director of Training, Strategy and Business Development

Friday, August 11th, 2017

Gunwerks, LLC announced today the addition of Caylen Wojcik as Director of Training, Strategy and Business Development. “With almost 20 years of experience in the world of long range shooting and professional firearms instruction, Caylen is an excellent fit with our strategic goals,” said Aaron Davidson, Gunwerks founder and CEO. “He brings significant leadership skill, in addition to valuable industry connections to our already talented team. We’re very excited to have him on board.”

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Wojcik served 8 years as a United States Marine Scout Sniper, amassing 80 weeks of formal sniper skills training courses. During his time in the scout sniper community, Caylen served in almost every billet available, as well as serving as a sniper instructor on both basic and advanced levels. He has trained snipers in all branches of the armed forces, as well as dozens of law enforcement agencies. He completed 3 overseas deployments, one of which was a combat deployment where he sustained injuries that led to the end of his military service. “Gunwerks is a pioneer and industry leader in long range hunting and shooting. I couldn’t think of a better company to align myself with,” said Wojcik. “I believe I bring a lot to the table with my background. I look forward to helping Gunwerks in its continued growth and furthering the discipline of long range shooting.”

In 2011, Caylen took a position with Magpul Industries Corp as the Director of Training for Precision Rifle Operations, and most recently held the role of Director of Operations for Magpul CORE. While living in Washington, Caylen began hunting the west, and learned the incredible rewards of backcountry backpack hunting. Caylen is recognized as a subject matter expert in the areas of long range shooting and wilderness travel. He is a published author for several industry publications, and is a long range shooting competitor. He has a passion for adventure and is attracted to all things in life that require perseverance and fortitude to succeed. Caylen spends his free time skydiving, working on his skills as a climber and alpinist, and pursuing adventure with his family in whatever way possible.

Gunwerks, LLC is a Cody, Wyoming based manufacturer and provider of premium long range hunting rifles, optics, shooting systems and training. Learn more at www.gunwerks.com.

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Posted in Industry, Press Release | 7 Comments »

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