Edgar Brothers was awarded the 2013 International Distributor of the Year award by Blue Force Gear. Above, we see BFG President Ashley Burnsed presenting the award to Edgar Brothers’ Lord Mike Newman and Paul Ainsworth.
In another upset, Lord Mike Newman and Paul Ainsworth were both awarded the coveted International Man of the Year award.
Congrats to all!
If you’ve been waiting for the big SHOT Show, industry insider buzz, I’d say this is it.
We recently informed you that Advanced Armament Corp founder and his associate Lynsey Thompson and won their two-year-long court battle with AAC’s new owners Remington ask Freedom Group aka FGI. Now, we have full access to Judge Katherine Forrest’s opinion. It’s quite the read and she didn’t pull any punches in reaching her verdict or explaining it.
Interestingly, the judge issued the document on Brittingham’s 40th birthday. Talk about a birthday present. Based on conversations with him the judgement could be in excess of $14 Million, but considering the amount he was still owed couple with what he has paid out in legal fees and personal pain, I’d say that it isn’t outrageous. It also lifts any non-compete restrictions, so for Kevin Brittingham, it’s “game on!”
Read it all for yourself by downloading it here: Brittingham Opinion & Order.
Yesterday, Gene Higdon called me to tell me that he would be releasing a statement regarding his decision to leave High Speed Gear Inc. I’ve personally known Gene for over 15 years and he’s always been very forthright. When he had told me a year ago that he had sold the company in order to give it some room to grow and perhaps be able to take some time away from what had become his life, I understood. He’s been hard at it since before I met him. I’d say that he will be missed, but it sounds like he’s not going away, he’s just making a change, I do wish both my friend Gene and the new owners of HSGI good luck!
Today I take the opportunity to inform you that I have am leaving High Speed Gear. My wife as previous owner and myself as Founder/past CEO, words cannot convey nor express the gratitude towards the support and patronage that this community has bestowed to HSGI. High Speed Gear has been under new management, as it was sold in September 2012. Since it’s creation in 1999, HSGI has grown beyond Becky and myself’s expectations and for personal reasons, it had come time to pass the torch. In the best interest of the company, I remained on as a consultant since the transition. My contract has expired, and it’s now time for the new HSG to fulfill it’s own destiny to create it’s values and strategy.
Again, words cannot express the the gratitude for the support and patronage. It has been an Honor to make friends in the Industry as well as most of all, it’s valued customers and outstanding Dealers. More importantly, to have the privilege to support our Troops and Civilians alike in all aspects. Needless to say, I will not be leaving the community entirely.
Sincerely,
Gene Higdon
Founder of HSGI.
I am very pleased to announce that Velocity Systems has launched a completely new website. Not only can you find information on the latest products but you can now also order them directly from Velocity Systems.
Depending on your location, it may take up to 24 hours for the DNS server to update and direct you to the new site.
I attended the premiere range event hosted by Osprey Global Solutions and Defense Logistics Support. You may recall my story on the HCAR, a modernized BAR. Osprey boasts a great facility nestled east of I-95 about 45 minutes from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Boasting 25m out 1400m range access, the facility is the brainchild of Retired Army Major General David Grange who heads up Osprey.
Below, you can see some shots from the last range day when Osprey hosted about 50 military and law enforcement personnel as well as members of industry. In addition to a variety of weapon solutions offered by Osprey Armament, we also were introduced to new forensic evidence collection systems as well as the actual range complex itself. This next even will boast even more with the introduction of UAVs, medical systems and tactical training technologies. Expanded to two days, it gives additional opportunities for attendance and hands on experience with the systems on display. Additionally, lunch is provided. See you there!
If you are going to be in the area and are interested in attending send an to email Steve from OSPREY at sperry@ospreyglobalsolutions.com or Trevor Kräcker with Defense Logistics Support, Inc. at tk@defenselogisticssupport.com. It is imperative that you email for a reservation as it is by invitation only and you will not be given entry without being on the list.
I know there are many readers of SSD that are currently in route to Las Vegas Nevada to attend the annual SHOT Show . Some of them will be going for no other reason than to conduct industrial espionage. What better place to get an under the hood view of your competitors than a tradeshow?
While they aren’t a company we would normally mention on SSD, this video by Saddleback Leather entitled, “How to Knock Off a Bag” certainly caught our eye. In the spirit of sharing some training in the ways of industrial espionage we thought we’d share it with you. We know it will somebody out. But, if you prefer quality, you might enjoy the video as well.
I saw this one coming from a mile off. Congrats to Nick! Kick ass in the new job. Maybe now you can afford to make an honest woman out of WB.
West Valley City, UT- SilencerCo announced today that it has hired Nick Booras as VP of Sales to augment their growing team and support the company’s strategic sales and product development initiatives. Most recently, Nick was Senior Product Manager for On-Gun Accessories at the Remington Outdoor Company, and was previously in charge of military and international sales and business development for Magpul Industries Corp.
“Nick’s experience working with a broad spectrum of domestic and international customers is a welcome addition to our team,” said Silencerco CEO Josh Waldron, “With Nick’s help we will expand into new markets and continue to develop high quality, innovative products to meet the needs of the most demanding end users.”
“SilencerCo has created a culture of innovation by forming a team of talented, passionate individuals who are driven to be the best,” Nick said, “The company is young, creative, and aggressively pushing into new markets and product categories, which makes it an ideal fit for me.”
Booras started at Silencerco on 4 January 2014.
Dear Military Community,
All of us at Wild Things would like to wish you a Happy New Year. We thank you for all you do for our great country and we appreciate your excellence, effectiveness and dedication to duty and country.
I would also like to thank our supply chain partners with whom we weathered the Sequester – their support and efforts to continue to supply needed raw materials has been much appreciated.
2014 looks to be a better year for all of us that supply the military. A two-year federal government budget should allow the DOD to plan their buys with some degree of confidence.
2013 was a tough year for the industry and a particularly tough year for Wild Things. We are nearing the end of a multi-year transition at Wild Things – a transition that has resulted in new owners, new management, upgraded systems and processes, new and expanded product line and a revolutionary new approach to consumer product – and the Sequester hit us hard. We closed our New Hampshire office in June and let people go to reduce our operating costs. In addition, we had some production delays in 2013. Wild Things has always prided itself on our rapid delivery of quality products. We did not perform to our standards and I would like to apologize to all who were impacted by our delays.
The back half of 2013 was a dramatic improvement. Our sales bookings were strong. Our manufacturing ramped back up and we have been delivering product at a steady cadence. In the midst of this difficult year, the Wild Things team has launched an entire new line of FR products, including:
• New high performance Fire Retardant base layers made with a new wool blend that contains no Modacrylic;
• New GORE-TEX® PYRAD™ Fire Retardant Hard Shell Jacket and Pants;
• New Fire Retardant Low Loft Jacket made with GORE-TEX® PYRAD™ Fabric with Fast Pack technology shell.
Please contact Frank Tarantino or Grady Burrell (828.421.4349) regarding appointments for Military or Law Enforcement personnel at SHOT SHOW or Outdoor Retailer to review our new product line.
I would like to thank our distributor partners who work hard on our behalf and who show our products to customers around the world. We appreciate your efforts to grow the Wild Things community.
Best wishes to all for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2014.
– Ed Schmults and the Wild Things Team
