That is if you consider G4TV’s “Attack of the Show” the big time. Either way, pretty cool to make it on a TV show is spite of tens of thousands of other products.
This report from Weston Scott seen last night on AOTS features the BHI-15, some random Kimber pistol and the Barrett M107A1.
Well, this might have something to do with Sabre Defence being up for sale by their creditors. According to KNOX News, Sabre’s Owner, Guy Savage (this has got to be a pseudonym) was indicted by a Federal grand jury along with five four employees on Tuesday.
It turns out that the ATF raid last year was looking for employee criminal activity. The irony is that at the time Savage released a statement explaining that the ATF raid was looking for unauthorized transfers of weapons by employees. Turns out he was right, except that he and five four of his lieutenants were the employees the ATF was looking for. Specifically, the 21-count indictment alleges they conspired to illegally import and export firearms and components to and from the United States in violation of the Arms Export Control Act.
Update – Here is a link to information from the Dept of Justice on the case.
Propper International™ announces two key personnel changes, effective January 3, 2011. Rob Granick has been appointed President of the Commercial Division, and Joanna Jones has been appointed Vice President of Marketing – both responsible for growing the company’s presence in the commercial military, tactical, law enforcement and public safety markets. Propper commercial products are distributed through more than 2,500 military, law enforcement and specialty retail stores and websites across the country.
Mr. Granick comes to Propper with more than 20 years of broad industry and functional experience in operations, marketing, finance, consulting, sales and strategy. Having previously owned and operated a sporting goods company, he has unique insights into retail, identifying market opportunities and organizational management across multiple functions and locations.
“It is a privilege to have been entrusted with the position of President – Commercial Division,†said Mr. Granick. “I look forward to working with everyone at Propper to build on our unique brand story, achieve sustained growth and profitability and provide unparalleled value to our dealers and consumers.â€
In addition, Joanna Jones, a seventeen-year veteran of advertising and brand marketing, was appointed Vice President of Marketing – reporting to Mr. Granick. Ms. Jones is charged with building the Propper brand name and evolving in-store and online presence.
“The appointment of Rob and Joanna in key roles is evidence of Propper’s commitment to our Commercial Division, and we are confident they will help take the company and brand to the next level,†said Tom Kellim, President and CEO. “More than ever, Propper is committed to the expansion of our commercial offering, and building on our rich and authentic military heritage – with the highest quality and service in the industry.â€
Just shy of a year after being raided by the ATF, Sabre Defence Industries is being offered for sale by creditors. The ATF raid was connected to allegations against individual employees rather than the firm itself, but it wasn’t the first or last time the company had been in controversy. In late 2009 they were sued by a sub-contractor for non-payment for M2 machine gun bolts. Then, late last year, they lost the license to produce the AUGA3 from Steyr.
We don’t know which if any of these unfortunate events are to blame for the demise of Sabre Defence but it is currently being offered for sale under an Article 9 Foreclosure which is generally considered a friendly foreclosure. Interested parties have until 14 February to bid but you have to be serious as the creditor is asking for a $100k deposit in order to bid.
Full details of the sale are available at sabresale.com.
Interestingly, the Sabre Defence website is still working. www.sabredefence.com
An SSD advertiser has a job opening in the Mid-Atlantic for an experienced territory sales representative. The particulars are:
Title: Regional Sales Director
Territory: Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina
Compensation: Draw against commissions (current commission structure yields annual income of $100,000+)
Benefits: Outstanding…matching 401k, qualified retirement pension, excellent health coverage
Expenses: Paid by the Regional with exceptions for company-directed travel, sales meetings, and trade shows
Qualifications: At least 5 years of selling experience in the military apparel, footwear, or tactical gear industry. Must have a proven track record for developing new business, growing sales, and servicing accounts. Prior experience managing a multi-state territory is highly preferred. Successful candidate will demonstrate an ability to work with a variety of re-seller accounts as well as with end users.
This is a long established, well known leader in their category and they seek a high caliber, aggressive individual who is well respected in the industry and capable of growing distribution. Interested parties should send their resumes in confidence to: ripstop99@gmail.com
Be sure to attend the Soldier Technology US Conference & Exhibition THIS WEEK, January 31st – 3 February 2011 in Crystal City, Virginia. Now, in its 4th year, Soldier Technology will host 48 military and government decision makers who have confirmed to deliver requirement and program briefs, and lessons learned including:
• Brigadier General Peter N Fuller, Program Executive Officer, PEO Soldier
• Lt General Micheal Vane, Director, US Army Capabilities Integration Center
• Colonel Wil Riggins, Project Manager, Soldier Warrior, PEO Soldier
• Brigadier General Jess Scarbrough, Program Executive Officer, Program Executive Office, Chemical Biological Defense
• Major General (ret’d) Robert Scales, Former Commandant, US Army War College
The conference features Lightening The Load and Situational Awareness Focus Days. Download the full agenda here.
In addition to the conference program, the exhibition will hold over 50 exhibitors from system integrators such as: Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and QinetiQ and innovative solutions providers including: eMagin, Schott and Ultra Electronics.
Soldier Systems readers are entitled to a 15% discount to attend the show – quote code: 12607.004_SSY_1 when registering. You can register here.
If you require further detailed information please call Saima Qureshi on +44 (0) 20 7368 9465 or email soldiertechnologyus@wbr.co.uk.
If you’ve been around the trade show circuit for any amount of time, you’ve probably seen Ultimate Survival Technologies and their line of cool survival gadgets and armor systems. There are a few other pieces going on there but they generally keep that stuff behind closed doors.
Last week they announced: “Ultimate Survival Technologies (UST) of Monroe, Washington, has just announced the sale of its Recreation/Commercial Division to Revere Supply Co, Inc. of Jacksonville, Florida. The acquisition of the division will give UST the opportunity to solely focus on their military and law enforcement sales channels, with capital to expand current research and development initiatives in body armor, CBRNE defense, tactical gear and mobility systems.”
Awesome for them and awesome for Revere Supply as the products they purchased the rights to are well, pretty righteous. They include their patented all-weather fire starting systems, targetable and unbreakable signal mirrors, a premium outdoor saw, a low profile whistle, an ultralight emergency stove, and kits in which the tools are combined. Interestingly, UST will retains the sale of these products to the military so the Revere sale is purely for the commercial market.
Naturally, those involved in the deal made a few statements.
“We are very excited about what this means for our customers,†said Chris Venti, President and CEO of UST. “Revere is a well-established company with a great track record for customer service and a vast history in the survival and recreation industries. This transition will put us in an even stronger position to continue to innovate for and focus on our military and government customers.”
Revere President Andrew Kaufmann said this about the purchase: “Revere is focused on growing our business in the outdoor, aviation and leisure marine markets. We see the purchase of UST’s Recreational Division as a key acquisition that will help us to achieve this goal.â€
Bluewater Defense, Inc. has announced the appointment of Ms. Jennifer Boykin as the Vice President of Sourcing and Product Development. She was most recently the Military Programs Manager at New Balance, responsible for product costing, sourcing, supplier relations, product development, implementation and management of new products for the US Warfighter, including the successful implementation and delivery of the Marine Corps Physical Training Uniform. Prior to this position, she was a designer, sourcing and product development manager for numerous leading apparel companies, including Cartiers, Structure (a division of the Limited) and Andrea Gayle (a division of the Leslie Faye Co.).
“We are very pleased to have Jennifer as part of our team. She brings substantial military and commercial apparel manufacturing and sourcing experience to the company, helping us professionalize the front-end of our business. Jennifer prioritizes responding quickly to changing customer needs and her grasp of tactical equipment and uniform requirements is second to none,†said Eric Spackey, CEO of Bluewater Defense, Inc. “Jennifer has worked with our production team as a former customer and understands the importance of good communication, complete transparency and positive execution.’
In her new role at Bluewater Defense. Inc., Ms. Boykin will be responsible for leading the sourcing and development process on commercial and military programs, including managing and overseeing the supply-chain, planning, product development and small-run production.
Based in San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, and with 1500 employees Bluewater Defense, Inc., currently produces Army Combat Uniforms, Gen III Level 7 Parka’s and Trousers, Improved Outer Tactical Vests, and All Weather Coats. In addition to the government contracts, Bluewater Defense is manufacturing numerous items under commercial contracts, including sleep systems, cold weather, and safety gear.
