Walden Sold to DeSantis, Hearn
Posted on Tuesday, December 2 2003
Walden Sold to DeSantis, Hearn
Staying family oriented is a priority for Ayer, Mass.’s Walden Sports. And the company’s new owners intend to keep it that way. Jeffrey DeSantis and his son-in-law, Bill Hearn, bought the company Oct. 10 from previous owners Hardigg Industries. As well as staying family friendly to dealers and customers, DeSantis and Hearn say they want to further Walden’s goals of being environmentally conscious and building high quality kayaks at affordable prices. “We see the future of producing boats that are more useful in the recreational market,” DeSantis says. “We want to bring upper-line technologies to the general public.”
DeSantis, an engineer by training, was most recently a business consultant in general management and manufacturing. Previously, he founded a medical equipment company and held senior management positions at General Electric Co. and Raytheon. Hearn, also an engineer, is a world-class paddler, competing C-1 and C-2 slalom for the U.S. National team between 1986 and 1995. Hearn’s family is famous in most paddling circles: His brother, Davey, and sister, Cathy, are both former Olympians and world champions in slalom C-1 and K-1, respectively.
Johnson Outdoors Restructures Rep Force
Posted on Tuesday, December 2 2003
Johnson Outdoors Restructures Rep Force
Johnson Outdoors—owners of Old Town Canoe, Necky, Ocean Kayak, Carlisle and ExtraSport—has launched a new framework for its sales reps to bring all four brands into one sales effort. The move was made, according to Johnson officials, to leverage collective strength to benefit dealers. Now instead of dealing with numerous sales reps who handle individual and, at time, competing brands, dealers will connect with one sales rep for the four Johnson brands. “This is going to allow us to better serve the customer regardless of their size and be able to channel our efforts by reducing their cost of dealing with numerous sales rep agencies,” says Cynthia Georgeson, director of communications for Johnson Outdoor. Necky was not included in the move because of its specialization within the paddlesports market, according to Georgeson.
The new framework includes 11 sales rep groups—down from 20—covering the entire country. All will carry Old Town, Ocean Kayak, ExtraSport and Carlisle. In a letter sent to all Johnson dealers, Mark Leopold, vice president of Johnson’s watercraft division, stated that the transition was meant to streamline and simplify the relationships between Johnson and the sales reps, saying the model “combines and leverages the synergies, efficiency and resources of a larger organization, with the flexibility and agility of a smaller company.”
ExtraSport Restructures, Moves Facility
Posted on Tuesday, December 2 2003
ExtraSport Restructures, Moves Facility
In a move meant to further develop the company, ExtraSport, as well as its sales, marketing and product development, integrated with Leisure Life Limited, located in Grand Rapids, Mich. ExtraSport’s facility in Miami, Fla., closed in the transition completed on Oct. 1. Anticipating the move, company president Sandy Spielmaker says ExtraSport, a company under the Johnson Outdoors brand, built product ahead of time to ensure adequate supply for the 2004 season. Orders placed with ExtraSport were not affected by the move. ExtraSport’s new address is 4855 Broadmoor, S.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49512. Call (616) 698-3000, fax (616) 698-2734, or visit www.extrasport.com.