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Kruger Optical taps Rich Babcock as National Sales Manager

Thursday, March 11th, 2010 at 5:34 pm

Kruger Optical taps Rich Babcock as National Sales Manager

Kruger Optical

Kruger Optical

Sisters, OR –-(AmmoLand.com)- Long-time optics sales executive Rich Babcock has joined sports optics provider Kruger Optical, the company announced today.

Babcock assumes the role of National Sales Manager. He will be responsible for expanding sales of sports optics and accessories, including binoculars, riflescopes, spotting scopes and other products for the hunting and outdoor recreation markets.

“Rich brings a vast array of knowledge and experience to our company that is unmatched in the marketplace today,” said Dan Callen, Kruger’s vice president of sales and marketing. “He has built many strong relationships throughout the industry and is extremely well respected within the optics market.”

“We are lucky to have someone of his caliber joining our team and believe he has the ability to help us grow in the short and long term,” Callen said.

Babcock has gained a wealth of experience in the optics field during his 38-year sales career. As regional sales manager for Bushnell Outdoor Products, he was responsible for sales of sports optics in a 12-state region, in addition to having responsibility for several large national accounts.

Prior to joining Bushnell, Babcock was an account executive for Bausch & Lomb Inc. and Xerox Corp.

“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” Babcock said. “I hope I can build on the previous success of the Kruger Optical team.”

“This opportunity allows me to stay in contact with people in an industry that I have spent a lot of years with,” he continued. “I look forward to getting back in touch with them.”

Babcock will work from his home in Carmel, IN, where he lives with his wife, Linda. When he’s not selling optics, Babcock enjoys golf, reading, working out and following Michigan State University football and basketball. He also enjoys spending time with friends and family, including his two daughters and 3-year-old granddaughter. “Grandkids bring a totally new meaning to life and a way to pay back your kids for the stuff they did growing up,” Babcock said.

Kruger offers a line of innovative, price-sensitive specialty optics for the sporting goods and tactical markets. Products include the K4™, K5™ and TacDriver™ riflescopes, DTS™ 1-8×40 Dual Tactical Sight, Caldera™, Kalahari™ and Kilimanjaro™ binoculars, and various tripods and accessories.

Kruger-branded products are aimed at customers who are willing to look beyond well-known brands to find unusual innovation and value. Kruger products are engineered in the company’s Sisters, OR, facility, with selected products manufactured in Oregon.

In addition, Kruger is developing a line of Discovery Expedition™ binoculars under license from Discover Communications, LLC. Discovery Expedition binoculars will be available in the summer of 2010.

Kruger also provides private label optics for a variety of large retailers, and they offer Columbia Sport Optics under license from Columbia Sportswear Co.

Babcock is available to discuss sales of any of these product lines. He can be reached at (913) 814-7844, or by email at RichB@krugeroptical.com.

About Kruger Optical
Kruger Optical is a full-service provider of quality sports optics. Headquartered in Sisters, Oregon, and Walnut, California, the company has been providing binoculars, riflescopes, spotting scopes and other optics products, as well as optical engineering services for more than a decade. With nearly 150 years of combined experience in optical product development and marketing, Kruger Optical’s talented and dedicated staff is committed to developing innovative, high performance products for the discerning customer. To learn more, please visit our website at http://www.krugeroptical.com.

Leupold Promotes Pat Mundy to Communications Manager

Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 2:18 pm

Leupold Promotes Pat Mundy to Communications Manager

Leupold Scopes

Leupold Scopes

BEAVERTON, Ore. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Leupold & Stevens, Inc. announces the promotion of Pat Mundy to communications manager.

An avid hunter, shooter and handloader, Mundy oversees a staff of six in developing and implementing advertising, public relations, interactive and other marketing communications.

Prior to his promotion, Mundy served as marketing communications supervisor. He joined Leupold in 2003 as senior marketing communications specialist. He previously spent 6½ years working in advertising and public relations for an agency in the Portland, Ore., area that specializes in hunting and shooting accounts.

A native of Canby, Ore., Mundy is a graduate of the University of Oregon in Eugene with a degree in English literature. Post-graduation he attended Oregon State University in Corvallis, taking course work in business and management.

“Pat has tremendous knowledge of Leupold products and markets, as well as great passion for the hunting and shooting sports,” said Mike Slack, Leupold’s senior corporate communications manager. “Over the past seven years, he has become a key member of our marketing team and made many contributions to our business success. It is a real pleasure to work with Pat and to announce this well-deserved promotion.”

Leupold & Stevens, Inc., the most prominent American-owned and -operated optics company, employs more than 600 people in its state-of-the-art facility near Beaverton, Ore. Leupold is a fifth-generation, family-owned company whose products are sold worldwide to hunters, competitive shooters, wildlife observers, golfers, law enforcement officers and special operations military personnel.

Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is a Charter Supporter of the Hunting and Shooting Sports Heritage Foundation.