TracMe Beacons P/L, a manufacturer of personal location beacons, named Brent Turner as general manager for TracMe USA to lead its product launch operations in the U.S. and Canada.

“After an industry-wide search, we’re pleased to find a person with global sales and an international brand launch track record to launch a new PLB technology in North America,” said Joe Rainczuk, chief executive officer of TracMe’s Australian headquarters north of Melbourne.

Turner has held key positions at Northwave, K2 and Dana Designs and has nearly 20 years of industry experience in managerial and sales positions in cycling, outdoor and snow sports. Most recently he was CEO of Northwave North American, the N.A. subsidiary of the Italian snowboard boot and bike shoe brand. He was previously Vice President and General Manager for Snowboard and Outdoor Divisions with K2. Turner has an MBA from the University of Washington/Seattle and holds three U.S. patents for snowboard bindings.

Turner will base TracMe’s U.S. operations in Seattle, Wash. One of Turner’s key initiatives is to build a strong network of independent sales representatives to work with TracMe throughout North America.

The TracMe PLB team initially visited the 2006 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City, Utah as part of an Australian outdoor industry contingent. The company currently has its PLBs in active field tests on both coasts with SAR industry experts. TracMe is also launching a Field Demonstration Kit loan program (each valued at $500, loaned and shipped free of charge) to search and rescue agencies across the United States to introduce the SAR community to TracMe’s new beacon technology. Tilo Schmidt, TracMe’s chief technical officer, is scheduled to present a search and rescue workshop at the upcoming National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR) annual conference May 31 in Charlotte, N.C.

“One of TracMe’s most significant benefits in search and rescue is its signal compatibility with the FRS/GMRS Ch1 signal of more than 100 million trail radios commonly used throughout the United States,” says Turner. “We have an excellent opportunity to save search and rescue resources and minimize the pressure on SAR teams, while bolstering the map and compass education of the millions of Americans who continue to explore their backcountry with this new 11th essential.”