Kenny Ballard today was named president of Kelty, Inc., the
Colorado-based outdoor equipment company with more than a half century of backpacking heritage. The former Kelty Director of Sales and an 18-year veteran of the outdoor
industry, Ballard will take over as chief strategist for the brand beginning on Jan. 1, 2005.

“For 52 years, Kelty has devoted itself to creating some of the finest
outdoor products in the world, while remaining unquestionably faithful to
the tradition and spirit of backpacking,” said Ballard. “Im truly looking
forward to this unique opportunity and the challenges that lay ahead.”

“Kenny is a driver and, most importantly, a team player,” said George
Grabner, president of American Recreation Products, which owns Kelty. “The
ability to be the centerpiece of a new sales team and to lead it forward
were our primary considerations for selecting Kenny.”

“We were quite pleased to hear the news of Kenny’s promotion, and look
forward to working with him,” said Candyce Johnnson, REI Director of
Merchandising/Camping. “From a professional standpoint, the consistency
created by an internal promotion is certainly appealing. And from a
personal perspective, Kenny’s energy and enthusiasm is a great asset to our
ongoing partnership.”

Ballard touts a wealth of experience at all levels of outdoor industry
sales, including sales strategy, retail management, and field sales
representation. Ballard joined Kelty in 2000 as national sales manager. In
October, 2002, he was promoted to director of sales.

Prior to joining Kelty, Ballard’s experience in the outdoor industry
included work at Mad River Canoe as the national sales and brand manager; at
Moonstone Mountaineering as the director of sales; and at Montbell America
as the director of sales and marketing.

Ballard is an avid hiker, backpacker, and camper. He also enjoys telemark
skiing, fly fishing and bicycling. He is married with two children, and
attended the University of Vermont.

Known throughout his career for a combination of professionalism and
enthusiasm, Ballard fills the position vacated by Casey Sheahan, who
resigned earlier this month for a new professional opportunity.

The brand was founded in 1952 by Dick Kelty, who launched the company from a
home workshop in Glendale, Calif. A tireless inventor and passionate
outdoorsman, Kelty was known as the “father of the frame pack” for numerous
innovations in backpack design that improved weight distribution and
introduced the idea of comfort to the sport.

Kelty’s legacy of innovation includes the first aluminum frame backpack, the
first waist-belt, the first padded shoulder straps, the first nylon
pack-bag, the first zippered pockets, the first hold-open bar, and the first
use of clevis pins.

While Kelty’s innovations in comfort helped the brand become a leader in
recreational outdoor products, his commitment to quality led to the
inclusion of Kelty packs on several historically significant mountaineering
expeditions. Kelty packs were a key component of the first ascent of the
West Ridge of Everest by William F. Unsoeld and Thomas F. Hornbein (1963);
the National Geographic Antarctica expedition (1966); the USA ascent of K2
(1975); the first ascent of Cholatse (1982); and the Seven Summits
Expedition (1983).