Benchmade Knife Company named Ryan Coulter, founder of the everyday carry brand The James Brand, as VP of product. Coulter will oversee product strategy, innovation, roadmap development, customer insights and cross-functional alignment across product, sales, marketing and manufacturing.
Coulter officially joined Benchmade in May 2026.
Coulter’s career spans more than two decades across product innovation, industrial design and entrepreneurship. Before founding The James Brand in 2011, he held leadership roles at Nike, Burton Snowboards and Ziba Design. He has earned more than 30 patents throughout his career.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Coulter said in a statement. “I was not out looking for a job, but this opportunity found me and I felt like I would have been remiss to pass it up. Benchmade is an iconic global brand with an incredible factory, an incredible team and so much untapped potential. The opportunity to help build products at this scale, with design, manufacturing and innovation all happening under one roof here in Oregon, is something incredibly special.”
Jon deAsis, CEO of Benchmade, said the company conducted an extensive national search before landing on Coulter.
“After an extensive national search, it became clear that Ryan not only possesses world-class product and innovation experience, but also a deep belief in our brand, our heritage and our future,” deAsis said. “His entrepreneurial mindset, proven leadership and passion for American-made manufacturing make him an ideal fit for where Benchmade is headed.”
“There simply are not many companies like this left,” Coulter said. “Benchmade is a true category leader with an incredible heritage, an in-house factory and a deeply passionate team all working together under one roof. The ability to move seamlessly from an idea to the manufacturing floor and then ship those products around the world from right here in Oregon is incredibly inspiring to me.”
Image courtesy Benchmade Knife Company
