A newly formed investment group that acquired the assets of Granite Gear Inc. and Granite Tactical Gear last week will be scouting other potential acquisitions at the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City this week.


BRZZ Gear LLC, was formed last year by Bryan Kinsley, a 30-year veteran of High Sierra Sports Company, which was acquired last year by Samsonite International for $108 million in cash.


“In putting together a list of criteria for our initial acquisition, the Granite Gear brand and team fit the bill perfectly,” said Kinsley, who is now serving as CEO of Granite Gear LLC, the company BRZZ formed to acquire the Two Harbors, MN-based company.  “We see tremendous opportunities both domestically and internationally with the superior quality and heritage the brand exemplifies.”



Granite Gear co-founders Jeff Knight and Dan Cruikshank – both 51 – have assumed the roles of managing director and brand ambassador respectively, while co-founder and CFO Michael Cruikshank will stay on for a brief transition period before retiring. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.


Granite Gear will remain headquartered in Two Harbors, where it manufactures products used by the U.S. military and other defense contractors.


“It really sealed the deal for us when it became clear they saw the value of our Northern Minnesota headquarters and our long-term team of dedicated and talented staff,” said Knight.  “We are all looking forward to continued growth and innovative developments with this influx of new leadership, experience and capital.” 
Parties would not disclose Granite Gear’s annual sales, but said they are divided nearly evenly between its tactical and commercial divisions. The tactical division has contracts to provide medical packs, pack components and other gear to U.S. Special Forces. While budget sequestration triggered steep cuts in  spending on such contracts this spring, Granite Gear says the outlook for its tactical business is improving.
“We've been hearing about orders coming in the August timeframe for two of our government programs and there is great international potential for growth,” Knight told The B.O.S.S. Report.


BRZZ has installed two High Sierra veterans to key positions at Granite Gear. Zee Zhuang was named  VP of operations, where she will apply more than 25 years of global business experience to spearhead daily operations and factory relationships. Rob Coughlin, who was named to the SGB 40 Under 40 list in 2010 for his achievement as VP of sales at High Sierra, has been named SVP of sales and product development.


“We want to better market the brands,” said Coughlin, when reached late Friday. “We also plan to invest in the Two Harbors facility and expand the customer service department to better support our wholesale partners.”