Kent Outdoors appointed Randy Hales as its new CEO. Hales brings decades of consumer product experience to the role, having held executive positions in several high-growth companies, including as CEO at Next Level Apparel, the maker of blanks, CEO at ZAGG, Inc., a global mobile accessory company and CEO of Back to Basics, a maker of kitchen appliances.
“We’re honored to have Randy take the helm as CEO. His appointment marks a significant milestone for Kent Outdoors as we focus on building the brands and positioning the company for future growth,” said Kent Executive Chairman Lee Belitsky. “He brings a transformative leadership style and deep consumer product experience in both direct-to-consumer and business-to-business environments. The combination of his professional background and personal passion for the outdoors make Randy an ideal match for Kent’s brand portfolio.”
“I’m excited and honored to be joining the Kent team,” said Hales. “Kent has an incredibly strong portfolio of brands and a track record for adapting to market changes, driving new product innovation, and leveraging the growing consumer interest in outdoor recreation. It’s an exciting time as the company is positioned for continued growth and market leadership.”
While at ZAGG, Hales was honored as the Utah Public Company CEO of the Year. He serves on the Board of Directors at Boise State University Foundation, volunteers with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, and is a National Association of Corporate Directors Fellow.
The hiring comes as Kent Outdoors said on April 19 announced a $100 million credit facility from asset-based lender (ABL) Eclipse Business Capital. The new ABL facility follows recent investments from Goldman Sachs and Comvest Partners.
Belitsky joined Kent as part of the capital investment, with significant experience in the sporting goods industry as a key executive who helped drive Dick’s Sporting Goods growth over the past 25 years.
Kent recently appointed Rob Otto as chief financial officer. Otto joined Kent after completing the sale of RW Designs, where he was the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, a wholesale and direct-to-consumer business. Prior to this, Otto held CFO and COO executive leadership roles at multiple CPG companies, including Z Gallerie, Hudson Jeans, Seven For All Mankind, and Affliction Holdings.
Founded in 1959 in New London, OH, and now based in Salt Lake City, UT, Kent Outdoors makes a wide range of outdoor products, including personal flotation devices, wakeboards, water skis, towable tubes, and snowboards.
The company’s portfolio has under its umbrella 15 brands, including Bote, HO/Hyperlite, Connelly, O’Brien, Liquid Force, Onyx, Aquaglide, Barefoot/Fatsac, and Arbor Snowboards (managed by agreement with the Arbor Collective).
Images courtesy Kent Outdoors/Randy Hales, LinkedIn
