Mountainsmith has formed a new camera bag division that will focus on non-outdoor accounts including specialty camera shops and consumer electronic stores. This new division will have its own sales force reporting to Gareth Richards, vice president of sales for the company. The announcement was made by Geoff O'Keeffe, president of Mountainsmith.
Mountainsmith's camera bag line was first introduced at retail in the fall of 2004 and has since seen phenomenal growth. The company attended the PMA, Photo Marketing Association, International Trade Show in Orlando, Florida in 2005 and then again this past February. “The potential we saw, especially at this last PMA show, underscored our need for manpower to reach beyond the outdoor envelope,” commented O'Keeffe. “With just a small booth and three company representatives, the additional distribution, press contacts, and new rep possibilities paid for the show in just hours. By tapping into the knowledge and expertise of a new group of reps to complement our strong and dedicated existing group, our intent is to seriously bolster sales of our camera bags. Mountainsmith is on the move.”
The new sales representatives will call on non-outdoor accounts not handled by the current staff, all of whom were given the opportunity to expand into other markets but chose to focus on their existing network of outdoor retailers. Steve Moss will cover the Pacific Northwest, Ben Chin the Midwest, Tom Tingle in the Southeast, and Mike Deutsch in New York and New England. All four have extensive experience in the camera products market. In making the announcement, O'Keeffe said, “We've announced this strategic initiative to increase our camera bag market share. I'm happy to have our four new reps on board and look forward to further expanding the team. This move demonstrates our level of commitment to finding new markets for our products.”
