Sierra Designs and its brand manager Mike Glavin have parted ways, The B.O.S.S Report has learned.
Glavin, who joined the Boulder, Colo.-based specialty outdoor brand in 2012, led a what was deemed a successful reboot of Sierra Designs in 2014, in which the business scrapped virtually its entire product line and started from scratch.
New products debuted under the reboot, such as Sierra Design’s Backcountry Bed sleeping bags and Flash tents, won praise and industry awards for their innovations. That included a zipperless design on the sleeping bags and the decision to move the location of the tent's vestibule to create an unencumbered entry.
A product couldn’t just be new under the Sierra Designs reboot, “it had to be better and different,” Glavin frequently said.
“In three years [at Sierra Designs], our team eliminated a $2.7 million negative operating profit and doubled gross profit while consistently increasing margin dollars,” Glavin wrote on his Linkedin page. “More importantly, we re-inspired a tired, declining brand and made it relevant and worthwhile again by replacing every item in the line with an innovative ‘better and different’ product solution.”
Before joining Sierra Designs, Glavin worked at MSR, Therm-a-rest, GSI Outdoor and also served as an independent contractor for numerous outdoor brands, the latter a role he has returned to for his ZenBivy business.
Exxel Outdoor, which purchased Sierra Designs and its sister brands including Kelty and Wetzel and Slumberjack under the American Recreation Products banner earlier this year, is seeking a new vice president and brand manager for Sierra Designs.
Officials with Exxel confirmed Glavin’s departure, but American Rec CEO Brett Jordan was unavailable for further comment as of press time Nov. 23.
–David Clucas
