Simms Fishing Products, manufacturer of waders, outerwear, footwear, and technical fishing apparel, appointed Lee Fromson as executive vice president.
“In our quest to drive product innovation and provide better solutions for serious anglers, while continuing to improve our delivery and service levels to our dealers, we have hired one of the most talented executives in the outdoor industry,” said K. C. Walsh, President of Simms. “I have known Lee for almost 20 years, and I am thrilled that he is joining our team.”
Fromson has strong manufacturing and product engineering credentials, having spent 24 years at Cascade Designs, a designer and manufacturer of premier outdoor, recreational and medical rehabilitation products including stalwart brands such as Therm-A-Rest, Mountain Safety Research (MSR), Seal Line and Varilite. As President of Cascade Designs, Lee was instrumental in developing a world-class product engineering team.
After Cascade Designs, Fromson joined REI, holding several roles during his seven year tenure and was most recently the Senior Vice President of Merchandising. During that time, Fromson helped double the nation’s leading outdoor retailer’s revenue. In this senior leadership position, he oversaw the company’s merchandising strategy, financial planning, inventory management strategies and vendor partnership development.
Over the last year, Fromson served as president/COO for Goal Zero, innovator and market leader of renewable, reliable, mobile personal power.
“Simms Fishing Products represents a very compelling leadership opportunity, and I am thrilled to be able to serve the company in this new capacity,” said Fromson. “The global opportunity for Simms is vast, and I look forward to driving innovation and operational excellence for the company.”
Fromson wades into his role by attending the ICAST/IFTD industry trade show in Orlando and is looking forward to meeting all of the great folks in the fishing network that have helped Simms be successful.
