Sportsman’s Warehouse Holdings, Inc. appointed Paul Stone, a former executive at Cabela’s, as chief executive officer and president, effective November 1. Stone will also join the retailer’s Board of Directors.
Stone succeeds Joseph Schneider, who had been serving as interim CEO and president following the retirement of former CEO Jon Barker in April 2023. Schneider will continue to serve as independent Board Chair until the end of 2023, when he retires from the Board, and director Rich McBee will succeed him as independent chair.
Sportsman’s Warehouse said Stone is a seasoned executive with direct experience in the outdoor specialty retail space, having been the chief retail officer of Cabela’s, Inc., where he modernized the company’s digitization strategy.
Most recently, Stone was president and chief operating officer of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. from 2021 to 2023, overseeing more than 11,000 global locations. He was also interim chief executive officer and served on the company’s Board from 2020 to October 2021 and assisted in driving the company’s emergence from bankruptcy. He was also Hertz’s executive vice president and chief retail operations officer for North America from 2018 to 2020.
Before joining Hertz, Stone was the chief retail officer of Cabela’s, Inc. from 2015 to 2017. Before Cabela’s, he spent 28 years with Sam’s Club, a subsidiary of Walmart, Inc., in various leadership roles, ultimately overseeing a P&L of approximately $18 billion and 30,000 employees.
“After carefully considering a wide range of candidates, the Board believes that Paul is the ideal choice to lead Sportsman’s Warehouse through its next chapter of growth,” said Schneider. “Not only does Paul share the company’s passion for the outdoors, but he is also an experienced leader who has helped drive significant positive transformation in the retail sector. Paul’s prior retail leadership roles make him especially qualified to execute the Company’s plan to catalyze growth, enhance the focus on our e-commerce platforms and private-label products, and improve our overall customer experience. We are very pleased to welcome him to Sportsman’s Warehouse and believe it is a testament to the strength of our brand that we were able to attract a candidate as highly qualified as Paul.”
“As a lifelong outdoorsman, I am thrilled to be joining Sportsman’s Warehouse at such a pivotal time for the company,” said Stone. “Sportsman’s Warehouse has taken significant steps over the past several months to enhance shareholder value, including reducing its expense structure and managing inventory, and I am excited to begin working with the rest of the talented management team and the Board to build on these actions and set the Company’s strategic pathway.”
Martha Bejar, lead independent Director of the Board, said, “On behalf of the entire Sportsman’s Warehouse team, I want to express our gratitude to Joe for his many contributions to the Board, first as a director, then as Chair, and finally over the past several months as Interim Chief Executive Officer and President. His continued presence on the Board and in the Chair role until the end of 2023 will help ensure a smooth transition process.”
McBee has served as a member of the Sportsman’s Warehouse Board since November 2018. He is president and chief executive officer of CLEAResult Consulting, Inc., a position he has held since July 2021. Before that, McBee was president and chief executive officer of Riverbed Technology from 2019 to 2021. Previously, he was president and chief executive officer of Mitel Networks Corp. from 2011 to 2019, where he led Mitel’s global strategy, business performance and global execution. He also served on the company’s Board of Directors.
Bejar added, “Rich is ideally qualified to step into the role of chair for Sportsman’s Warehouse. His diverse business experience and extensive technology background—as well as his passion for the outdoors—have made him a valuable asset on our Board since he joined in 2018. We are confident he will bring the right perspectives and oversight as we execute our strategy moving forward. Further, after these changes take effect, our Board will be comprised of eight highly qualified members with diverse skillsets and experiences, over fifty percent of whom have joined since August 2022.”
Photos courtesy Sportsman’s Warehouse
