Tommy Armour Golf Company, a division of Huffy Corporation, announced a new management team that will be responsible for leading the reinvigoration of one the golf industrys most storied franchises, which includes the Tommy Armour®, RAM®, Teardrop® and Zebra® Golf brands.
Backed by a strong commitment and increased financial resources from Huffy, and coming on the heels of a remarkable 40% sales growth in a flat 2002 golf equipment market, the new management structure was created at a time when the company is receiving early rave reviews on its 2003 Tommy Armour product line.
The new management team will be led by John Collins, a former Nike executive and Senior Vice President – Licensing & Corporate Marketing at Huffy, who has assumed the role of Tommy Armour Golfs President. Collins will be anchored by Bill Dey, Senior Vice President-Director, Golf Division, Richard Simms, Vice President of Sales, and John Gutelius, Vice-President, Marketing and Product Development. Dey, Simms and Gutelius — a veteran Tommy Armour Golf executive — have all been instrumental in helping to direct a strategy centered on restoring the Company to the level of prominence it enjoyed in the ´90s.
“Tommy Armour has been receiving rave reviews on its new 2003 collection, built on the playability factor and game improvement story of its statement 845 Silverback irons. Golf represents a key platform for growth in the future for Huffy that requires proven marketing leadership, something we know John will bring to the division,” said Don Graber, Chairman, President and CEO of Huffy Corporation.
