Vista Outdoor Inc., the parent of Bushnell, Federal Premium, Savage Arms, Primos, Blackhawk! and Bollé, hired Brett Merrell to serve as its vice president of marketing.
“Brett has 25 years of extensive marketing and branding experience with consumer products,” said Mark DeYoung, Vista Outdoor chairman and chief executive officer. “He's worked in marketing and management for both product manufacturers and the retailer, and I'm confident his contributions to Vista Outdoor will lead to the company's long-term growth and continued success.”
Merrell will report to DeYoung and is responsible for the company's brand strategies, innovation and new product development, advertising, research, consumer and market insights, and analytics and brand performance.
Prior to joining Vista Outdoor, Merrell served as a senior vice president for Giant Eagle, Inc. where he was responsible for overseeing $1.2 billion in annual sales. He also served in several key marketing leadership positions while at Giant Eagle. Prior to that, Merrell was a general manager and a vice president for Gerber Products Company. He also worked as vice president of marketing for Melaleuca, Inc. and director of new product development for Sargento Foods, Inc. Merrell began his marketing career at the Proctor & Gamble Company and also worked as a manager/controller for Citibank.
Merrell holds a bachelor's degree from Utah State University and an MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management.
