Yakima will bring a new team and unveil a broad product line at next month’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. Show attendees will see a re-designed booth and an expanded presence at the Open Air Demo. Operating as Yakima Products, Inc., this will be the first show Yakima will attend as an independent brand.

“The changes during the last year are beginning to show fruit and this is the first glimpse of where we are going,” said Jim Clark, Yakima CEO. “With talented management, our new headquarters and the clear ability to focus on product, service and delivery, we now can provide retailers and consumers with an expanded product line with a clear point of difference. We are committed to providing first class product that more than exceeds consumer demands and to being the best business partner with our retailers. We are ready to dive in and look forward to having a busy show.”

In addition to Amy Buckalter, senior vice president of global sales and marketing and Steve Rodden, vice president of product development, who joined the company during the last year, David Fee, formerly brand manager for the Ford Mustang, one of the most successful cars in automotive history, has been appointed senior category business manager. New sales reps. have been added in the Rockies, the southwest and in California, almost doubling the coverage in these territories.

During the past few months, Rodden has led an expanded design team that is developing a new approach to product design language that will completely reshape the Yakima product line.

“We looked at every detail ranging from how a consumer thinks about his or her gear, to how they physically install it, to how wind impacts performance,” said Rodden. “Retailers will be able to see a preview of this direction at OR, giving them a very clear sense of our future direction.”

“The Yakima brand has always been about enabling outdoor enthusiasts to pursue their passions,” said Mike Steck, director of marketing for Yakima. “You will see this passion at OR Summer Market in the attention to product design and detail and in how we present our product to retailers and consumers. Attendees will feel the ‘Yakima love’ at the Open Air Demo and on day one at our opening party, where we will drink a toast to our retailers, consumers and vendors who have supported the brand throughout the years.”