Deana L. McPherson has been named Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary for Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc.
The previously announced transition follows the retirement of Jeffrey D. Buchanan and the completion of the spin-off of the company’s outdoor products and accessories business.
“Since joining Smith & Wesson in 2007, Deana has made significant contributions to our company, first in her role as Corporate Controller, and later in key leadership roles that expanded the scope and complexity of her responsibilities," Mark Smith, President and CEO. "Her experience, strong leadership skills, and extensive knowledge of Smith & Wesson’s financial operations make her a tremendous fit for the role of Chief Financial Officer, and her long history with our company will provide a seamless transition.”
McPherson joined Smith & Wesson in June 2007 as Corporate Controller, was later promoted to Vice President of Finance and Corporate Controller, and became Chief Accounting Officer in 2017. Her extensive finance and treasury experience with the company includes responsibility for financial reporting and oversight of the company’s audit, tax, and banking matters. McPherson has played a key role in Smith & Wesson’s longstanding relationship with its lenders, and her work has been instrumental in managing the company’s syndicated bank credit facility.
McPherson is a Certified Public Accountant, a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Massachusetts Institute of Public Accountants. She earned her BBA in Accounting at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. With more than 25 years as a financial professional, she began her career as a Senior Auditor with Deloitte & Touche LLP.
With the completion of the spin-off of Smith & Wesson’s outdoor products and accessories business, Buchanan retires after 15 years of service to the company, including six years as a member of the Board of Directors prior to becoming CFO.
Lucas Oil Outdoor Line Signs New Rep Groups
Lucas Oil Outdoor Line has signed two rep groups for the Midwest and South Central areas of the United States.
Ferguson-Keller and Frontier Sales & Marketing Group will represent the central part of the United States. Ferguson-Keller will represent 11 states in the Midwest. Frontier Sales & Marketing Group will represent four states in the south-central region.
Ferguson-Keller, based in Minneapolis, has more than 48 years of experience in the hunting, fishing, marine, and outdoors markets and represents some of the leading manufacturers within the industry. It will service current and future accounts within its specific territory.
Frontier Sales & Marketing Group of Katy, Texas, was founded by Dennis Clark and Brad Downey in 1999. Since then the agency's focus has expanded to include hunting, fishing, farm and ranch, Western wear, outdoor specialty, department stores, hardware and law enforcement.
Savage Arms Launches Virtual Training Tools
In light of the exceptional circumstances facing traditional sales and distribution channels, Savage Arms has developed the 2020 Fall Sales Training video series to help educate retailers and customers.
The content highlights Savage’s technological advancements and will serve as an introduction to new products.
“We were hoping we’d be back to business as usual by now,” said Rob Gates, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Savage. “While we won’t be able to see many of our customers face-to-face, we can still keep everyone informed on what’s happening here at Savage—and that starts with our 2020 Fall Sales Training videos.”
The 2020 Fall Sales Training curriculum will cover a range of subjects. Introductory topics will help new customers build a comprehensive overview of the brand and its innovations. The breadth of the catalog will be broken out into segments dedicated to Savage’s centerfire rifles, rimfires, and shotguns. In addition to announcing new products, these videos will help facilitate person to person training sessions and can be passed along to dealer and retailer store staff.
To access the training videos, please contact your local Savage sales representative. Topics include:
- Why Savage?
- Savage Technology
- 2020 New Products
- Centerfire Product Information
- Rimfire Products Information
- Shotgun Product Information
- Marketing Overview and Tools
The 2020 Fall Training series is available now through your local Savage representative. Savage reps will be available for virtual appointments with customers and buy groups. Email salessupport@savagearms.com to contact your local sales representative.
Smoak Joins Bangers LP
Spencer Smoak has joined Bangers LP to lead its logistics and warehousing team at the Birmingham, Alabama, distribution center.
Most recently Smoak served as General Manager for DHL logistics at its 3.3-million-square-foot distribution hub in Woodruff, South Carolina. He was responsible for oversight of executing facility objectives to include safety, throughput, quality, and process improvement. Prior to working for DHL, he had a distinguished 13-year career with shooting sports distributor United Sporting Companies located in Chapin, South Carolina. At USC, Spencer had oversight for all aspects of facility management and logistics at its South Carolina location.
Ross New Senior Creative Manager for Primary Arms
Kenneth Ross has been named Senior Creative Manager for Primary Arms.
In this position, Ross will manage the creation of all Primary Arms creative media, including graphic design, photography, and videography.
Starting in the automotive industry, Ross spent 17 years with Crain Communications as a designer for publications such as Automotive News. After years of recognized success, Ross was promoted to Executive Creative Director for Autoweek Media Group, representing clients such as Chevrolet, Porsche, and Dodge. In this position, Ross worked across a wide variety of media formats, including website and app development, print publication, video, and television.
Ross also served as Creative Director for Athlon Outdoors and Creative Director for Century Arms, where he designed and managed packaging, ads, websites, social media, and all other graphics media.
“We’re delighted to bring Kenneth Ross onto our team,” said Miranda Cook, Primary Arms’ Director of Outbound Marketing. “His years of industry creative experience will be a great support to all of our divisions, helping Primary Arms with a competitive creative direction towards all of our marketing efforts.”
