Kinsey’s Restructures, Creates Consumer Brands Division
OutdoorHub 09.11.13
Kinsey’s has restructured, creating a consumer brands division that ensures operational integrity between its business units.
Strong growth, a need for operational integrity and better internal organization between lines of business led Kinsey’s to create a consumer brands division. Longtime industry veteran, Matt Smith, has been charged with leading the new division as its consumer brands manager.
“As Kinsey’s grows, it’s critical that we remain vigilant when it comes to our core business – supporting our vendors and dealers through distribution. With our growth, separating the brands and distribution businesses is necessary,” says Rick Kinsey, vice president of sales for Kinsey’s. “Our brands are self-supporting; they are assuming their own financials and are responsible for operating profitably without additional support. If they don’t, they will fail. To maintain integrity and a level playing field, we are charging back our brands for backend support and distribution services – costs any business incurs. If the brands are ultimately successful, it’s because consumers are choosing their products at the retail level for their design, innovation and/or branding strength.”
In his consumer brands manager role, Smith is responsible for developing a team of dedicated employees, setting brand and product strategy for the October Mountain Products and Fin-Finder brands, as well as managing the divisions financials.
“Our brands exist because we have ideas that we know will bring both value and excitement to the archery experience,” says Matt Smith, consumer brands manager for Kinsey’s. “Our goal is to create better archery experiences at the user level. We’ll do this by further defining what the Fin-Finder and October Mountain Products brands are and who they ultimately serve. I’m excited.”
Smith, who now reports directly to Rick Kinsey, has begun working with other company leaders to develop operational guidelines that create additional clarity between the brands and distribution business units.
“When we created October Mountain Products we always hoped this day would come,” says Dave Parker, director of sales and strategy for Kinsey’s. “The brands have grown to a point that they need to be managed separately from the distribution business. I’m happy to be handing-off responsibility for the brands to Matt; he’s earned it and his vision for what they can become is inspiring.”
The creation of the consumer brands division means that Parker will now focus exclusively on his role as director of sales and strategic planning for Kinsey’s.
