Sally McCoy resigns from CamelBak

After 9 years as the company’s CEO, Sally McCoy, announces her resignation from CamelBak today. McCoy spoke exclusively with SNEWS about her departure: “You know the old saying ‘Leave your campsite better than you found it?’ I feel 100% confident that I’ve done that with CamelBak.” In a 2006 SNEWS interview, McCoy laid out her vision for the company: “CamelBak is a category creator and we are not currently acting like one. That will change. Everything CamelBak should do should be about expanding and innovating hydration and essential gear. We own the water category and we need to run the company accordingly.” By any measure, McCoy has done just that. A few years before she took over the helm, the company was valued at $210 million according to a Wall Street Journal article. During her tenure, CamelBak has gone through two private equity sales: In 2011, it was acquired by Compass Diversified Holdings for $257 million and in July 2015 Vista Outdoor purchased it for 412.5 million. The growth is largely due to innovation spearheaded by McCoy’s team: They moved the water bottle bar in 2006 bar with the launch of the first-ever bite valve water bottle .After the BPA scare, CamelBak was first to market with a BPA-free plastic bottle. They developed a chemical-and biological-resistant reservoir for the Army. And they redefined the reservoir category in 2011 with the launch of a lumbar bladder that places weight low for better stability. McCoy’s resignation is effective on Feb. 1, 2016. “I’ve accomplished what I’ve wanted to, and it’s a good time to step aside,” she told SNEWS. She’s looking forward to taking some time off, getting in shape, and getting outdoors with her 12-year old twin boys. “Being outdoors will scour my thinking clean,” she says. “It’s an interesting time for brands, retail and conservation. I have lots of passion and energy, and I have to figure out where to take it next.”

Sally wants to spend time outdoors.

Layne Rigney, a 10-year veteran at CamelBak and currently head of Global Sales, will be taking over as CEO. McCoy will continue to be a senior advisor to Vista during the transition. McCoy will be the featured speaker at the upcoming OIWC Keynote Presentation at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market on January 9th, 7 a.m. at the Marriott Downtown in Salt Lake City, Utah. Stay tuned for a feature story about McCoy in Day 4 of the O.R. Daily. –Kristin Hostetter