CamelBak Appoints Massimo Fregonese Director of European Sales

CamelBak Products LLC, the world leader in hydration systems, today announced that Massimo Fregonese has joined the CamelBak team as Director of European Sales. His appointment is effective today.

Fregonese comes to CamelBak with over 12 years of European cycling industry experience, most recently at Selle Royal S.P.A. in Italy. During his time at Selle Royal, Fregonese held several significant sales, marketing, and export positions, and was a key player in the launch of the internationally successful saddle brand Fi’zi:k.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to work for such an established brand that is the pioneer and the leader in the category,” says Fregonese. “I’m looking forward to joining the team and working with our partners in Europe to help CamelBak reach its full potential globally.”

“I’m thrilled to have Massimo on the team and am confident he will bring continued success to our business in Europe,” says Layne Rigney, CamelBak’s Vice President of Recreational Sales. “As an avid outdoor enthusiast and with his experience working with many of our key distributors, he is well-positioned to build the hydration market in Europe for CamelBak.”

About CamelBak CamelBak Products, LLC. is the originator of the Hands-Free Hydration system. Since 1991, CamelBak’s state of the art packs and hydration systems have benefited athletes, outdoor enthusiasts, and military/government professionals around the world. CamelBak continues to deliver innovative hydration products to the market with the belief in the performance advantage that proper hydration can deliver in any situation. The company is a privately held portfolio company of Bear Stearns Merchant Banking (BSMB) and is headquartered in Petaluma, California.

About BSMB BSMB, the private equity affiliate of The Bear Stearns Companies Inc. (NYSE: BSC), invests private equity capital in compelling leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations and growth capital opportunities alongside superior management teams. BSMB focuses on making control or entrepreneur-driven investments, principally in middle-market retail, financial services and consumer products companies. Since its formation in 1997, BSMB has been an investor in over 50 portfolio companies. BSMB manages nearly $5 billion of private equity capital, including its new $2.7 billion institutional fund and capital dedicated to its affiliate, Bear Growth Capital Partners. Recent investments by BSMB include: ACA Capital Holdings, Balducci’s, CamelBak Products, Cavalry Investments, Churchill Financial Holdings, Dairyland, Everything But Water, Harlem Furniture, Multi Packaging Solutions, New York & Company (NYSE: NWY), Reddy Ice (NYSE: FRZ), Seven For All Mankind, Stuart Weitzman, Transamerican Auto Parts Company and Vitamin Shoppe. More information about BSMB can be found at www.bsmb.com.