Gregory Packs energizes team with new president, N. Am. sales manager

TEMECULA, Calif. (January 11, 2007) – Gregory Mountain Products, the international leader for three decades in backpacks for the full range of outdoor activities, this week announced a new management and sales team, aimed at energizing the outdoor industry’s most recognized pack brand as it heads into its fourth decade in business.

At the top, Gregory hired John Simons as its new president and Jim BoisD’Enghien as its new North American sales manager. Complementing those additions, Dion Goldsworthy, who has been with Gregory in a number of sales and marketing roles for 15 years, will continue in his role as vice president of international sales and marketing.

With its new president, Gregory has added big-picture business experience. Simons is an avid outdoor enthusiast who prior to Gregory was the president and CEO of Swift and Company, where for six years he oversaw an approximately $10 billion operation at one of the country’s most well-known food-industry corporations. In the eight years prior to that job, Simons worked in a variety of general management roles around the world for Cargill, Inc. Highlights at those posts include leading strategic planning and facilitating growth through a team-based approach. Simons holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and was member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic swim team, as well as a silver medalist at the 1979 Pan American Games. He brings the same team-based philosophy to his new post at Gregory Mountain Products.

In sales, BoisD’Enghien (pronounced Boy-di-gan) comes to Gregory from his post as North American sales manager at Atlas Snowshoes, where he helped grow a small, startup company into one of the most recognized names in snowshoeing over his 10-year tenure. At Atlas, BoisD’Enghien used a team-based strategy that was highly integrated with marketing and product development, simultaneously creating products and helping build the markets for them. That approach helped Atlas more than double its size over a decade. Prior to that, BoisD’Enghien worked as brand manager and in product development and marketing at Canadian Recreation Products, a division of American Recreation Products, parent company to Kelty, Sierra Designs and other outdoor brands. At Gregory, BoisD’Enghien also will bring a team-based approach to his role, working closely with key accounts, Gregory’s sales reps, as well as the product development and marketing departments, helping align sales strategies with market growth opportunities.

Simons said BoisD’Enghien is a perfect addition to the team chemistry at Gregory.

“With Jim’s extensive industry expertise in sales and overall brand management, along with coalescing the right teams in product development and marketing, Gregory is stepping up to the challenge of taking the brand to its full potential,” Simons said. “We’re celebrating 30 years of Gregory Packs in 2007, and there are a lot of highlights in those three decades, but we also want to be sure we’re looking ahead and positioned to move things forward in the next 30 years. We’re excited about being able to expand people’s understanding of who Gregory has always been and where we are headed.”

For more information about Gregory packs, visit www.gregorypacks.com.

About Gregory Packs

Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2007, Gregory Packs has been the longtime international leader in expedition, backpacking and day packs. Gregory is world-renowned for setting standards for durability, comfort and performance in backpacks. In the last three years, Gregory won awards for its pack designs from such diverse media outlets as Backpacker Magazine, Popular Science, National Geographic Adventure, Consumers Digest and Alpinist Magazine. Responsible for many industry firsts in backpacking fit and design, the Gregory research and design team, including company founder Wayne Gregory, continues to lead the way in innovative backpack technology and performance. The company in recent years has expanded into lightweight packs, sport-specific packs, and travel, commuter and lifestyle products.

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