Yakima Appoints 20-Year Company Veteran as New Dir. of Western Sales

BEAVERTON, Ore. (April 10, 2006) – Yakima today announced the appointment of 20-year company veteran Elizabeth Gullam as sales director for Yakima’s western region. Gullam, a seasoned sales manager, will be responsible for Yakima’s western region, which includes the Pacific Northwest, Northern and Southern California, the Rockies & Mid West. She will oversee Yakima’s field sales representatives in this region and will have responsibility for outdoor specialty and sporting goods channels, as well as automotive channels.

“Our western retailers couldn’t ask for a more committed sales director than Elizabeth,” said Amy Buckalter, senior global vice president of sales and marketing. “Elizabeth has an intimate knowledge of Yakima’s heritage and products gained through her many years in management positions at Yakima, so she will take on this new responsibility without missing a beat, helping us to accelerate our growth and continue to raise the bar on customer service. During her long tenure with Yakima, Elizabeth has earned the respect of her colleagues at Yakima and of our independent sales reps. We are delighted to now have her experience and skills focused on enhancing account management and field sales performance.”

Gullam most recently served as Yakima’s director of business administration, a position she held since 2004. Her responsibilities included integrating the activities of various departments, and developing market leadership strategies, pricing models and analysis, sales revenue plans and budgets. She has also held the positions of automotive channel program manager, senior project manager and OE sales manager, overseeing the OE sales rep force and managing sales strategy, customer contracts and budgets. Previously, she was head of sales for key international and U.S. accounts.

”With Elizabeth leading the West Coast and Doug Ragan leading our Eastern region, and a talented team of product designers in place, Yakima is rounding out its senior leadership team and is strongly positioned to continue its forward momentum and strong growth,” added Jim Clark, CEO of Yakima.

About Yakima
Yakima is a world leader in the design and manufacture of destination hardware and gear management solutions. Yakima’s products include vehicle racks for bikes, boats, ski equipment and gear, a line of cargo boxes for a variety of needs and the Ground Control, providing integrated gear management for the home. Yakima Products is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon. For more information, visit www.yakima.com.

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