IRVINE, CA (April 27, 2021) – McDermott + Bull has successfully placed Lane Tobiassen as the President of Buck Knives, Inc. USA. Lane will take the helm of companywide leadership for all core business elements, including sales, marketing, finance, product development, and operations. He will be tasked with accelerating growth and further strengthening the iconic Buck Knives brand and its 120-plus year knife making legacy.
“The final piece of the puzzle was to bring in outside expertise to lead the daily operations,” said CJ Buck, CEO and Chairman of Buck Knives. “This is the first ‘nonfamily’ President in the history of our company. It is a testament to the commitment of making our company more robust and less vulnerable to fluctuations in our marketplace and the broader economy. We will continue with the strategies we have been implementing over the last three years with a renewed clarity on flawless execution.”
Lane most recently served as President for the Firearms Division of American Outdoors Brand and previously served as President and CEO of Crimson Trace Corporation. Lane has a proven track record of transitioning a family-operated company to a professionally managed organization. He also has significant experience managing the process of creating operational improvement with a focus on product development and engineering. He has played a role in critical aspects of brand restructuring, resulting in category and revenue growth with the creation of new product lines.
“We loved working with the board and the Buck family on making this critical transition from a family-led organization to a professionally managed company for an iconic American brand,” said McDermott + Bull Co-Founder and Managing Partner Chris Bull. “We are proud to be a partner of Buck Knives and to be a part of this exciting new chapter!”
This executive search was completed by McDermott + Bull Co-Founder + Managing Partner Chris Bull, Managing Director Jake Vander Zanden, Director Anne Terry, and Senior Executive Recruiters Quyen Doan and Sara Pizarro.
About McDermott + Bull
McDermott + Bull is leading the way in transforming executive search services worldwide, one relationship at a time. With experienced principals in the United States, Canada and Europe, McDermott + Bull has become the trusted search advisor for empowering change on behalf of private and public companies, private equity firms and their operating companies. Known for being thorough and balancing the need for urgency, McDermott + Bull provides personalized solutions to those who value contribution over pedigree. Leveraging deep vertical experience, innovative thinking and proven time-saving methodologies, the company challenges the norm and thrives in the recruitment of difficult-to-find, culture critical VP to C-Suite executive talent.
McDermott + Bull Interim Leaders is a unique, personalized, and urgent service that places performance focused senior-level executives into consultative roles to manage business challenges and opportunities during a time of transformation.
The interim leader talent pool consists of senior-level professionals across a diverse functional spectrum who meet the rigorous qualifications to work on time-sensitive engagements. We specialize in placing operations, finance and accounting, technology, human resources and executive-level functions.
About Buck Knives, Inc.
Buck Knives is a foremost American knife manufacturer that creates top-quality combat knives, hunting knives, pocketknives, and several small pocketknife models. The company was originally founded in San Diego, California and was moved to Post Falls, Idaho in 2005. Buck Knives has a long history with five generations of the Buck family from 1902 to the present day. The company primarily manufactures sport and field knives and is credited with inventing the “folding hunting knife” and popularizing it to such a degree that the term “buck knife” has become synonymous with folding lockback knives, including those made by other manufacturers.
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