The Board of Directors for Vista Outdoor has formally announced that Christopher T. Metz will become their new Chief Executive Officer. This will take affect on October 9th, 2017. As expected, he will manage the company’s entire portfolio and be charged with handling the day-to-day operations of Vista Outdoor.

The Interim Chairman, Michael Callahan, had some glowing words to say about Christopher T. Metz:

The Board couldn’t be more pleased that Chris is joining Vista Outdoor. He has over 25 years of experience leading consumer and industrial-based global businesses. Chris is highly strategic, operationally savvy, and has experience improving the performance of leading organizations. He is a motivational leader with broad experience in sales, marketing and operations. His capabilities will benefit Vista Outdoor as we continue our focus on building our brands, expanding our e-commerce presence, reducing inventory, and driving continuous improvement.

Many of us in the gun community may have not heard of Christopher T. Metz, but if you have it might be from his last position. He was the CEO of snowmobile maker Arctic Cat from 2014 to 2017. His list of prior work is fairly impressive, as it should be, if he is to successfully lead Vista Outdoor into the future.

• Arctic Cat, CEO: 2014-2017
• Sun Capital Partners Inc, Managing Director: 2005-2014
• Black & Decker: 1992-2005
• Hardware & Home Improvement Group, President: 1999-2005

Throughout his tenure at Black & Decker he held an assortment of higher positions with the most notable being President for Hardware & Home Improvement Group up until 2005. Christopher T. Metz expanded upon his excitement to accepting the new role with Vista Outdoor:

I am thrilled to join the Vista Outdoor team. The company is a leader in outdoor sports and recreation products, with a unique and well-positioned portfolio of brands. I look forward to working with the talented employees as we leverage Vista Outdoor’s capabilities to deliver innovative products, build upon strategic partnerships, improve performance, and drive shareholder value.

Many people inside Vista Outdoor appear to be quite excited to have Mr. Metz on board. Vista Outdoor has its Fiscal Year 2018 Second Quarter Earnings Call on November 9, 2017; many hunting seasons are underway throughout the US driving sales and intrigue within the Vista Outdoor brands; and SHOT Show 2018 is just around the corner. Many exciting and big things lie ahead for the new CEO.