Osprey Packs announced Thursday that it has added three executives to the Cortez-based backpack company’s leadership team, including Layne Rigney as president and Jason Dunlap as vice president of finance.
Scott Pfotenhauer, a director of the company, has been appointed chairman of the board.
These additions solidify the leadership team, Osprey said in a news release, allowing company founder Mike Pfotenhauer to concentrate on product design, innovation and strategic development.
“Layne, Jason and Scott bring a tremendous amount of talent and deep industry knowledge to our company,” according to Mike Pfotenhauer. “As customer demand for Osprey packs is at an all-time high, the fortification of our executive leadership team will allow us to continue to grow and manage the increasing demand for our product on the global stage.”
The leadership change comes a month after CEO Tom Barney announced his retirement after 15 years at Osprey.
Incoming president Rigney joins Osprey after working 11 years at CamelBak, an outdoors equipment company based in Petaluma, California, that is known for its hydration products, such as hydration packs and water bottles. At CamelBak, Rigney recently served as president, and worked as a vice president of global sales from 2005 to 2015.
He played a key role in CamelBak’s $412.5 million sale to Vista Outdoor in August 2015. In February 2015, CamelBak filed a patent-infringement suit against Osprey to protect its hands-free reservoir hydration systems. The suit was settled in July 2015 on confidential terms.
“Layne is highly respected as an effective, strategic leader and brings extensive experience in building global consumer brands. He is the right person to lead Osprey through its next phase of growth,” Pfotenhauer said.
“I have always admired the genius design of Osprey Packs and the authenticity of the Osprey brand,” Rigney said. “With industry-leading product design, manufacturing and customer service, it is our challenge to take the company to the next level in terms of distribution and sales. Every person who loves the outdoors and appreciates intuitive design should own at least one Osprey Pack. I’m excited to deliver on that goal.”
Before joining CamelBak, Rigney held executive positions at Franklin Resource Group from 2003 to 2005, at PowerBar from 1999 to 2003, and at RockShox Inc. from 1992 to 1995.
Rigney is a board member of both the Outdoor Industry Association and Camber Outdoors, both of which are supported by Osprey.
As president, Rigney will be focused on global development and expansion of the Osprey brand. Rigney’s first day at Osprey is Nov. 28. He said he doesn’t plan to make any big changes to the company right away.
“I have a lot of ideas, but at this point they are just ideas,” he said. “I plan to spend the first 100 days listening to the team and customers to learn what their challenges are and then work together with them to drive the business where we want it to go.”
He also said he hopes to encourage Osprey’s community involvement, and will be living part-time near the company’s new headquarters in Cortez, as well as at his residence in Denver, at least for the time being.
Dunlap, the new vice president of finance, will oversee the company’s financial operation. He previously worked nine years Salt Lake City-based Black Diamond Equipment, most recently as vice president of finance. He also worked the Osprey backpack competitor Gregory Mountain Products as well as Montgomery Professional Services and Oracle.
Scott Pfotenhauer began working with Osprey two years ago, helping the company refine its long-term strategic goals while scaling the global business to support customer demand. He joined the board of directors this year and brings more than 40 years of operational and financial experience from previous leadership positions at Intel and Morgan Stanley.
As chairman, Scott Pfotenhauer will focus on developing Osprey team members and driving strategic initiatives.
Barney helped grow the company from a small pack manufacturer to a large brand, expanding to 65 countries worldwide. He helped to bring Osprey Packs to big-name retailers such as REI and Amazon and develop a production facility in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Osprey is now the largest backpack supplier for REI.
Although it started in California, Osprey Packs has had bases of operation in Montezuma County since 1990, when it moved into a former Gore-Tex factory in Dolores.
At a going-away party on Oct. 14, Barney told The Journal that he planned to travel, then start an unconventional project, working the sales floor at Backcountry Experience in Durango.
This article was reposted on Nov. 20 to correct the date of Osprey’s move to Montezuma County to 1990.
