Innovators and Influencers
SHOT Business honors nine leaders in the shooting sports industry.
By Slaton L. White
Eric Suarez
Meprolight is the premier manufacturer and global supplier of top-grade electro-optical and optical sights; self-illuminated sights for pistols, shotguns, and rifles; and night vision devices and thermal sights. As director of marketing at Meprolight USA, Eric Suarez has spent the last four years leading strategic initiatives that have significantly enhanced the company’s brand presence and market growth.
With a distinguished career in the United States Marine Corps, specifically within Special Operations, Suarez brings a wealth of experience in high-pressure environments and leadership to his role. After retiring from military service in 2016, he transitioned into the firearms industry, leveraging his tactical expertise and strategic vision to drive marketing efforts that support Meprolight’s mission of providing cutting-edge optical solutions for military, law enforcement, and civilian markets. His passion for supporting today’s warfighter is a driving force behind his work, ensuring that every initiative aligns with the needs of those who rely on the highest-quality gear in the field.
Over the next five years, Suarez believes sales and marketing within the firearms and outdoor industry will see exciting opportunities. One of the most prominent will be the ability to leverage digital marketing and e-commerce to reach a broader, more diverse audience while gaining marketing data and analytics. As more consumers turn to online shopping, brands will tap into targeted advertising, social media campaigns, and influencer partnerships to increase brand awareness and drive direct sales. Another significant opportunity lies in personalized marketing, where data-driven insights allow companies to tailor their messaging and offers to specific customer segments. Creating a community through brand-driven experiences—such as events, strategic partnerships, and outdoor experiences—will provide valuable opportunities to engage with customers on a deeper level and foster brand loyalty. meprolight.com
Caleb Morse
No one likes talking about suicide. When Caleb Morse opened up The Rustic Renegade gun store in Lafeyette, Louisiana, having discussions about suicide was the last thing on his mind. But when a friend he served with came into the store and told Morse that he didn’t want his guns anymore, Morse didn’t shy away from the conversation.
“Talking to someone about suicide never gets easier,” Morse says. “But the more conversations you have, the more comfortable you get with the uncomfortableness.” Morse’s courage to have that initial uncomfortable conversation not only made a world of difference to his friend, it completely changed the trajectory of Morse’s business—and his life.
After that initial difficult conversation, Morse agreed to store his friend’s firearms, and, as it has a tendency to do, word spread. Before long other veterans who were struggling with mental health issues and thoughts of suicide came into The Rustic Renegade and asked Morse to store their guns. Despite the advice of his lawyers, and many other people, Morse never turned anyone away.
After that initial difficult conversation, Morse agreed to store his friend’s firearms, and, as it has a tendency to do, word spread. Before long other veterans who were struggling with mental health issues and thoughts of suicide came into The Rustic Renegade and asked Morse to store their guns. Despite the advice of his lawyers, and many other people, Morse never turned anyone away. “If and individual comes to me for help, I want to help that individual,” Morse says. “And I refuse to share any information about the people who come to me for help.”
Eventually, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs heard about what Morse was doing and contacted him. Together, Morse and the VA established a more comprehensive program built around the principle that Morse had already implemented at The Rustic Renegade. It’s called The Armory Project (TAP) and is headed up by Dr. Gala True, of the Tulane School of Medicine. TAP helps prevent firearm suicides by facilitating safe, voluntary, out-of-home firearm storage with trusted firearms dealers and other vetted partners in local communities. And although the majority of the people TAP helps are veterans, Morse says they’ve also stored firearms for people who didn’t serve. “We offer it to anyone. I’ll never turn away anyone who needs help,” he says. “At the end of the day the goal is to give them a means to be alive for another day.” therusticrenegade.com
John Nosler
President of Nosler, Inc., since 2018, John Nosler is the third generation of his family to lead this iconic manufacturer of ammo, brass, and, most recently, semi-custom rifles. Now based in Bend, Oregon, Nosler is probably best known for revolutionizing big-game hunting with its world-famous Partition and Ballistic Tip bullets.
Nosler’s latest deer-hunting round, Whitetail Country, entered the hunting market at prices that surprised retailers and hunters alike. How did Nosler achieve this?
Nosler says the answer involves years of innovation and process improvements. The company developed the Solid Base bullet in the 1960s, originally introduced as the Zipedo bullet. In 1972, it was renamed the Solid Base bullet, which laid the groundwork for the polymer-tipped version, the Ballistic Tip, released in 1984. This evolution continued with the AccuBond. By refining these operations over the years—from Zipedo to Solid Base to Ballistic Tip to AccuBond—Nosler eliminated unnecessary complexities. This efficiency enables the manufacturer to produce a high-performance product at an economical price and in high volumes. Additionally, an investment in its brass case manufacturing has allowed Nosler to eliminate reliance on outsourced vendors and further streamline its production process. nosler.com
Trent Marsh
In case you haven’t been watching, there have been some big changes at Riton Optics recently. From new products and new markets to a renewed commitment to its retail partners, Riton is finding new ways to find its niche in the increasingly competitive optics market. Riton has long been known for its tactical optics, but recently, Riton scopes can be found on more and more hunting and shooting rifles. “Riton’s roots have always been in the tactical arena, but there’s been a steady movement into the hunting side,” says Trent Marsh, marketing director for Riton. “We took what we’ve learned from the tactical side and have applied that to our hunting optics.”
As a result, in the past year the company has launched eight new products, most of which were designed specifically to fill holes in its offerings. “Our goal,” Marsh says, “is to pack as much versatility into these products as possible and still keep them at a price point most people can afford.” A prime example of that versatility is Riton’s new 5 Primal 3-18x50 Cross-Over scope. With capped turrets and precision reticles, Riton designed the Cross-Over specifically to fill a need for hunters who are using their rifles for more than just one activity.
In addition to launching new products, Riton has re-affirmed its commitment to its retail partners. “We’ve spent a tremendous amount of time updating our marketing and branding sections of the website,” Marsh says. “We’re putting all our videos, photos, ad copy on the site. Basically, all the resources retailers need to makes selling Riton products easier than ever. It’s all in one place, and everything has been completely organized and categorized so retailers can find anything they need quickly and without any hassle.” ritonoptics.com
Jeff Thompson
Jeff Thompson is a serial tech entrepreneur with a long track record of founding and leading companies from startup phase to successful exits and IPOs. With an ongoing passion for innovative technology, he founded Red Cat, which recently acquired Teal Drones. As one who believes his company is helping to define the future of aerial intelligence, he says the mission of Red Cat is “to provide critical situational awareness and enhance the effectiveness and safety of military and security operations domestically and globally.”
He notes that a big challenge is aligning the rapidly evolving sUAS (small unmanned aircraft system) technology with the government’s traditionally slow ability to equip and train warfighters with the latest and greatest. This is critical in the current geopolitical environment, where the U.S. and its allies must maintain an edge over global adversaries. And, as cyber and electronic warfare continue to evolve, there will be an ongoing cat-and-mouse game with the use of sUAS in defense. The ability to securely and reliably transmit data across the battlefield will remain a cornerstone of mission success, and Red Cat is committed to tackling these challenges head on.
He sees a paradigm shift toward smaller, more agile, and cost-effective drones—and ones that warfighters can deploy quickly and easily at the tactical edge for ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) and precision strike operations.
He has also helped launch the Red Cat Futures Initiative, which is an independent, industry-wide consortium of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) partners that are working to bridge critical gaps and bolster support for our warfighters through open architecture and interoperability. “Working with leaders in UAS hardware and software companies focused on AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning), swarming, FPV (first person view), command and control, and payloads allows us to address critical gaps and develop solutions that directly benefit our warfighters,” he says. redcat.red
Dan Powers
Industrial powerhouse is a much-overused term, but when considering the world-wide reach of D&M Holding Co., it is a completely apt description of the company’s importance to the ammunition industry. Founded in 2018 by Dan Powers, former president of the SIG Sauer Ammunition division, it is an ammunition and energetics engineering group based in Tampa, Florida, and Cabot, Arkansas.
The group specializes in greenfield projects (i.e., a new undertaking that starts from scratch on undeveloped land or without any pre-existing infrastructure or systems), often for companies and countries that have never before been in the ammunition, primer, or propellant business. Global demand for reliable supplies of ammunition, primers, and powder is soaring as a matter national security, and D&M is working nonstop to support the U.S., NATO countries, and other friendly foreign governments.
D&M’s turnkey factories include solutions for ammunition production, primer production, as well as propellant production for everything from small-caliber ammunition to artillery. D&M services include all aspects of the project from site planning and floor planning to equipment manufacture and installation, as well as the “secret sauce,” the transfer of of hard-to-obtain know-how. dmholding.com
Jon Pfister
Founded in 1958 in Brescia, Italy, an area devoted to the production of firearms for centuries, Chiappa Firearms offers a vast and constantly developing catalog of pistols and rifles, including copies of historic American and muzzleloading firearms, lever-action rifles and shotguns, rimfire pistols and rifles, sporting and self-defense pistols, signal and alarm pistols, and compressed-air pistols. The company is still owned by the Chiappa family, and all of its products are manufactured in Italy.
Jon Pfister recently came aboard as director of sales and marketing, and he says two key issues now challenge the industry. “For most retailers, the primary hurdle will be how to compete online,” he says. “With so much of retail shifting to e-commerce, it’s only natural that the firearms industry follows suit. Retailers need to ensure that online sales are integrated into their broader business strategy.
“For distributors, the key challenge will be differentiation—specifically, identifying and offering value-added services that set them apart. Similarly, manufacturers will need to focus on standing out in a crowded market. This will require innovation, modern marketing strategies, and the development of new products. Without a clear effort to be creative and distinctive, companies risk competing solely on price—ultimately leading to a race to the bottom.”
But innovation is a way to avoid that race, and a new twist at Chiappa involves a very traditional design—the lever-action rifle. Chiappa’s 92 Wildlands Takedown rifle is an ultra-modern take on this classic design. “We've been producing lever-action rifles for years, and when we noticed a growing demand for tactical accessories—like M-LOK rails and adjustable stocks—we saw an opportunity,” he says. “Rather than leaving it to the aftermarket, we took the next step and developed a fully modern, tactical-style lever-action rifle. It was a clear example of recognizing where the market was headed and responding with a product that met that emerging demand.” chiappafirearms.com
Dennis Brune
In the early 1990s Dennis Brune was enjoying a successful career at Kelty, a popular outdoor and mountaineering brand. But he also had three active junior-high children and desired to spend more time with his family. So he decided to go out on his own. He knew starting his own brand was not without its challenges, but he went ahead and incorporated ALPS in 1993 and left Kelty in 1994. After his two-year non-compete clause expired, Brune began working in earnest. Working out of his garage, the first products the new company offered were sleeping bags and packs. Later the company expanded and began offering tents and camp furniture. Word got around about the quality of his products, enabling the new company to eventually move into far larger quarters.
In 2007, the ALPS OutdoorZ brand was established, and that brand now offers a variety of products for turkey, deer, western, waterfowl, and upland hunters. Brune’s background certainly helped him build and grow the ALPS brands. Having grown up on a farm in Missouri, he understood the type of products hunters wanted and needed. He also had a background in product development, and his experience helped him achieve his goal of offering durable outdoor equipment at a fair price.
By listening to the voices of customers, employees, and industry professionals and working closely with factories ALPS has been able to offer a range of products that meet the needs of so many hunters. Sometimes, Brune says, that requires following the market, but at other times it demands going where the market has not yet been. An example is the company’s patented Zero-Gravity Layout Blind. Unlike other blinds, the Zero-Gravity blind elevates the hunter above the ground. This greatly improves comfort, but it also keeps hunters warmer since body heat is lost three times more quickly when lying on the ground than when when elevated. Additionally, the blind requires no assembly (a real benefit on dark, cold mornings) and the rounded shape helps the blind more efficiently blend in with the surroundings while offering extra space inside for storage. Alpsoutdoorz.com
Ross and Jason Bushman
Just as the strength of any building lies in the quality of its foundation, the reliability and longevity of any firearm begins with the quality of the steel it’s built around. This concept is nothing new to the largest gun manufacturers in the world. And for nearly a decade, many of those manufacturers have turned to Summit Steel for the steel components that make up the foundations of all the firearms they manufacture. It isn’t just the quality and the workmanship of the steel that has given Summit Steel such a solid reputation in the industry; it’s the quality of the company. And for Summit Steel, that begins and ends with family.
Ross Bushman, CEO of Summit Steel, founded the company in 1985, but that certainly wasn’t his first foray in the steel business. “My father started in the scrap metal business with his dad,” Bushman says. “My dad took over the company, and I started working with him right out of high school.” When his father was forced to close the business because of unfavorable economic conditions, Bushman struck out on his own. He took out a second mortgage on his house and founded Summit Steel. With his knowledge of the steel industry, Bushman slowly began growing his fledgling company. And while he had a very diversified customer portfolio from the beginning, it didn’t include the firearms industry.
“I hadn’t even considered the firearms industry,” he says. “Neither had my dad. I don’t know what we were thinking.”
That all changed 20 years ago when Bushman’s son, Jason, who is now president of Summit Steel, joined the family business. Since then, Summit Steel has grown beyond anything Ross had imagined.
“When I first started the business, we were mostly brokering and bringing in the steel that our customers needed,” Bushman says. “When my son joined me, that’s when things really started to kick into high gear.”
Once they set their sights on the firearms industry, it didn’t take long for manufacturers to recognize the benefits of working with Summit. As an IS 9001-2015 processor and stocking distributor of Special Bar Quality (SBQ) steel, Summit has the ability to produce, stock, and cut steel to suit its customers’ needs. They can provide Gun Barrel Quality steel of all grades and sizes and produce custom blanks. From chamfering, heat-treating, and cold finish steel, Summit has become the one-stop shop for many of the major firearms manufacturers in the country. summitsteel.com
