by Vista Outdoor announced in May 2022 that they were splitting the company into two segments. The segment dealing with ammunition and powder was called Sporting Products. Meanwhile the segment dealing with other products such as Bushnell scopes, CamelBak packs, and Bell bicycle helmets was called Outdoor Products. Both companies would be publicly traded, independent companies.
Yesterday, Vista Outdoors announced the Sporting Products would adopt the name The Kinetic Group with the ticker symbol of HUNT. The CEO of The Kinetic Group will be Jason Vanderbrink who has been heading both Federal and Remington. Management unveiled the new name to employees in Lewiston, Idaho at the CCI-Speer plant.
Vanderbrink said this about the renaming of the Sporting Products segment:
“The performance of our products is so often measured in energy on target. Kinetic energy is the force behind our world-class brands and exhibits the spirit of the 4,500 American workers who represent our company,” said Jason Vanderbrink, Sporting Products President and CEO. “The process of developing a new company name and identity has been exciting and inspiring. We’re all proud of the brands we represent and the products we make in our four American factories. Harnessing the enthusiasm of our employees throughout this process was pivotal to coming up with the best name and logo as we move closer to becoming a standalone company.”
Eric Nyman will become CEO of Outdoor Products on August 21st. The new name for this segment of Vista Outdoor has not yet been announced but is expected in the coming weeks. In the meantime, Gary McArthur will continue as interim CEO of Vista Outdoor until the completion of the spinoff. He will then serve as the Chairman of the Board for the Outdoor Products company.
The Kinetic Group did a short video of the announcement of the new name.
Huh, that’s an interesting decision… What is going to happen next?
Vista Outdoor made the decision to split the company into essentially the ammo components and sporting goods components last year. The split is supposed to be completed sometime in 2023.
Vista Outdoor itself was the product of a split after ATK split into Vista and Orbital ATK. Orbital ATK was the defense oriented component of ATK.
One existing company within Vista that won’t be part of new The Kinetic Group that surprises me is RCBS. I would have thought it made sense to put reloading gear in with ammo and smokeless powder.