Gregory Mountain Products: On the Move

Longtime leader in expedition, backpacking and day packs relocates headquarters from Sacramento to Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – (Jan. 11, 2011) – Gregory Mountain Products, known as the outdoor industry leader in backpack fit, comfort and technology, relocates its main offices to further integrate its team with the Black Diamond operational infrastructure in Salt Lake City.

In May 2010, Black Diamond Equipment Ltd. went public in a reverse merger with Clarus Corporation (NASDAQ: BDE, formerly CLRS), simultaneously integrating Gregory Mountain Products into a new operational platform. Gregory will remain an independent and autonomous brand in terms of Research & Development, sales, and marketing, while benefitting from the existing Black Diamond operational platform.

The move from California to Utah will be complete by January 17th and includes several key leadership positions from the existing Gregory Product Development Team, including founder of Gregory Mountain Products, Wayne Gregory. John Sears, Director of Product Development, will bring most of his core team of designers to UT as well.

New members to join the team include seasoned outdoor industry professional, John Pieper as the Director of Sales & Marketing, followed by Andy Yorkin as Marketing Manager. Previously, Pieper spent the last decade as Sales Director for Petzl America and Osprey Packs. A newcomer to the outdoor industry, Yorkin is a passionate and seasoned backcountry user with mainstream marketing experience hailing from Salt Lake City-based advertising agency, the Summit Group.

Gregory will enjoy a newly renovated office space on the Black Diamond campus, recently completed in preparation for the team’s arrival in Utah. “The office will be christened with our pre-ORWM sales meeting, giving us a chance to assemble the full Gregory family of Sales Reps, new employees, and relocating team members from CA,” said Pieper.

“We’re excited to show off this new space and start settling in. This is an exciting time to merge two groups of passionate outdoor industry professionals representing BD and Gregory – it’s the start of an exciting new chapter for all of us.”

About Gregory Packs
Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2007, Gregory Packs has been the longtime leader in expedition, backpacking and day packs. Gregory is world-renowned for setting durability, comfort and performance standard in backpacks. In recent years, Gregory won awards for its pack designs from such diverse media outlets as Backpacker Magazine, Outside Magazine, National Geographic Adventure, Popular Science, Men’s Journal, Consumers Digest and Alpinist Magazine. Responsible for many industry firsts in backpacking fit and design, the Gregory research and design team, including company founder Wayne Gregory, continues to lead the way in innovative backpack technology and performance. For more information about Gregory packs, visit www.gregorypacks.com or call 877.477.4292.