Buck Knives recently announced that outdoor industry veteran Ken Vitale had joined the company as a product manager, and Katie Redman was hired as operations manager.
Vitale will oversee the vision, direction, and performance of Buck Knives’ product line, including product assortment, category/brand alignment, development, commercialization, launch, and the end of life for the company’s wide range of products.
“The team here at Buck Knives are thrilled to have Ken join us,” said Chris Bourassa, marketing and product development director. “Ken’s background and vast experiences will be a huge asset for our product expansion and development projects.”
Vitale’s background and experience include service in the U.S. Air Force and as a Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape (SERE) course developer and instructor. More recently, he was employed in the ammunition division of Vista Outdoors and with Remington Ammunition. Vitale is an NRA-certified firearms instructor and range safety officer, a competitive shooter in PRS in three gun disciplines.
Redman oversees daily production results at Buck, executing production plans, maintaining and tracking key performance indicators, and evaluating staff needs to ensure safety, quality, and productivity in its manufacturing facility.
“Katie brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team that we are excited to have,” said Ryan Duckett, director of operations. “Her successes surrounding continuous improvement initiatives in the manufacturing space alone will bring Buck Knives into a new chapter of USA-made production excellence. I am proud to welcome Katie on board and know she will be an amazing asset, coach, and leader to the Buck Knives operations group.”
Redman comes to Buck Knives from Life Fitness, where she developed an operational strategy and implemented improvement initiatives across five production facilities.
Buck Knives is a Board of Regent and Co-Founding member of AKTI.