Minnetonka, Minnesota and Vääksy, Finland – Rapala VMC, the global manufacturing leader of high quality sportfishing lures, tackle and fishing gear and apparel, is excited to announce two new changes that will continue to strengthen its global dominance in product innovation.
Rapala VMC is excited to announce the hire of Charlie Davis as Director of Product Development–North America.
Davis is a long-time Rapala fan and life-long angler from Minnesota. In addition to his multi-species angling skills Davis brings a wealth of industry knowledge and incredibly strong track record for introducing successful products to the marketplace. Davis’ extensive sportfishing industry background includes extensive retail merchandising experience as the VP of Merchandising at one of the leading mass merchant tackle retailers in the United States.
More recently Davis developed a strong track record for developing and launching award winning products with one of the largest fishing tackle manufactures in the business. His extensive knowledge of the Fishing Accessory, Tool, Net and Ice markets will be a huge benefit toward driving exciting new product ranges both in North America and globally.
Rosen Promoted to Senior Product Manager
Long-time Rapala VMC employee Bart Rosen has been promoted to the new role of Senior Product Manager.
At Rapala VMC, Rosen has had a significant impact on the growth of Rapala Accessories and the StrikeMaster brand in the United States. As Senior Product Manager, Rosen will serve as a key liaison for the North American product development team both internally with other department heads and internationally by collaborating with regional and category product directors.
“At Rapala VMC, we strive every day to develop new innovations that will help anglers around the world catch more and bigger fish,” said David A. Neill, Rapala VMC Executive Vice President – Global Product Development & Innovation. “These two new appointments in our North America Product Development and Innovation team will strengthen our category management structure and accelerate growth across all categories and regions.”
About Rapala VMC
Rapala VMC Corporation was unofficially founded in 1936 when Lauri Rapala invented the Rapala fishing lure. Rapala has grown from humble beginnings to become a market leader in the fishing tackle industry. The brand’s functionality and high quality are known by fishermen worldwide. Rapala maintains strict standards of craftsmanship while delivering its fishing products to anglers in more than 130 countries. Visit www.rapala.com.
