Prior to running Galls, Johnston served from 2005-2007 as group president/CEO of Russell Athletic, which manufacturers sports clothing. Before that, Johnston, who earned a Marketing MBA from Northwestern Univ., held a series of sales and marketing positions, including a two-year stint as Director of International Marketing for Rollerblade.

What Does the Future Hold for Leupold & Stevens?
Johnston succeeds Tom Fruechtel, who will retire from Leupold at the end of 2010. Fruechtel served as CEO of Leupold & Stevens for 12 years. During that period Leupold sales and profits grew considerably. However, Leupold’s reputation in the market for high-end premium optics has suffered in the past decade. Companies such as Nightforce Optics, Schmidt & Bender, and Zeiss are well-established in the top end of the market, while, in the medium-priced scope segment, smaller optics companies such as Sightron and Vortex have taken market share from Leupold by offering more bang for the buck. In the laser-rangefinder market, Leupold needs to make major improvements in order to compete with the latest products from Leica, Swarovski, and Zeiss.