Board Members

Muzzy Products Corp, Michele Eichler: Chairman of the Board

Michele Eichler is the CEO of Muzzy Products Corp., and has worked in the archery industry more than 25 years. She has been active as an ATA Board member the past 10 years, and currently serves as a co-vice chair on the Board.

Michele belongs to several bowhunting organizations, including the Pope and Young Club, Colorado Bowhunters Association and other state organizations. In addition to her duties at Muzzy Products, she and her husband, Fred Eichler, operate an outfitting business, Fulldraw Outfitters, from their home in Trinidad, Colo. They offer their clients fully guided bowhunts for elk, bears, turkeys, antelope, mule deer and mountain lions.

Michele has been hunting since she was 12, and has taken 10 species of North American big game and six species of African big game with her bow. Michele loves to hunt with her husband and their three boys, Jeb, Seth and Trent.

Easton Technical Products, Gregory J. Easton: Co-Vice Chair

Greg Easton is president of Easton Technical Products Inc. (ETP) in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is also a vice president and board member of Jas. D. Easton Inc., the parent company of ETP.

Greg was elected to the ATA Board of Directors in March 2008 and currently serves as a co-vice chair on the Board. This is his second consecutive term as a co-vice chair. As an ATA Board member, Greg also serves on the personnel committee.

After joining Easton in 1989, Greg worked in several capacities before transferring to Hoyt Archery, the bow division of Jas. D. Easton Inc. in November 1996. While at Hoyt he served as vice president of marketing. In November 1997 Greg became director of carbon products at ETP. He was promoted to director of manufacturing in August 2000. Greg became ETP’s president in December 2001.

Greg holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics and a master’s in business administration, both from UCLA. He is an avid bowhunter, and also enjoys mountain biking, hiking, golf and skiing.

Bohning Co., Larry Griffith: Co-Vice Chair

Since 1987, Larry Griffith has served as president and chief executive of the Bohning Co., one of America’s oldest archery manufacturers. Larry also serves as chair of the ATA Board of Directors, and first joined the Board in 2006.

Larry represents the ATA on the Industry-Agency Coalition on Marketing as part of the industry’s work with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, which promotes hunting and bowhunting nationwide.

The Bohning Co. is based in Lake City, Mich., where Larry is active in local government. He currently serves on the Missaukee County Parks Commission, and previously served as a county commissioner and chairman of the Board of Commissioners (2002-2004). He has also served on the county’s Planning Commission Board (2004-2007), and was a member of the Northwest Michigan Workforce Development Board (1996-2002).

Before coming to Bohning, Larry worked for IBM’s federal systems division (1986-87) and was a captain of field artillery in the U.S. Army (1981-85).

Larry completed his master’s of business administration degree at Michigan State University in December 2008, and will begin work on his Ph.D. in autumn 2009 at MSU.

T.R.U. Ball Release Products, Benjamin Summers: Co-Vice Chair

Benjamin Summers serves as the director of operations for T.R.U. Ball Release Products in Madison Heights, Va. He was elected to his second term on the ATA Board of Directors in March 2009, after winning his first election to the post in March 2006.

Ben has a deep interest in politics and government, and serves on the Board’s international relations committee. He also serves on the Board’s government affairs committee and makes frequent trips to the nation’s capital to work with lawmakers on issues that affect the archery industry. In addition, Ben serves on the community archery programs committee.

As T.R.U. Ball’s director of operations, Ben is responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations, which includes overseeing parts manufacturing, assembly and logistics. He also directs the marketing department’s creative work, and represents the company at tournaments and sales meetings.

Ben has worked at T.R.U. Ball for about 14 years and recently added AXCEL Sights to the company’s product line-up. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree from Liberty University, and a master’s of business administration from Lynchburg College in Virginia.

Mike Wieck Sales Inc., Kurt Bassuener

Kurt Bassuener is a vice president of marketing for Mike Wieck Sales Inc., and he has served on the ATA Board of Directors since April 2007.

Kurt is a Wisconsin native, and grew up in a household that revolved around hunting, fishing and trapping. His love for archery, bowhunting and outdoor recreation led him to pursue a degree in marketing. In 1989 he started his career in the industry as a manufacturers sales rep for a rep agency in Michigan.

Kurt moved to Missouri 18 years ago to join Mike Wieck Sales Inc., one of the oldest rep agencies in the archery industry. As its VP of marketing, Kurt oversees several national accounts while also servicing independent retailers in Missouri. In that role he also keeps a close eye on market and product trends, and assists manufacturers with their marketing and product-development efforts.

He is especially interested in recruiting and retaining new archers and bowhunters, and increasing participation in the ATA Trade Show. He chairs the Board’s trade show committee.

Gordon Composites Inc., David Gordon

David Gordon, technical sales consultant for Gordon Composites Inc., was elected to the ATA Board in March 2010. He has served since 1989 on the ATA's ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) Standards and Safety Committee, including the past four years as committee chairman. He has also worked extensively with the ATA's Technical Committee.

Gordon's father and two uncles launched Gordon Composites Inc. (GCI), formerly Gordon Plastics Inc., in 1951. The company has been an ATA member since 1974. Dave Gordon began working there in 1971, serving as vice president of manufacturing (1975-1988), and president (1989-2001). He has been an independent consultant for GCI the past nine years.

Gordon is a member of the NFAA Advisory Board for funding scholarships to students with archery talent and strong GPAs. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Bowhunter Hall of Fame. In addition, he serves on the advisory board for Colorado Hospice, and is active in the Montrose (Colorado) chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

He is a lifelong archer and bowhunter, and spends much of his free time hunting and fishing on public lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

Midwest Cimmarron Archery, Peter Gussie

Peter Gussie has been at Midwest Cimmarron Archery in Richmond, Ill., since this family-run, archery-only store opened in 1993. Gussie represents the ATA Dealers Council on the ATA’s Board of Directors, and he also serves as chair of the Dealers Council.  He also serves on the Board's trade show, international relations, government affairs, and community archery program committees.

Midwest Cimmarron Archery employs Gussie and his parents full-time. It covers about 4,000 square feet, with about half used for an indoors range and half for the store’s sales floor. The operation also includes an outdoor 3D range laid out on 23 acres, and a static range with targets from 20 to 80 yards.

Gussie has been on the ATA’s Dealer Council since January 2001. The Council elected him to represent the group on the ATA Board starting in 2002, the same year they elected him as the Council’s vice-chair. He became the Council’s chair in 2008.

Gussie began working for Cimmarron Archery after graduating from McHenry County College in nearby Crystal Lake, Ill., in the early 1990s.

He said his priorities on the Dealers Council and ATA Board are to work with other ATA members to try to grow the industry. He explores every opportunity to bring more people into archery and make dealers more profitable.

Apple Archery Products LLC, Gregory Jenkins

Gregg Jenkins is owner and president of Apple Archery Products LLC of York, Pa., which he acquired in 2006 with a machine shop, G. Kurtz Industries. Apple Archery specializes in archery service and repair tools, which Gregg operates as a stand-alone business.

Gregg was elected to the ATA Board of Directors in March 2009. He believes the ATA provides more value-added benefits to archery programs than many people realize, and hopes to help the organization do even more to help its members.  As an ATA Board member, Gregg also serves on the technical and community archery program committees.

He began his manufacturing career at Flinchbaugh Products in York County, Pa., in 1979. Flinchbaugh is a principal supplier and contractor for tank and artillery ammunition. While there he advanced from a machine operator and supervisor to SPC (statistical process control) engineer, general foreman, manager and operations superintendent.

Gregg joined Handy and Harman in 1999 as director of operations, and was later promoted to vice president of operations and group general manager.

He has been married since 1980, and has three daughters and one granddaughter. He holds degrees in business and management from York College and Eastern College.

Bwana Archery, John Larsen

John Larsen has owned and operated Bwana Archery in St. Paul, Minn., since 1975. The store covers 7,500 square feet and provides full-time work for John; his wife, Sharon; their son, John Jr.; and their grandson Andy.

The Larsens sell mainly archery equipment, but they also carry firearms, including black-powder rifles and muzzleloading supplies.

John was one of the original members of the ATA’s Dealer Council when it was established in about 1995. His fellow councilors elected him to represent their committee on the ATA Board of Directors in July 2005, and he’s fulfilled those duties ever since.  As a Board member, he also serves on the community archery program committee.

John served in the U.S. Army for nearly five years before receiving his discharge in 1964. He then went to barber school and worked in barbershops for 10 years before buying Bwana Archery from the previous owner.

John actively works with individual youths, youth groups and bowhunting clubs in the St. Paul area to encourage youngsters to shoot archery. He carries that enthusiasm to his work on the ATA Board of Directors to promote community archery programs nationwide.

Archery Headquarters, Randy Phillips

Randy Phillips has owned and operated Archery Headquarters in Chandler, Ariz., since 1989. He started his archery career four years earlier with Arizona E-Z Fletch, which remains part of his overall operation called Arizona Rim Country Products.

Phillips has served on the ATA’s Dealer Council since about 1995. He was elected by his fellow Council members to represent them on the ATA Board of Directors in June 2006. Randy now serves on the Board's community archery program and trade show committees.

Archery Headquarters is an archery-only retail store that covers 7,000 square feet. The store employs four people full-time, and Phillips’ wife Gladys works there part-time. Before beginning his archery career, Phillips worked in construction.

As a member of the ATA Board and Dealers Council, Phillips actively promotes in-school and after-school archery programs. He focuses much of his effort in youth activities, including a recent initiative to develop a traveling team. Phillips also stays active in the Arizona Bowhunters Association, working with the state’s game-and-fish agency to promote bowhunting programs whenever possible.

Gold Tip

There has been a change in personnel for Gold Tip. New bio to follow.

Primos Hunting Calls, Jimmy Primos

Jimmy Primos has been the chief operating officer of Primos Hunting Calls since 1986. He has represented the company on the ATA Board of Directors since 2008, and the company began serving on the Board in 2007 when Brad Webb was elected to the seat.

Jimmy graduated from Ole Miss University in 1969, served as an officer in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, and worked as a broker for Merrill Lynch before joining Primos Hunting Calls.

The company, which he operates with his cousin Will, is based in Flora, Miss., is widely known for its turkey, deer, elk and waterfowl calls. Primos Hunting Calls has also won acclaim for its “TRUTH” DVD series, as well as its TV shows “Primos TRUTH About Hunting” and “Primos TRUTH About Whitetails” on the Outdoor Channel.

In addition, the Primos company recently ventured into the ground-blind business with the Primos Double Bull and Primos Ground Max lines, as well as the scent-elimination category with Primos Silver XP.

Gateway Feathers LLC, Todd Vaaler

Todd Vaaler, director of operations for Gateway Feathers in Douglas, Ariz., is the third generation of the Vaaler family to work for Gateway, which was launched in 1956 at La Crosse, Wis., by Todd's grandfather Orval, and continued with Todd's father, Richard.

Todd previously served two terms on the ATA Board, 2002-2005 and 2005-2008. He was reappointed to the Board in March 2010 to serve out the remaining term of Pete Shepley, president of Precision Shooting Equipment, who vacated the seat in early 2010. Todd's term expires March 31, 2012.

Todd joined Gateway after working for Northwest Airlines from 1989 to 1994. He worked as Gateway's production manager from 1994 to 1998, and then became its sales and marketing manager from 1998 to 2001. He has been director of operations since 2001. He moved half the business from Wisconsin to Arizona in 1994 and brought the rest of it there in 1998.

Todd graduated from Winona State University in Minnesota in 1989. He is married and has two children. He is a lifelong archer and bowhunter, and also coaches youth basketball and stays involved in his children's activities.

Parker Compound Bows, Paul Vaicunas

Paul Vaicunas is vice president of Parker Compound Bows and Parker Crossbows. He was elected to the ATA Board of Directors in March 2008, and previously served on the Board when vice president for Horton Manufacturing Co., LLC. In 2008 he served as a co-vice chair on the Board.

His Board duties include serving on the government affairs and trade show committees.

Paul has spent 23 years in the industry, including work at an archery pro shop. Starting in 1996 he was employed as vice president of Carbon Express and Gorilla Tree Stands. He then went to Horton in 2001.

Paul grew up in Canada, and was taught to hunt and fish by his father and uncles. As an avid bowhunter, he has taken nine big-game species, including 22 that would qualify for the record books. He also enjoys fly-fishing, and is a published outdoor writer and videographer.

Paul is a graduate of Sir Sandford Fleming College in Ontario, and he enjoys outdoor recreation with his wife, Fiona, and their son.

Lone Wolf Portable Treestands, Mike Walston

Mike Walston is the chief operating officer of Lone Wolf Portable Treestands of Brimfield, Ill. Mike began his three-year term on the ATA Board of Directors in April 2009.  As an ATA Board member, Mike also serves on the government affairs, trade show and community archery program committees.

As Lone Wolf’s COO, Mike is in charge of its operations, sales, marketing, budgeting, contracts, legal matters and customer service. Mike has worked in the archery industry for nine years, concentrating his efforts in tree-stand manufacturing.

Mike feels honored to have been selected to the ATA Board, and he vows to contribute his help and expertise wherever it’s needed. He said the ATA has established an impressive track record during this decade, and he hopes to increase member participation further in the years ahead.

He believes his expertise in tree-stand manufacturing will provide a unique perspective to the Board. For instance, he wants to address safety and liability issues that are unique to this branch of the industry. One of his initiatives is to encourage greater use of safety harnesses among bowhunters using tree stands.

Mike lives in Washington, Ill., with Cindy, his wife of 18 years; and their daughter, Taylor, age 16.

Cajun Archery, David White

David White, president and CEO of Cajun Archery, has served as president and CEO of his company since buying it in 2004. Before acquiring Cajun, David spent 12 years in the automotive industry, working in operations, purchasing, warehouse management, lean manufacturing and program management.

David also spent five years on active duty in the U.S. Navy and four years in the Naval Reserve. He served aboard submarines and was also a diver.

He was elected to the ATA Board in 2008. He chairs the Board’s finance committee, and also serves on its government affairs committee. Even before winning the Board seat, David strongly supported the ATA and its work with government regulations and taxation issues.

He invests much of his time and effort into growing archery by increasing youth participation. He thinks archery’s future depends on making archery accessible to youngsters as they complete school programs and look for ways to keep enjoying archery. His goal is to keep working with dealers and manufacturers through the ATA to turn that youthful enthusiasm into a “sport for life,” he said.

Board Elections

Are you an ATA member who has the desire and willingness to contribute time to the growth of the industry? Do you have ideas about what ATA should do with its resources? If so, we encourage you to run for the ATA Board of Directors or nominate someone you feel would be valuable to your trade association. Learn more about qualifications and deadlines here.