Fast-growing helmet maker Studson is adding to its executive ranks as the company expects to double its sales this year.
The young company has hired Adam Bookwalter in the newly created role of chief revenue officer. As CRO Bookwalter will lead sales and go-to-market strategy.
Studson makes a new kind of protective headwear aimed at construction and other industrial workers that is designed to be more effective and comfortable. The Lake Oswego-based company has found traction in the industry and saw sales last year of $4.2 million on 44,000 helmets sold.
The company was founded in 2019 and started shipping its first products in 2021. Earlier this year founder and CEO Ryan Barnes told the Business Journal that he expected sales between $8 million to $10 million this year.
“The already robust growth at Studson requires new facets of leadership making Adam Bookwalter’s appointment to CRO pivotal for embracing Studson’s customer-focused approach,” said Barnes in a written statement. “Bookwalter has cultivated the right experience and skill set throughout his career to help us deliver on creating the most innovative above-the-neck protection for the construction, energy, utilities, manufacturing and processing industries.”
Prior to Studson Bookwalter was global vice president at protective gear and apparel maker Troy Lee Designs. Like Barnes, Bookwalter is coming from the world of outdoor sports. The two worked together at POC, a Swedish maker of high-end premium helmets for snow sports and cycling.
Earlier this year Studson won the Rising Star Award at the Oregon Technology Awards. The company's product is not only designed to absorb impacts more effectively than traditional hard hats, but also to keep workers’ heads cooler. It consists of a liner composed of thin, cylindrical polymer tubes that crumple on impact and allow for greater air flow.
