O.F. Mossberg & Sons announced the appointment of Douglas Bell as company president and chief operating officer (COO) late last week. He has served as vice president of operations at Mossberg since 2017—where he’s influenced many positive changes and operational advancements in the company—and has more than two decades of corporate leadership experience in the automotive, aerospace and industrial hardware industries, accompanied by a career track record dedicated to leading organizations to higher levels of operation.
“We look forward to having Doug apply his proven management techniques across all aspects of the Mossberg company,” Iver Mossberg said. “Doug’s outstanding leadership and deep understanding of modern manufacturing processes will be instrumental in aligning Mossberg to meet the present and future requirements of the sporting goods marketplace."
As president and COO, Bell will have responsibility for all the company’s operating units and will report directly to Chief Executive Officer Iver Mossberg, great-grandson of company founder Oscar F. Mossberg. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary in March 2019 with the introduction of the MC1sc pistol—its first new handgun in nearly a century (excluding AR-chambered variants).
Mossberg is America’s oldest family-owned and -operated firearm company, a decided asset in today’s marketplace, according to Richard Kirkland, senior director of marketing for the firm. He told Shooting Illustrated during the 100th anniversary celebration that, “…the main advantage is having the ability to be nimble. We’re able to course-correct on market fluctuations very easily.” Perhaps more importantly, he added, “When our employees come to work at Mossberg, they become part of the family, and because of that, they build and treat every gun like they’re building it for themselves.”
Prior to joining Mossberg, Bell held high-level management positions at other major manufacturing companies, including: vice president of operations at Sumitomo Electric; manufacturing manager at Danaher; and most recently, profit center manager at Assa Abloy. He earned a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Northeastern University and a Master of Science in Manufacturing Engineering and Master of Business Administration in Marketing from the University of Connecticut.
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