Surefire Appoints New Chief Operating Officer, Assistant
Surefire, LLC Press ReleaseFlashlightNews.org - 10/02/2006
SureFire® Appoints Gustav Bonse New Chief Operating Officer
Surefire Chief Operating Officer
Gustav Bonse
Surefire Assistant Chief Operating Officer
Joel Smith
FOUNTIAN VALLEY, Ca. - SureFire, LLC has named Mr. Gustav Bonse as their new COO. With his promotion Bonse assumes control over operations of all of SureFire’s divisions, including flashlights, tactical products, suppressors, edged weapons, SureFire Institute, and EarPro hearing protection and enhancement.
Mr. Bonse, formerly SureFire’s vice president of manufacturing, possesses over 30 years of worldwide experience in manufacturing weapons and tactical accessories, and is considered a specialist in the use of automated manufacturing. He joined SureFire in 1998 and has been instrumental in designing and implementing their streamlined manufacturing process. Making extensive use of CNC (computer numerical control) machines, efficient flows of materials and manufactured goods, and other innovative processes, Bonse has turned SureFire’s production facility into one of the most technologically advanced and cost effective manufacturing centers in the nation.
“I’m excited at the opportunity to oversee operations of the company I’ve watched grow and prosper over the past eight years,” says Bonse. “I’ve grown right along with it, so I feel I’m up for the challenges that lie ahead…both for me personally and the company.”
Prior to joining SureFire, Mr. Bonse worked for Index Corp. as their sales manager for the Western United States. A German native, he has also worked for Heckler & Koch, and has lived in Germany, Saudi Arabia, Greece, Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Joel Smith Named SureFire’s Assistant Chief Operating Officer
Mr. Joel D. Smith has been promoted to the position of assistant chief operating officer for SureFire, the Southern California producer of high-quality flashlights and tactical gear. Smith, who previously worked for Dr. John Matthews, SureFire’s president and CEO, now reports to Gustav Bonse, the company’s newly appointed chief operating officer. He will assist the COO by overseeing corporate business administration, as well as spearheading other duties and special projects designated by Bonse.
Smith—an expert in organizational assessment and the implementation of sophisticated, efficient management systems, particularly in manufacturing environments—started with SureFire in 2003 as a consultant. He accepted a permanent position in May of 2004 as Production Director of the Suppressor Division. Over the past three years he has been providing the company with leadership and manufacturing expertise that has been instrumental in its rapid growth and expansion, particularly in the suppressor division.
Before coming to SureFire, Mr. Smith was a senior consultant with Oriel, Inc. (formerly Joiner Associates, Inc.), where he trained private- and public-sector managers and employees in the implementation of total-quality management, lean-manufacturing concepts, team work, and problem solving. He has lived and worked in the Far East as a factory manager, been a vice president for McDonnell-Douglas Corporation, and served as an International Representative for UAW. Mr. Smith is considered a foremost authority on the Toyota Production System and an expert in labor law and negotiations.