Gregg Hammann
Gregg Hammann (born )resigned as the president, chief executive officer, and chairman of Nautilus, Inc. in Vancouver effective Monday, August 13th 2007, Washington, United States.
Early life
Hammann grew up on a farm near Bellevue, Iowa. He received his B.B.A. from the University of Iowa, where he was a college football wide receiver. He earned his M.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He holds a black belt in Taekwondo. He is an exercise enthusiast and serves as coach in local athletic leagues.
Business leadership
Hammann was, at one time, employed by McLeodUSA until his employment was terminated by management. He managed the Scope and Crest brands for consumer products giant Procter & Gamble, where both brands achieved significant growth in the marketplace as a result of new, consumer-focused marketing campaigns. He developed a business program for shoe marketer Famous Footwear that supported the company's plan to triple its retail presence.
Hammann served as General Manager of the Canadian division of battery maker Rayovac, where he introduced profitable North American pricing. He then was as a Vice President of Coca-Cola Company from 1996-2000 where he led the National Account fountain group.
Hammann was chief customer officer for global apparel giant Levi Strauss & Co. from 2001-2003. While there, he successfully introduced a new, down channel, $1 billion brand of Levi's to Wal-Mart stores worldwide.
Hammann joined Nautilus in July 2003 as president and chief executive officer. He was appointed chairman in March 2004. By emphasizing financial rigor, innovation and trust, he and his team helped transform the company from one that relied heavily upon a single product in a single channel, to one that offers a diverse range of products across multiple business channels including both commercial and retail channels. These efforts were all part of Hammann's plan to increase product availability wherever people shop or exercise.
Under Hammann's leadership in 2005, the company launched a three-year plan to leverage its five industry-leading brands, Nautilus, Bowflex, Schwinn Fitness, Stairmaster, and Pearl Izumi, to become a global leader in health and fitness.
Gregg Hammann also serves on the board of directors for communications headset manufacturer Plantronics.
Gregg was fired from Nautilus in 2007 after missing several quarters of earnings estimates. The last straw was a very disappointing second quarter of 2007 - missing street estimates by 30 cents a share. His plan for Nautilus failed miserably. In addition, Gregg's legacy at Nautilus is a company void of cash, employee morale in the toilet and no one singing his praises.
Former Nike CEO Robert S. Falcone has since replaced Gregg Hammann, as CEO of Nautilus Inc, in hopes of reversing the financial woes caused by his poor leadership.
References
- http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews/2007/10/10132007_Nautilus-to-lay-off-140-employees.cfm
- http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2007/10/10192007_13-million-3Q-loss-for-Nautilus.cfm
- http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2007/09/09222007news201596.cfm
- http://www.columbian.com/business/businessNews/2007/10/10182007_Former-Nike-exec-tapped-to-lead-Nautilus.cfm