Longtime President of Woodinville Fitness Company to Retire

President Paul Byrne announced today in a news release that after 28 years with Precor, including 13 as President, he will retire on Sept. 1. Precor Vice President Rob Barker will assume the presidency in the culmination of a long-developing succession plan.

Byrne said of his retirement:

"Over the past 35 years, I have been fortunate to have been part of an industry that has contributed to the well being of so many people, and to have spent 28 of those years at Precor has been beyond fortunate. It has been an immeasurable gift. I will retire with great pride in what we have accomplished and with eager anticipation of what lies ahead."

Byrne began his career as the co-founder of Concept 90, a chain of stores that helped introduce the concept of specialty fitness retail in the United States. In 1985, Precor founder David Smith invited Byrne to join the then fledgling company. In 2000, Byrne took the helm as president. Over the course of 28 years Byrne has been a consistent visionary, guiding the transformation of Precor, the fitness industry and the way millions of people exercise. Under his leadership, Precor:

• Grew from a $20 million manufacturer of home rowing machines in the United States to a $350 million supplier of home and commercial fitness experiences globally
• Developed a corporate culture admired for openness and loyalty which is regularly recognized in media surveys of "Best Places to Work"
• Introduced the Elliptical Fitness Cross-Trainer (EFX^®), establishing what is now the second largest category of cardio equipment found in homes and gyms
• Introduced the Adaptive Motion Trainer (AMT^®), the most personalized piece of cardio training equipment available
• Established the standard in the newly developing category of networked fitness with Preva^®, which now operates in more than 1,000 commercial installations across 37 countries
  
  

Rob Barker joined Precor in 1995 as the U.K. Sales and Marketing Manager and has developed his experience through several positions. For the last five years Barker served as Vice President - EMEA & APAC and as a member of the global Precor senior management team where he has helped shape the company's growth strategy. During his five year tenure at the helm of EMEA & APAC, the Precor business has grown dramatically. From 2008 through 2012, sales increased 133 percent and now represent 45 percent of all Precor revenue. Barker will begin his transition now, enjoying several months of overlap with Byrne. He and his family will relocate to the United States this summer. 

About Precor 
Precor designs and builds premium fitness equipment for workouts that feel smooth and natural. With a passionate focus on ergonomic motion, insight driven innovation and superior engineering, the company continually advances the home and commercial fitness industry with breakthrough new product categories, including, EFX^® Elliptical, Adaptive Motion Trainer^® "AMT^®" and Preva^® Networked Fitness. Precor is a subsidiary of Amer Sports Corporation, the world's largest sports equipment company, with internationally recognized brands Wilson, Atomic, Suunto, Salomon, Arc'Teryx and Mavic.