PRADCO Outdoor Brands has acquired Kent Outdoors, adding a portfolio of watersports and marine safety businesses to its consumer brands operation.
Established in 1959, Kent Outdoors owns brands including HO Sports, Hyperlite, BOTE, O’Brien, Connelly, Liquid Force, Onyx, Full Throttle, Kent Safety Products, Aquaglide, FatSac, Barefoot International and Seipel Marine.
The transaction is PRADCO’s first investment in the watersports and marine safety sectors. PRADCO said it will support product development and further brand acquisitions in the two categories.
Kent Outdoors will retain its leadership team. Chief executive Randy Hales will oversee the transition through 2026, while president CJ Vlahovich, who has more than 30 years’ experience with the company, will continue to lead the business.
Consumer brands
“Joining PRADCO Outdoor Brands marks an exciting and strategically significant opportunity for Kent Outdoors,” said Vlahovich.
“PRADCO’s long-term investment philosophy and proven approach to building consumer brands aligns perfectly with Kent’s mission to create products that provide more opportunities in, on and around the water.”
Robert Schoenvogel, president of PRADCO Outdoor Brands, said the company’s investment and brand management approach was based on a ‘long-term, generational view’.
“Kent Outdoors is managed by a talented and dedicated team, and the brands represented in the Kent portfolio are trusted across a wide spectrum of watersport activities,” he said.
