ANDOVER, Mass., July 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Byrna Technologies Inc. (“Byrna” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BYRN), a personal defense technology company specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of innovative less-lethal personal security solutions, today announced the appointment of James (“Jim”) White as Senior Vice President of Retail & Channel Growth, effective today, July 20, 2026. White will oversee the Company’s retail and e-commerce sales channels and report directly to Byrna CEO Conn Davis.
White is an accomplished commercial executive with more than 25 years of experience accelerating growth for leading consumer products and durable goods companies. Throughout his career, he has built high-performing sales organizations, expanded national retail distribution, commercialized innovative products, and developed strategic partnerships that have driven sustained revenue and profit growth.
“Jim has a proven track record of building scalable commercial organizations, expanding retail distribution, and delivering measurable growth,” said Conn Davis, CEO of Byrna. “As Byrna continues to strengthen retail execution, increase customer acquisition, and expand across existing and emerging channels, Jim’s leadership, strategic vision, and operational expertise will be instrumental in accelerating our next phase of growth.”
Most recently, White served as President and Executive Director of Maverick Sales & Marketing, Inc., where he advised manufacturers on go-to-market strategy, retail expansion, and commercial growth. During his tenure, he built a national sales organization spanning big-box, e-commerce, grocery, and specialty retail channels, helped clients expand distribution and improve operating performance, and successfully commercialized more than 20 products.
Previously, White held senior commercial leadership roles at Zwilling J.A. Henckels, Nexgrill Industries, and Sunbeam Corporation. During his 15-year tenure at Nexgrill, he helped grow annual revenue over 500% to approximately $300 million through retail expansion, omnichannel development, and the launch of more than 100 products.
White’s appointment is an important step in Byrna’s previously announced realignment of its sales and marketing organization and reflects the Company’s continued focus on strengthening retail growth, improving channel productivity, and expanding customer acquisition. Byrna’s recent initiatives include enhanced merchandising, in-store training, expanded demo experiences, the “Try Before You Buy” pilot program, the “Find the Right Launcher” guided shopping experience, and new marketing partnerships designed to increase brand awareness and conversion.
“Byrna has developed an exceptional brand, an innovative product portfolio, and a strong retail platform with significant runway for growth,” said White. “I look forward to working with Conn and the entire Byrna team to deepen customer relationships, enhance retail execution, expand distribution, and build a best-in class commercial organization that accelerates long-term, profitable growth.”
White holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Business Administration and Sports Management from Springfield College. He also earned Artificial Intelligence Certification: Implications for Business Strategy from MIT Sloan and Six Sigma Green Belt Certification from Villanova University.
About Byrna Technologies Inc.
Byrna is a personal defense technology company specializing in the development, manufacture, and sale of innovative less-lethal personal security solutions. For more information on the Company, please visit the corporate website here or the Company’s investor relations site here. The Company is the manufacturer of the Byrna® CL, Byrna® LE and Byrna® SD personal security devices, state-of-the-art handheld CO2 powered launchers designed to provide a less-lethal alternative to a firearm for the consumer, private security, and law enforcement markets. To purchase Byrna products, visit the Company’s e-commerce store.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements contained in this news release, other than statements of current and historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements can be identified by the general use of words such as "plans," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," and "believes" and statements that certain actions, events or results "may," "could," "would," "should," "might," "occur," or "be achieved," or "will be taken." Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the anticipated contributions of Mr. White as Senior Vice President of Retail & Channel Growth and the Company’s ability to attract, onboard, integrate, and retain experienced sales and retail leadership; the anticipated benefits of the Company’s previously announced realignment of its sales and marketing functions; the Company’s plans to strengthen retail growth, improve retail sell-through, reorder cadence, and channel productivity, deepen retailer relationships, improve in-store execution, and expand customer acquisition and discovery; the anticipated impact of the Company’s retail and marketing initiatives, including enhanced merchandising, in-store training, expanded demonstration experiences, the “Try Before You Buy” pilot program, the “Find the Right Launcher” guided shopping experience, and new marketing partnerships, on brand awareness, conversion, and sales performance; the Company’s continued retail expansion and its ability to collaborate with retail partners and grow productivity per store; the Company’s ability to build a scalable sales organization; and the Company’s positioning for its next phase of growth. Forward-looking statements are not, and cannot be, a guarantee of future results or events. Forward-looking statements are based on, among other things, opinions, assumptions, estimates, and analyses that, while considered reasonable by the Company at the date the forward-looking information is provided, inherently are subject to significant risks, uncertainties, contingencies, and other factors that may cause actual results and events to be materially different from those expressed or implied.
Any number of risk factors could affect our actual results and cause them to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements in this news release, including, but not limited to, challenges arising from leadership transitions, including the risk that the Company is unable to successfully onboard and integrate Mr. White or that his contributions do not meet expectations, and the execution of new strategic priorities by the Company’s management team; the risk that the anticipated benefits of the realignment of the Company’s sales and marketing functions are not realized on the anticipated timeline or at all; the risk that the Company’s retail and marketing initiatives, including the “Try Before You Buy” program and the “Find the Right Launcher” guided shopping experience, do not convert participants at anticipated rates, are not scalable, or do not prove economically accretive; the risk that investments in e-commerce enhancements or digital capabilities do not yield anticipated improvements in conversion rates, customer acquisition, or revenue; the risk that efforts to broaden brand messaging or expand into new customer segments do not achieve anticipated market penetration or revenue results; the risk that increases in marketing expenditure do not yield expected revenue increases; the loss of marketing partners; determinations by advertisers or social media platforms, or legislation, that prevent or limit marketing of some or all Byrna products; the risk that planned retail store expansion is delayed, reduced in scope, or not executed by retail partners on the anticipated timeline; determinations by third party controlled distribution channels, including Amazon, not to carry or to reduce inventory of the Company’s products; disappointing market responses to current or future products or services; competitive factors; potential cancellations of existing or future orders; changes in consumer or political sentiment affecting product demand; litigation, enforcement proceedings, or other regulatory or legal developments; and other events that could reduce demand for the Company’s products. The order in which these factors appear should not be construed to indicate their relative importance or priority. We caution that these factors may not be exhaustive; accordingly, any forward-looking statements contained herein should not be relied upon as a prediction of actual results. Investors should carefully consider these and other relevant factors, including those risk factors in Part I, Item 1A ("Risk Factors") in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended November 30, 2025, as amended, and in the Company’s subsequent filings with the SEC, and should understand it is impossible to predict or identify all such factors or risks, and should not consider the foregoing list, or the risks identified in the Company’s SEC filings, to be a complete discussion of all potential risks or uncertainties, and should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, except as required by applicable law.
Investor Contact:
Tom Colton and Alec Wilson
Gateway Group, Inc.
949-574-3860
BYRN@gateway-grp.com
