Reed On The Greens, by Jeffrey Reed
Leupold’s Morrison Has Eye On The Prize
June 17, 2014
Former Londoner Rob Morrison has always had his eye on the prize. That drive now serves him well as he leads global marketing for one of the world’s top optical instrument companies.
Since July 2012, Morrison, 44, has been responsible for global branding, advertising, trade marketing and product development at Leupold & Stevens, a fifth-generation company which has designed and manufactured precision optical instruments since 1907.
As VP of Global Marketing for Beaverton, Oregon-headquartered Leupold & Stevens, Morrison oversees product development and marketing for numerous high-end optical products, including scopes, binoculars, rangefinders and trail cameras. Outdoor enthusiasts including hunters, golfers and birders recognize the Leupold brand for its building of the best optics available today.
The marketing of this storied brand is in good hands with Morrison, a Harvard University graduate (Economics, Class of 1993) who was born and raised in London’s Old South-Lockwood Park neighbourhood and attended Mountsfield Public School. His parents, Bob and Maxalea, still live in his childhood home. Bob was a standout hockey player with the Lou Ball Jr. squad.
“London was a fabulous city to be raised in, especially for a kid who loved sports,” said Morrison, who now resides in Portland, Oregon with his wife and two young sons.
“I spent virtually every day in the summer at Thames Valley Golf Course. My mom would drop me off at 9 a.m. and pick me up at 5 p.m. I also spent countless hours on the City’s ice rinks, and ran for miles through Springbank Park, and did lap after lap at J.W. Little Memorial Stadium,” said Morrison.
In fact, Morrison was a star athlete while growing up in the Forest City. He played minor hockey with LMHA and the AAA London Sabres, and ran track, cross country and played hockey with the Saunders Sabres.
Morrison also ran for the London Western and Tillsonburg track and field clubs. He won the 1500 metre race at the 1987 Ontario Provincial Championships, and went on to run varsity track and cross country for Harvard, where he was president of the Canadian Club.
Morrison gives credit to “outstanding teachers and coaches who prepared me for future success in sports and business,” and said he is “forever indebted to them for their support and guidance.”
Morrison’s lofty career in sports marketing actually began at Labatt Breweries where he operated the Labatt Blue Ontario Slo-Pitch program. Later, during an eight-year stint with Chicago advertising firm Leo Burnett USA, he operated marketing programs for such giants as Miller Lite Beer, including NASCAR, Indy Car, NFL and NBA sponsorships.
Running golf marketing campaigns for Johnnie Walker Scotch, Morrison signed PGA Tour star Jim Furyk to a multi-year deal to represent the brand on tour.
Today, with golf rangefinders picking up the pace of play and providing accurate club selection, Leupold’s GX-4i2 rangefinder is at the top of its class. Cutting-edge features include laser technology which filters out background images and makes zeroing in on the flag fast and easy.
Leupold isn’t all about golf, hunting and shooting. The company is also a leader in the military optics industry, which includes products for local and federal law enforcement agencies, and active U.S. military personnel.
With a keen eye focusing on U.S. and global markets, Morrison said he still relies on lessons learned while growing up in London.
Said Morrison, “You can take the boy out of Canada, but never the Canadian out of the boy!”
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