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Coming from a military career back into the world of ‘regular’ work can be a challenge for many people. But for some, the lessons learned from military service can actually help improve the companies they go on to work for. A fine example of that is the Executive Vice President of Magpul, Duane Liptak. Duane’s career in the Marines included infantry, flying F-18 Super Hornets, as well as serving as a forward air controller in special operations – a background he believes helps bring him and his company success today.

“There are a lot of lessons learned there that have been carried forward into my daily life as well as my leadership and business philosophy,” he explains. “The biggest ones have to do with panning and execution. So, plan in a deliberate manner, but you have to execute with confidence. That’s not to say you don’t adjust when the circumstances change, but nothing great ever happens when you’re trying to tiptoe through execution.

“Another key thing is the Marine Corps philosophy on command and control – so, a centralised command but decentralised control. I want my people to be much better than I am at whatever their specific job is, and then give them the freedom to be able to do that. Empowering people, and having people who are capable of running with the ball when empowered, is a much better way to run an organisation.”

 

From idea to iconic

Magpul was founded by a reconnaissance Marine, Richard Fitzpatrick, back in 1999. Richard’s initial idea was a simple device to aid in the manipulation of rifle magazines under stress. The company name comes from this original product, called the Magpul. From that point on, it has grown to become a leader in magazines, stocks, grips, handguards, slings, firearms luggage and a host of other tactical accessories.

Despite its growth and success as a company over the last two decades, the original philosophy still remains: a focus on innovation, simplicity, and efficiency.

“Our number one philosophy as a company is around function – the product has to do what it’s supposed to do,” says Duane. “And actually, form is a big part of our design. Form actually informs function. So, if it looks like a button you should press, or if it looks like that’s where your hand should go. If the form of a product naturally guides your hand into a position where it’s supposed to interact with something, that improves functionality. Yes, there’s a look and an aesthetic, and a product has to be appealing, but function is number one. We spend a lot of time on melding the two.

“Trust is the bottom line. Making products that people can count on, and the testing that it takes to be able to do that, are where the rubber meets the road for us. I think most people know that whatever you get from us is going to function exactly how it’s supposed to.”

This is evident everywhere you look in the Magpul product range, from the PMAGs it produces for a wide range of guns to the DAKA Grid organiser carrying case system for firearms.

 

After product comes promotion

Having stand-up products and a solid reputation is one side of the coin; the other is marketing that message to new and existing customers – something that has become increasingly challenging on a digital front for firearms businesses.

“There’s a lot of gatekeeping in digital advertising now for a firearms company,” says Duane. “It’s a minefield trying to navigate what you can say and what you can’t. It ends up being really artificially restricted, and you can’t have a straight and open conversation with the consumer.”

One way in which Magpul tries to combat this problem is by working closely with Topple – a platform that helps brands in the firearms space realise their full potential in online advertising.

“Some of the marketing stuff we are doing requires placement and partners to enable us to do that. Topple has been instrumental in allowing us to reach customers with content that is ‘us’. Not only that, but it gives us a return on investment that is pretty solid and still growing.

“Being able to say what we want to say in places that are friendly and segmented so that we’re not just shotgun blasting out to random places and spending money where it’s not going to make sense for us.”

 

Looking ahead

As far as the future for Magpul is concerned, there are some exciting things on the horizon, including an expansion in the knife segment with some innovative new materials being used.

“That’s been a really exciting project for me, and the first ones are just about ready to head out the door,” says Duane. “We will also continue to work on the magazines range – there’s a lot of interesting things going on behind the scenes that I can’t reveal right now.”

One thing is for certain: whatever Magpul puts into the market in the future will be made with the same focus on functionality and reliability that has helped it reach the level it is today. 

 

Listen to the full interview with Duane on the Gun Trade World podcast.