KICKER has promoted employee Bart Deal to the position of vice president of product strategy and OEM, the company announced.

Deal began his career in the mobile-audio industry more than 40 years ago in an installation bay and has since gathered experience as a sales rep, in retail management and in the customer service and training departments, the company said. He has also been a sales manager for several car-audio manufacturers.

“Bart Deal is our newest KICKER VP, and we couldn’t be happier,” said KICKER president and founder Steve Irby. “He has proven himself in management positions here for almost 22 years and has excelled in every one. Bart is a multi-talented individual with expertise in many diverse areas, so he will be an invaluable addition to our VP Team.”

In his new role as vice president, the marine audio systems unit director and brand protection manager will now both report to him, in addition to his previous responsibilities.

“I’ve always been very product-centric,” Deal said. “I saw (product) on more of a global scale – how it works as part of a whole to create great music. Now my other responsibilities will be focused on my direct reports, ensuring they continue to grow and have paths to grow through.”