HEST Continues to Dream Big, Grows Leadership Team

January 5, 2023

HEST announces two key new hires to the company in 2023.

SEATTLE (Jan. 5, 2023) /OUTDOOR SPORTSWIRE/ – Founded on a dream to sleep better, play more, and send it further, HEST, the designer of premium sleep products built to bring the comforts of home to the outdoors, announces the hiring of Chris Tennal as director of sales and Amy Villella as senior accountant. These key new additions strengthen HEST’s team as the brand enters a new chapter of leadership and growth.

HEST grew by 150% in 2022, with November being its largest DTC month in the history of the company. HEST wrapped up the year with remarkable accomplishments – from hosting its first HESTIVAL to launching 10 new products – including its best-selling Foamy mattress.

Chris Tennal has a robust background in sales, marketing, and brand development in the outdoor, ski, and more recently, overland markets. Tennal most recently served as the head of regional sales for Dometic, helping to launch and grow the brand’s outdoor segment. Prior to that, Tennal led the US subsidiary for Rab apparel and Lowe Alpine backpacks. Tennal also serves as commissioner on the Breckenridge Open Space Advisory Board and has served on the executive board with the non-profit Summit Huts Association.

“I’ve had a lifetime of poor sleep experiences in the outdoors, so the opportunity to dig into the problem of subpar sleep and help offer a core solution to a primary complaint most overnight outdoorists have – I just couldn’t be more excited to join the HEST team,” said Tennal.

Amy Villella comes from Rumpl where she assisted in optimizing many of the accounting and finance processes there during a high growth period. Villella will be leading the accounting operations and applying her industry experience and knowledge to help in the business continue to grow.

“I look forward to working closely with the entire team to develop a long-term, efficient finance process that will allow HEST to operatively scale as we enter an exciting chapter for the brand,” said Villella.

“It continues to be a dream come true to see how far HEST has come in such a short amount of time,” said Aaron Ambuske, founder and CEO of HEST. “Both Chris and Amy bring a deep knowledge of consumer-focused brand building in the outdoor and active lifestyle categories, and we’re thrilled to have them join the HEST team as we forge ahead into this new period of growth.”

Today, HEST celebrates a growing line of premium car-camping sleep products that can be found online and in brick and mortars across the country. The HEST Sleep System, Dually, Pillow, Foamy, Dog Beds, and its newest sub-category focusing on artist, athlete and brand collabs, HEST X, have all proven strong successes through the reoccurring sell out and reorders fulfilled over the last year – via DTC and third party. For more information about HEST, visit www.hest.com.

About HEST

HEST brings the comforts of home to the great outdoors by producing premium sleep products that build community around camping. HEST develops and delivers high-performance, low-maintenance solutions for camping and travel. HEST was founded in 2019 by outdoor industry product and engineer Aaron Ambuske who was looking for a better night’s sleep when spending nights outdoors. Today, HEST is committed to building a line of products that takes all the best things from our beds at home into portable, adventure-ready forms. HEST revels in the idea of enabling more people to get outdoors and enjoy all that they have to offer, especially after a good night’s sleep.

Learn more about HEST at www.hest.com.

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