My good friend and industry leader, Mark Craighead passed away yesterday. Mark owned and operated Crossbreed Holsters with his family and friends. I received the news today from the family and they asked me to pass on their thanks for the thoughts of the firearms community and their assurance that things would continue as expected at Crossbreed. We have lost a great asset today . . .

Mark quickly became a leader in the industry as his incredibly innovative Crossbreed Holster design and company quickly become respected for quality and function. He and I worked together on many projects over the last few years and I’ve had the pleasure of hearing from many of his customers in my courses who greatly appreciate his way Mark and his company met their needs.

Mark would often ask me what people were saying about his products and how they held up in class and he was always very proud to hear the great reports. He was always eager to find ways to better serve his customers, the firearms community and the industry as a whole.

Outside of work, which he very much enjoyed, Mark was both a dedicated family man and a bit of an adventurer. One of his biggest hobbies was motor sports. He had some very impressive vehicles that he enjoyed driving and riding when time allowed. He even ran his beloved Lingenfelter Cadillac CTS-V in the Cannonball Run last year and had planned to try the Vegas to Reno Desert Race in 2013.

Approximately 3 weeks ago, Mark had a heart attack after a successful outpatient surgical procedure and had a very bad few days. We all believed he had come through it and was on the road to a full recovery. Earlier yesterday, though, he had another massive heart attack and we lost him.

One thing that truly stood out about Mark was his commitment to friends and family. As Crossbreed Holsters grew, he continued to bring more and more of both into the operations to share in his success and in fulfilling his commitment to excellence. I have yet to meet anyone in the industry who had a bad word to speak of him and doubt sincerely that I ever will.

Rest in peace, brother.