Our mission

To be the Purveyor of Gearto those whoplay,work,and servewith passion

2000
2004
2004
2006
2008
2009
2010
2014
2014
2015

2000

Company Founded, First Website Launched
(OpticsPlanet.com)

Our founders launch OpticsPlanet.com in 2000, pioneering the offering of high-performance technical gear - specifically optics. The website's unique features pair with a focus on building a platform. Key features of the platform include a content system that attracts visitors and customers organically through search engine optimization, a rich array of merchandising capabilities, and fulfillment through an extensive supply chain – all working together to ensure a tremendous user experience.

2004

Eyewear Business & Lab Business Launched
(EyewearPlanet.com and LabPlanet.com)

Based on the tremendous success in catering to an underserved vertical looking for high-performance technical gear, the company expands into two additional markets in 2004 with EyewearPlanet.com and LabPlanet.com. While the products offered by each individual store differ greatly, to this day, both websites cater to passionate, demanding consumers who demand high-performance gear from a knowledgeable source.

2004

Government & Institutional Business Launched

Before 2004, the company became a destination of choice for many institutional buyers/customers organically, due to the wide selection offered. The opportunity existed to cater further to the institutional market, including the military and public safety, and add significant growth opportunities for the company. Government & Institutional sales continue to be a strong source of growth and opportunity that the company is uniquely capable of capitalizing on.

2006

New State-of-the-Art Campus Opened

Incredible success creates a number of "good to have" problems, such as needing space to build-up the team. Growing sales and the rapidly expanding platform demanded dramatic expansion in headcount. In 2006, the company opens a new, state-of-the-art campus just outside of Chicago that functions as the company's headquarters today.

2008

Office in Latvia Established, Ecentria Labs Conceived

We expand development efforts into Europe in 2008 to position the company to capitalize on a growing market of skilled, technical, and talented engineers and eCommerce specialists, and to support the company's eBusiness platform around-the-clock. Now, Ecentria Labs has teams working out of locations all over the globe, all united in the common goal of maintaining and advancing the platform.

2009

PBE Turn-key eCommerce Solutions Business Launched

Leveraging technology, infrastructure and human capital, in 2009 we offer a proprietary white-label turn-key eCommerce Solution called PBE (Powered by Ecentria.)

2010

Private Sales Site Dvor Launched

In 2010, we launch Dvor as the first private sales site offering "gear". While numerous stores existed (and many no longer exist!) that offered fashion and other soft goods, Dvor was the first-to-market private sales venture that offered high performance, technical products and provided a unique competitive advantage for Ecentria in the industry. To this day, Dvor complements and enhances the value proposition of our overall offering to customer, and synergizes positively with our flagship store OpticsPlanet.com.

2014

Rockpoint Logistics Acquired

Continued growth created both a problem and an opportunity – there simply was not enough warehouse space to support our demand. To solve this problem, in early 2014, we acquire Rockpoint Logistics, and with it add a state-of-the-art distribution center located in Aurora, IL with over ten times the space that we previously had available for warehousing and fulfillment. Rockpoint Logistics is now a fully-integrated part of the company's technology enabled e-Business platform.

2014

Morgan Stanley Investment

After more than a decade of bootstrapped growth, we successfully complete a Series A investment round, partnering with Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital. Their portfolio has historically included Zappos, Blinds.com, and a number of other high profile technology firms.

2015

CampSaver Acquired

In 2015, we successfully acquire CampSaver.com. CampSaver.com's offerings complement OpticsPlanet.com's status as a destination for Sporting Goods, and significantly bolsters our presence in the Greater Outdoor market. By bolting-on to the Ecentria platform, CampSaver.com receives access to technology, infrastructure, and human capital necessary to fuel further expansion and growth.

Our Founders

Mark is a serial entrepreneur with a background in engineering, product development, distribution, and operations. With decades of experience in the outdoor and ecommerce space, Mark is responsible for leading the Company's business.
Pavel is a serial entrepreneur with a background in software development, eCommerce, and internet marketing. With diverse and extensive experience driving technology organizations at all levels, Pavel is responsible for leading the Company's eBusiness.

Our Board

Ed has served on the board of directors for numerous public and private high technology companies. His current and recent directorships include Interactive Intelligence Incorporated, American Institutes for Research, and DocuWare GmbH. Starting his career as a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he went on to serve as the Executive Vice President of Corporate Operations and Chief Financial Officer of SPSS Inc. (acquired by IBM in 2009 for $1.2 billion). Ed received a Ph.D. from the department of political science at University of Chicago and an M.A. and B.A. from the University of Maryland at College Park.
Todd was part of the founding management team of Staples, and was instrumental in opening the world's first office superstore, helping to grow Staples to $7 billion in annual revenue after 12 years. Todd is on the board of directors of several other companies, including C&S Wholesale Grocers, TileShop, Carbonite, and Kids II. Todd is with the Highland Consumer Fund, and is the Chairman of the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysics Observatory board. Todd received his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and his A.B. from Cornell University.
Lincoln Isetta is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley and a Managing Principal of Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital. Prior to Expansion Capital, Lincoln was an Executive Director in Morgan Stanley's Principal Investments ("MSPI") group, focusing on private equity investments on behalf of the firm. Lincoln was responsible for several of MSPI's growth equity investments in the technology, ecommerce, media, and consumer sectors including Perceptive Software, Zappos, and Polar Beverages. Mr. Isetta graduated summa cum laude from Boston College.
Kelly is the Vice President, General Counsel and Director of Compliance for Ecentria. Working at Ecentria for over eight years and through Ecentria's various stages of growth, Kelly oversees a number of legal, compliance, and executive initiatives. Kelly developed and implemented the regulatory compliance system for the sale of products in an e-commerce environment, and regularly advises on issues related to technology, consumer, and e-commerce related matters. Kelly earned her J.D. from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Partners

Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital is a private equity platform targeting later-stage investments in technology, healthcare, consumer, digital media and other high-growth sectors. For nearly three decades, Morgan Stanley has successfully pursued growth investment opportunities. Expansion Capital's experienced investment team combines extensive growth equity and franchise experience to pursue a value-creation strategy focused on operational and financial measures. The team works closely with its investor base of successful entrepreneurs and business professionals to assist in building proprietary advantage for its portfolio companies. Expansion Capital also leverages the brand and unparalleled global network of Morgan Stanley to source investment intelligence and opportunities.
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