A year ago, at the NRA Show in Dallas, Outdoor Wire Digital Network’s Paul Erhardt and Dan Zimmerman sat down with Bruno Beccaria, who was just one month into his new role as General Manager of Burris Optics, a company under the Beretta Holding S.A. umbrella. Beccaria had already built a strong track record with successful leadership roles at Franchi and Benelli before Beretta tapped him to lead Burris. Earlier this month, during the NRA Show in Atlanta, we again caught up with Beccaria, and Jordan Egli, Director of Marketing for Burris, to get Bruno’s perspective on running yet another Beretta brand—and how the transition from firearms to optics has been going.

Bruno Beccaria (left) and Jordan Egli in the Burris booth on day one of the 2024 NRA Show in Dallas

Bruno Beccaria
My top priority at Burris was to preserve the company’s DNA—innovation. I’ve been pushing our R&D and product development teams to stay focused on integrating new technologies into our optics. What I love about optics is that, among all the Beretta brands, optics are where we can truly embed technology. We've tried adding electronics to shotguns and rifles, but it hasn’t been successful. Optics give us the ability to incorporate features like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. We can share videos and pictures, and I believe the next step will be having everything integrated directly into the scope—no need for external devices like smartphones.

Bruno Beccaria
That shift isn’t just about the product—it’s about the brand. We need to create a story that resonates with younger customers. Let me give you an example from my time at Franchi. We focused entirely on young hunters, and we succeeded because we spoke their language. We can do the same with Burris.

Jordan Egli 
I’ll add that Bruno has challenged us to really listen to the voice of the customer. We’re not abandoning traditional, analog products—we’re still developing them.

Bruno Beccaria 
Yes, absolutely. 

Jordan Egli 
Anytime we add technology, it has to be simple and intuitive. Compare our thermal products to others on the market—ours have a much shorter learning curve.

Also, something Bruno brings from his experience at brands like Franchi and Benelli—companies that are centuries old—is an understanding of heritage and long-term brand stewardship. Burris is 50 years old, which is young by European standards, and Bruno is bringing that long-term mindset to our planning.

Bruno Beccaria 
Another important change this year has been how we approach the international market. I quickly realized we were losing ground outside the U.S., so I’ve been working to bring a more international perspective to Burris — something we lacked before. Burris is already strong in the U.S., but I believe we can grow significantly overseas.

Bruno Beccaria 
Changing company culture is never easy—especially when you're coming from another country. At first, I made the mistake of applying the same methods I used in Italy, and they didn’t work here. I had to adjust — not my values, but my approach.

What matters most to me is building a strong team. Success comes from the team, not just the leader. It took time to understand everyone’s personality and communication style, but now I think we’ve built a solid foundation. I always ask my team to challenge me—to bring ideas that make me think. That’s how I’ve always led.

Bruno Beccaria 
(laughs) So many. From a business standpoint, we implemented a new ERP system. That was a real pain.

Bruno Beccaria 
And then, of course, shifting our sales and marketing strategies—that’s always challenging. Bringing in ideas from Europe, trying to explain them to Jordan—first in my imperfect English, then the actual concepts—and going through rounds of feedback and refinement with 25 people... it takes time.

Although I’m from Italy, I’ve spent a lot of time in the U.S.—maybe more than in Europe. Even in my previous role, most of our business was U.S.-based. I lived in Maryland for a while. But still, this past year has been full of challenges.

Bruno Beccaria 
It's not a big change.

Jordan Egli 
I can take that one. When Bruno arrived, Burris had a lot of passionate, one-off product lines. With his background in communications and marketing, he helped streamline our product families so they make more sense to the consumer. We’re now more focused on what we do best and how we present it.

Bruno Beccaria 
Today’s customer journey is very short—we have maybe 10 to 15 seconds to make an impression. So, we have to communicate simply and clearly. My vision is to simplify our product families: entry-level price-point , mid-tier, and premium. That structure makes it easy to communicate value quickly and effectively.

Bruno Beccaria 
I'm 100% in the U.S.

Bruno Beccaria 
How much time do you have?

Bruno Beccaria 
It’s funny — America is the country I’ve visited most in my life, but I never hunted here until recently. I’ve hunted almost everywhere else in the world—because of my role at Beretta Group—but in the last few months I finally started hunting here. I got a North American goose in Colorado, an aoudad in Texas. ...

Bruno Beccaria 
Yes — and now, I feel like a real U.S. outdoorsman because I also got my first turkey last week.

Bruno Beccaria 
In South Dakota

Bruno Beccaria 
Next on my list: moose, elk, mule deer.

Bruno Beccaria 
Of course. And all the duck species that don’t exist in Europe. There are also some kinds of partridge—I forget the name.

Jordan Egli 
Sharptail?

Bruno Beccaria 
Yes, exactly. I already have all the European grouse species.

Bruno Beccaria 
Yes, I’ve hunted dove. I’m also interested in mountain lion, black bear, grizzly...

Jordan Egli 
Just name an animal and he’ll say yes. Whitetail?

Bruno Beccaria 
Yes, though it’s not high on my list — I took one in Finland, an eight-point. So yes, I still want to hunt almost everything here.

Bruno Beccaria 
I usually hunt on weekends, so if I’m lucky, I can fit it in. But honestly, I don’t have much free time. Right now, I’m dedicating my life to Burris. That wasn’t an easy decision—I left my family in Italy. We try to see each other every 30 to 45 days, but it’s tough. During the week, I stay busy and it’s fine. Weekends are harder.

Still, working for the Beretta Group is a privilege. This year marks my 20th year with the company. I’ve managed five different brands. When the family asked me to join Burris, I couldn’t say no.

Jordan Egli 
Different topic, Why are you flying home today?

Bruno Beccaria 
Tomorrow I have my final in-person class to complete my hunter safety license in Colorado.

But after a year, I can say this was the right decision. I’m working with amazing, passionate people—honestly, they’re probably teaching me more than I’m teaching them. But I have a clear vision for Burris.

Burris needs to become a global brand with one consistent message. We may come from different countries, states, backgrounds—but the passion for hunting, shooting, and firearms is the same everywhere.