Carol Craighead didn’t plan to run CrossBreed Holsters, but life sent her down a different path

By Jodi Stemler

When Carol Craighead’s husband started CrossBreed Holsters in 2005 in their hometown of Springfield, Missouri, she supported his vision but had her own career in the medical profession. 

“It was his baby,” she recalls, “I was there for him and helped as needed but I wasn’t involved on the front end.”

The company was beginning to make a name for itself, but just seven years after he started the business, Carol’s husband passed away unexpectedly. The grief was intense, but the couple had three children who needed her, and it didn’t take her long to realize that she had a staff at CrossBreed who depended on the company for their livelihood. 

She might have briefly considered giving it all up, but the company was her husband’s dream. She knew she couldn’t let that die with him.

“I wasn’t sure what I was getting into," she said. "I didn’t shoot much but I started to carry consistently recognizing that we were providing an essential tool for those who choose to be responsible for their own safety.”

Running a company is an entirely different path than Carol planned, but she dug deep, and the company began to flourish. They had 25 employees at the time of her husband’s passing in 2012, now there are 62 and employee retention is high. Sales have quadrupled under her leadership and CrossBreed Holsters are available through a network of over 400 dealers.

But Carol didn’t rest on their existing product line. As she began carrying more frequently, she recognized that the company didn’t have many holster options for women. 

Carol fully understands the need. “I went from having my husband at home as my protector to being the one responsible for my three kids’ safety. I’m 4’11” and weigh 100 pounds. What am I going to do if someone breaks into my house?” This recognition and her personal journey made her more aware of creating products that worked for women.

When Lena Miculek reached out to Carol and the CrossBreed team to see if they could develop a holster of Lena’s design as part of the ROSE program, the decision was easy.

“It was incredible to see how much she thought through what she wanted to see,” Carol recalls. “Lena has such a vast knowledge about what works well when drawing from a holster. She worked closely with our product development team to make changes to our existing Executive Holster to make it fit what she wanted for ROSE. The elements she worked on from the molding to adding a Ulticlip and the wing and wedge all were developed to help make on-body concealment easier and more comfortable for women.”

The response, Carol says, has been incredible. CrossBreed went from having women at just 6% of their customer base to 20%, and she is excited for the continued collaboration with SIG SAUER and the ROSE program. At the first ROSE Retreat in Nashville, Carol participated as a student but also as a vendor.

“As a participant, it was such a great opportunity to learn from Lena and see how she teaches her students to be better shooters and build confidence in concealed carry. Even though I run a company in the handgun industry, I don’t train every day and I was able to take ideas home to help me become more proficient,” she notes.

As a business owner, it was incredible to see and learn from SIG’s attention to detail—they really thought of everything for us. But perhaps more importantly, as a vendor, I was able to learn about what the ladies at the Retreat want and how we can help them on their journey in concealed carry.  We are carrying that forward as we participate in the other ROSE retreats that SIG is hosting.”

Nineteen years ago, Carol Craighead’s plans were not to be a woman CEO in the male-dominated firearms industry. But her life’s journey took a painful turn that steered her on an unexpected path—one in which she is thriving, and making a difference for women through her partnership with SIG SAUER and ROSE.

Developed by SIG SAUER in collaboration with Team SIG Professional Shooter and 9-time World Champion Lena Miculek, the all-new ROSE brand by SIG SAUER was created to help encourage and inspire women to take on the responsibility of their own personal safety through education, training, and community.  ROSE by SIG SAUER is a complete firearms education program that begins with a custom ROSE P365 kit including a special edition P365-XL COMP ROSE pistol chambered in 9MM or P365-380 ROSE, a custom ROSE Vaultek safe, and instant access to a complete step-by-step video training series with Lena Miculek that is supported by an online community to encourage, inspire, and grow female shooters to become more confident and comfortable.