21 Dec Shoes For Crews Appoints CEO
Shoes For Crews, a leader in slip-resistant work footwear, hired Stuart Jenkins, formerly with Deckers Brands, as president, chief executive officer and chief innovation officer and member of the company’s board of directors.
The appointment will be effective Jan. 25, 2016. Concurrently, Matt Smith, founder and current CEO, will become chairman of the board of directors of the company, and Stan Smith, founder and current chairman, will become chairman emeritus.
Jenkins joins Shoes For Crews after eight years with Deckers Brands, which owns Ugg, Sanuk, Teva, Ahnu and Hoka One One, where he had most recently served as senior vice president, innovation & product development. Jenkins joined Deckers in 2008 as president of Mozos, where he helped launch the Mozos brand of protective footwear for the culinary services industry.
Jenkins most recent breadth of responsibility ranged from footwear production, manufacturing processes, anti-counterfeit technologies, new materials development, technology licensing, brand acquisition and corporate culture building. Prior to joining Deckers, Jenkins served as CEO of his alma mater, Principia College, for four years, which followed more than 20 years leading product innovation and business strategy in founder, CEO and other roles at various footwear companies, including Skydex Technologies, IMG Technologies/Sports Marketing Services, Performance Materials and Energy Shoe Company. Jenkins has invented numerous technologies and personally holds 12 patents.
Rich Zannino, SFC lead Director and a managing director at CCMP Capital said, “Stuart is a natural born leader. He has consistently driven outsized profitable growth at a wide range of footwear companies through sound business strategies, launching innovative new products and processes and invigorating organizations with his entrepreneurial approach to leadership. With Stuart leading the highly talented SFC team, we know that we will continue to create safer workplaces and add even more value for our customers, employees and stakeholders.”
Matt Smith said, “We are pleased to welcome Stuart to the Shoes For Crews family as our new CEO, making him only the third CEO in our 35 year history. Stuart’s focus on using technology and innovation to build brands and drive growth, as well as the extensive experience he brings from a highly successful track record in the footwear industry, make him the perfect leader for our Company. We look forward to having Stuart at the helm as we enter this next phase of our Company’s development and continue to build on our long record of consistent sales and profit growth.”
Stuart Jenkins said, “It is a true honor and privilege for me to be asked to lead Shoes For Crews. I am excited to partner with the board and all the ‘crew members’ at SFC as we work together to achieve innovation-led growth and best serve our customers with the safest, most comfortable and durable products available.”
Headquartered in West Palm Beach, FL, Shoes For Crews began producing slip-resistant footwear in 1984.