13 Mar Oboz Co-Founder and Designer Chuck Roth Becomes Oboz Employee
Chuck Roth, the designer of Oboz Footwear since the company’s inception, has joined Oboz as an employee for the first time. Roth, who is a co-founder and co-owner of Oboz, has, over the years, consulted with the company as its sole designer and has also contributed to product line, business planning, and brand direction.
“Having Chuck on board and exclusively dedicated to Oboz is a tremendous asset,” said Oboz co-founder and vice president Josh Fairchilds. “He brings extensive experience and strengths to our product team, obviously, but also to our planning for future growth.”
Roth has worked with Oboz co-founders John Connelly and Josh Fairchilds since 2001 and 2004, respectively, while the three were working for other footwear brands. During that time, the trio developed strong professional and personal relationships, which ultimately led them to launch Oboz. Oboz came to the outdoor retail market in 2008.
Roth focused his career on footwear starting in 1993, when he began working at Nike. In 2001, he established his independent design consultancy specializing in premium, performance footwear. Over 14 years, he has served an extensive list of 30 clients in the outdoor, cycling, fishing, running, and hunting markets. Products Roth designed have collected numerous awards and accolades from Outside, Trail Runner, Fly Fishing and Alpinist magazines.
“I truly value the long term relationships I’ve had with my clients and I’m thankful for the opportunity to work with so many established and respected brands,” said Roth. “But now Oboz deserves my full attention from both a design and business perspective. I’m really excited to help evolve and build on Oboz’s success so far.”
Roth graduated with honors from both the Haywood Technical Institute and the Art Center College of Design. He launched his design career at Design Tech, a design firm in San Francisco. Chuck will work from his Portland, OR-based office.