Keen (shoe company)
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| Private | |
| Industry | Footwear |
| Founded | Alameda, California (2003) |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon (2006), U.S. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
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Key people
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Rory Fuerst, owner |
| Products | Shoes and boots |
| Revenue | (est) $240 million (2011) |
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Number of employees
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100 |
| Website | keenfootwear.com |
Keen is an American shoe manufacturing company based in Portland, Oregon. Founded in 2003[1] by Martin Keen and Rory Fuerst, their shoes are now available in more than a thousand retail locations in the United States, and are distributed worldwide.[2]
Contents
History
The first Keen shoes were invented to develop a sandal that could also protect the toes—they feature a signature thick black bumper covering the toes. They found a ready market in sailing and other outdoor and water activities. Keen Footwear now offers shoes for many outdoor activities as well as casual shoes.
Keen has been a fast-growing company since its inception. The company was named 2003's "Launch of the Year" by the shoe industry's leading trade publication, Footwear News, which also identified it as a hot brand to watch.[3] As Keen has grown, there have been many changes, including the addition of a variety of footwear styles to their previous assortment, growing their casual business quickly, adding cold weather footwear, and a line of bags and socks. In early 2006, the company relocated its headquarters from Alameda, California to Portland, Oregon.[2] At the same time, Kirk Richardson joined the company as its president after a 27-year career in management at nearby Nike, Inc.[4] Later in the year, Tommy L, a well known advocate for casual sandal wearing agreed to sign a sponsorship deal with Keen and began to endorse the company. As of October 2008, Richardson is leading Keen's corporate social responsibility efforts and James Curleigh joined the company as CEO[5] after 12 years as CEO at Salomon Sports North America.
In reaction to the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Keen took their marketing budget and donated it in total to relief efforts.[6] This gesture turned into their long-term Hybrid.Care program, where they partner with organizations whose vision they share, including The Conservation Alliance, 1 KG More, Leave No Trace, and Big City Mountaineers.
In 2009, the 100-employee company had estimated sales of $130 to $140 million.[1] The company opened a plant in Portland in 2010 to begin manufacturing some of their products in the United States.[1] For 2011, revenue had grown to approximately $240 million.[7] Keen bought the Pearl Building in Portland's Pearl District for $10.8 million to serve as company headquarters and host a retail store.[7][8]
See also
References
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- Keen (official website)
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