Shoe designer and world-class sailor Martin Keen struck out to create a shoe that would protect his toes from the bumps and jams inherent in sailing while at the same time deliver the breath-ability and quick-drying ability of sandals. That year he formed the Keen company to produce and sell the Newport, his version of a sandal with a patented protective toe cap. Footwear News labeled KEEN as the “Launch of the Year” and the company quickly grew.
Since the beginning, KEEN has been dedicated to innovation and conservation, from redesigning recyclable shoe boxes to creating 100% vegan shoes. Incorporating sustainable lifestyle practices is the goal of their new HybridLife campaign. Their website describes it:
“At KEEN, we’re an active outdoor company made up of people just like you… creating possibilities, playing outside, and caring for the world we live in. We believe that the outdoors is any place without a ceiling and create innovative products, allowing you to play in the outdoors, wherever that may be. Through our leadership and commitment to social and environmental causes, we hope to encourage and empower others to do the same. Create. Play. Care. It’s a way of life. We call it HybridLife .”
KEEN harnesses its own resources to put this campaign into practice. Many companies claim to use primarily recyclable and sustainable materials yet that was not enough for this young upstart.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Bing's Best Match Spotlights Official Sites for Brands
f you conduct a search for a brand, you're most likely looking for the official site. Bing is separating the official sites out from the rest of the results for brands with a feature called Best Match.
Here's an example of a search for FIFA. Notice the search box included with the result
Best Match isn't perfect. It didn't recognize Caribou Coffee. Also, the "best match" for Keen was a psychic site, Keen.com. But what about Keen shoes? They were at the top of the organic results below. Perhaps there shouldn't be a "best match" for that keyword?
Here's an example of a search for FIFA. Notice the search box included with the result
Best Match isn't perfect. It didn't recognize Caribou Coffee. Also, the "best match" for Keen was a psychic site, Keen.com. But what about Keen shoes? They were at the top of the organic results below. Perhaps there shouldn't be a "best match" for that keyword?
Bing's Best Match Spotlights Official Sites for Brands
f you conduct a search for a brand, you're most likely looking for the official site. Bing is separating the official sites out from the rest of the results for brands with a feature called Best Match.
Here's an example of a search for FIFA. Notice the search box included with the result
Best Match isn't perfect. It didn't recognize Caribou Coffee. Also, the "best match" for Keen was a psychic site, Keen.com. But what about Keen shoes? They were at the top of the organic results below. Perhaps there shouldn't be a "best match" for that keyword?
Here's an example of a search for FIFA. Notice the search box included with the result
Best Match isn't perfect. It didn't recognize Caribou Coffee. Also, the "best match" for Keen was a psychic site, Keen.com. But what about Keen shoes? They were at the top of the organic results below. Perhaps there shouldn't be a "best match" for that keyword?
Executive Moves: Merrell, Keen
Merrell and Chaco, both divisions of Wolverine World Wide Inc., have new team members, the brands announced Monday.
In the outdoor arena, Merrell promoted Greg Glover to key account manager with an outdoor specialty. He will be charged with growing the brand’s outdoor specialty retailer roster. Aaron Brown moved into Glover’s former position as national technical representative manager, responsible for all aspects of the tech rep team, experts on Merrell footwear, Merrell apparel and Chaco.
Tom Stolz has been promoted to national sales manager for Chaco, where he will manage Chaco’s U.S. sales force and will be responsible for all aspects of the selling effort in Chaco’s home market. Cindy Feinauer has become western regional sales manager for the brand, overseeing sales in the Rocky Mountains, Northwest and Southwest territories.
Peachy Keen
Keen has hired three new execs in sales, marketing and accessories.
Russ Hopcus will be VP of sales and global market development for the brand, in charge of building and executing distribution strategies to maximize the company’s potential in each market. He also will be responsible for developing the Keen business in current and emerging markets outside the U.S.
New VP of marketing Phyllis Grove will head global branding, marketing strategy and planning for Keen. And Sandy La Rowe is the business unit director of bags, socks and special projects.
In the outdoor arena, Merrell promoted Greg Glover to key account manager with an outdoor specialty. He will be charged with growing the brand’s outdoor specialty retailer roster. Aaron Brown moved into Glover’s former position as national technical representative manager, responsible for all aspects of the tech rep team, experts on Merrell footwear, Merrell apparel and Chaco.
Tom Stolz has been promoted to national sales manager for Chaco, where he will manage Chaco’s U.S. sales force and will be responsible for all aspects of the selling effort in Chaco’s home market. Cindy Feinauer has become western regional sales manager for the brand, overseeing sales in the Rocky Mountains, Northwest and Southwest territories.
Peachy Keen
Keen has hired three new execs in sales, marketing and accessories.
Russ Hopcus will be VP of sales and global market development for the brand, in charge of building and executing distribution strategies to maximize the company’s potential in each market. He also will be responsible for developing the Keen business in current and emerging markets outside the U.S.
New VP of marketing Phyllis Grove will head global branding, marketing strategy and planning for Keen. And Sandy La Rowe is the business unit director of bags, socks and special projects.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Win KEEN Shoes - Last Chance This Week!
There's just two days to go if you want to win a couple of pairs of great KEEN shoes in week one of our new Trail Starts Here competition.
It works like this, every week for the next eight weeks, we're hiding an icon in an OutdoorsMagic article and giving you a not too difficult cryptic clue to follow. Discover the icon and you get the chance to win two pairs of KEEN shoes, the McKenzie and the Owyhee – both ideal for the heat of the British summer with maybe a little added dampness...
There are shoes up for grabs every week, but find the icon and you'll also be entered in an overall draw to win an ace two-day adventure break in the Peak District with accommodation, food, guiding and so on all included.
Every icon you find gives you an additional chance to win, so it's worth playing every week to maximise your chances of landing the overall prize, but equally it doesn't matter if you miss a week or two, you'll still be entered, you'll just have slightly less chance of winning.
It works like this, every week for the next eight weeks, we're hiding an icon in an OutdoorsMagic article and giving you a not too difficult cryptic clue to follow. Discover the icon and you get the chance to win two pairs of KEEN shoes, the McKenzie and the Owyhee – both ideal for the heat of the British summer with maybe a little added dampness...
There are shoes up for grabs every week, but find the icon and you'll also be entered in an overall draw to win an ace two-day adventure break in the Peak District with accommodation, food, guiding and so on all included.
Every icon you find gives you an additional chance to win, so it's worth playing every week to maximise your chances of landing the overall prize, but equally it doesn't matter if you miss a week or two, you'll still be entered, you'll just have slightly less chance of winning.
KEEN's Portland Shoe Factory Builds Two Pairs Per Minute
KEEN, an eight-year-old company notorious for doing things differently, posed the challenge, “How can we build a quality shoe close to our biggest market, reduce our environmental impact and support the U.S. economy?” The solution? Set up shop to build shoes in the company’s own stomping grounds in Portland, Ore.
KEEN recently opened a 15,000-square-foot facility called The Portland Factory with two full production lines equipped with state-of-the-art machines on Swan Island in North Portland, located less than five miles from the company headquarters and KEEN Garage retail location.
Using the streamlined direct-inject manufacturing process that provides efficiency in material and energy usage, KEEN is able to create classic American shoe styles with fewer materials, fewer adhesives, fewer miles to its largest market, and less of an environmental impact.
“At KEEN, it all started with a simple design challenge, ‘Can a sandal protect your toes?’ The answer was yes. The radically different Newport defied convention by uniting the opposing elements of the beach and mountain, as well as protection and freedom,” says James Curleigh, CEO of KEEN.
Curleigh added, “Every season, KEEN has taken that challenge a few steps further uniting opposing elements to create unexpected solutions. We continually challenge ourselves to try new things and to create great product. That quest led us to our newest project – KEEN footwear Built in Portland. It’s footwear designed to re-think our impact on the earth and the community in which we live. It’s one more step to a sustainable future.”
KEEN envisions The Portland Factory as more than just a manufacturing plant. They see it as a space for teaching and learning, where customers and community can observe the cutting edge of footwear manufacturing. It’s also a way for KEEN to give back to its community, by creating local jobs, providing education, and giving Portland the right to say great footwear is being built right here. It’s a Product Development Center, with an on-site testing lab where KEEN can experiment with new ideas and technologies, speeding research and improving product.
And the Portland Factory is yet another way KEEN is exploring sustainable manufacturing practices. The company is pioneering new direct-injection techniques and modern machinery, reducing the need for petroleum-based cements and improving energy efficiency.
In October 2010, the first KEEN product rolled off the assembly line - the Portland Boot, fittingly a style that bears the name of the city. The style is from the KEEN Utility line, the collection of premium workplace footwear built for hardworking men and women. With one production line up and running, the facility currently employs about 15 people, a number that will grow when the second production line revs up throughout 2011. The factory is equipped to build one pair of shoes every 30 seconds with a maximum capacity of 1.5 million pairs per year.
The machines in The Portland Factory assemble shoes using a highly automated robotic control rougher and a direct-attach process. This shoe making technique has a number of advantages. The direct-attach process adheres the outsole of the shoe directly to the upper which significantly reduces the need for petroleum-based cements. The Portland Factory uses no volatile chemicals and very few machines which reduces the amount of energy used during production process.
Over the coming years KEEN will build 13 footwear styles in Portland. (Pictured above: the Fremont.) The Built in Portland collection will include casual styles, sandals and work boots. Each of the designs draws inspiration from the lifestyles of the Pacific Northwest.
KEEN recently opened a 15,000-square-foot facility called The Portland Factory with two full production lines equipped with state-of-the-art machines on Swan Island in North Portland, located less than five miles from the company headquarters and KEEN Garage retail location.
Using the streamlined direct-inject manufacturing process that provides efficiency in material and energy usage, KEEN is able to create classic American shoe styles with fewer materials, fewer adhesives, fewer miles to its largest market, and less of an environmental impact.
“At KEEN, it all started with a simple design challenge, ‘Can a sandal protect your toes?’ The answer was yes. The radically different Newport defied convention by uniting the opposing elements of the beach and mountain, as well as protection and freedom,” says James Curleigh, CEO of KEEN.
Curleigh added, “Every season, KEEN has taken that challenge a few steps further uniting opposing elements to create unexpected solutions. We continually challenge ourselves to try new things and to create great product. That quest led us to our newest project – KEEN footwear Built in Portland. It’s footwear designed to re-think our impact on the earth and the community in which we live. It’s one more step to a sustainable future.”
KEEN envisions The Portland Factory as more than just a manufacturing plant. They see it as a space for teaching and learning, where customers and community can observe the cutting edge of footwear manufacturing. It’s also a way for KEEN to give back to its community, by creating local jobs, providing education, and giving Portland the right to say great footwear is being built right here. It’s a Product Development Center, with an on-site testing lab where KEEN can experiment with new ideas and technologies, speeding research and improving product.
And the Portland Factory is yet another way KEEN is exploring sustainable manufacturing practices. The company is pioneering new direct-injection techniques and modern machinery, reducing the need for petroleum-based cements and improving energy efficiency.
In October 2010, the first KEEN product rolled off the assembly line - the Portland Boot, fittingly a style that bears the name of the city. The style is from the KEEN Utility line, the collection of premium workplace footwear built for hardworking men and women. With one production line up and running, the facility currently employs about 15 people, a number that will grow when the second production line revs up throughout 2011. The factory is equipped to build one pair of shoes every 30 seconds with a maximum capacity of 1.5 million pairs per year.
The machines in The Portland Factory assemble shoes using a highly automated robotic control rougher and a direct-attach process. This shoe making technique has a number of advantages. The direct-attach process adheres the outsole of the shoe directly to the upper which significantly reduces the need for petroleum-based cements. The Portland Factory uses no volatile chemicals and very few machines which reduces the amount of energy used during production process.
Over the coming years KEEN will build 13 footwear styles in Portland. (Pictured above: the Fremont.) The Built in Portland collection will include casual styles, sandals and work boots. Each of the designs draws inspiration from the lifestyles of the Pacific Northwest.
Portland-based Keen Footwear talks up domestic manufacturing at White House
WASHINGTON -- With his beard and unruly hair, James Curleigh of Portland was easy to spot Wednesday among a group of close-cropped business leaders who assembled at the White House to talk to President Obama about keeping -- and expanding -- jobs in America rather than shipping them overseas.
But while he looked different, Curleigh's message Wednesday was in sync with the others and the White House. The message was that there's no longer the need to automatically send jobs overseas in order to compete globally.
"These are CEOs who take pride in hiring people here in America," Obama said from the East Room in the White House as Curleigh, chief executive of Portland-based Keen Footwear, joined him along with executives from 13 other companies as large as Intel and as small Lincolnton Furniture of North Carolina. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber also attended in the day-long session to create and refine ideas on keeping jobs in the United States.
"Not just because it's increasingly the right thing to do for their bottom line -- but because it's the right thing to do for their workers, for our communities, and for our country. They are leading by example," Obama said.
The initiative is rooted in economics and politics. Obama and independent economics note that the gap between labor cost in the United States and in places like Asia has shrunk. As transportation costs rise and tariffs increase, the argument goes, businesses are choosing to hire workers domestically for jobs that might once have gone overseas.
Politically the White House wants to demonstrate that its policies for healing the economy and easing unemployment are sound and successful.
Curleigh said his company, which makes clothes and footwear, including work boots and distinctive sandals, has been growing by more than 30 percent a year in part because of decisions to open plants in this country.
Keen has a Portland production plant that manufactures a small percentage of the company's footwear. It also has makes cargo bags at a California factory and socks at one in North Carolina.
"If you have your own factory you have agility and independence you otherwise wouldn't have," said Curleigh, who was the only executive not wearing the standard-issue business uniform -- blue suit and dress shirt.
"The numbers do stack up. Seventy percent of our new business is still domestic and 100 percent of our new category in steel-toed boots and work boots is domestic. So transportation alone; we're in the U.S. for the U.S. market," he said.
The costs rise because some tariffs on goods they could import from China are as high as 37.5 percent. "If you start building in America that starts dropping dramatically, if not to zero," he said.
In his remarks, Obama said rising American productivity and increasingly competitive costs add up to "a unique moment, an inflection point" for businesses to invest in the U.S. and bring jobs back home. And he argued there's a moral case for it, too, and that business leaders have a responsibility to their country.
"So my message to business leaders today is simple: ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to the country that made our success possible -- and I'm going to do everything in my power to help you do it. We're going to have to seize this moment," Obama said.
The White House gave the session a high profile in the wake of Mitt Romney's victory in New Hampshire, which solidified his lead over the GOP presidential field. Romney has targeted Obama as a foe of free enterprise. Obama's forum aimed in part to counter that message.
But while he looked different, Curleigh's message Wednesday was in sync with the others and the White House. The message was that there's no longer the need to automatically send jobs overseas in order to compete globally.
"These are CEOs who take pride in hiring people here in America," Obama said from the East Room in the White House as Curleigh, chief executive of Portland-based Keen Footwear, joined him along with executives from 13 other companies as large as Intel and as small Lincolnton Furniture of North Carolina. Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber also attended in the day-long session to create and refine ideas on keeping jobs in the United States.
"Not just because it's increasingly the right thing to do for their bottom line -- but because it's the right thing to do for their workers, for our communities, and for our country. They are leading by example," Obama said.
The initiative is rooted in economics and politics. Obama and independent economics note that the gap between labor cost in the United States and in places like Asia has shrunk. As transportation costs rise and tariffs increase, the argument goes, businesses are choosing to hire workers domestically for jobs that might once have gone overseas.
Politically the White House wants to demonstrate that its policies for healing the economy and easing unemployment are sound and successful.
Curleigh said his company, which makes clothes and footwear, including work boots and distinctive sandals, has been growing by more than 30 percent a year in part because of decisions to open plants in this country.
Keen has a Portland production plant that manufactures a small percentage of the company's footwear. It also has makes cargo bags at a California factory and socks at one in North Carolina.
"If you have your own factory you have agility and independence you otherwise wouldn't have," said Curleigh, who was the only executive not wearing the standard-issue business uniform -- blue suit and dress shirt.
"The numbers do stack up. Seventy percent of our new business is still domestic and 100 percent of our new category in steel-toed boots and work boots is domestic. So transportation alone; we're in the U.S. for the U.S. market," he said.
The costs rise because some tariffs on goods they could import from China are as high as 37.5 percent. "If you start building in America that starts dropping dramatically, if not to zero," he said.
In his remarks, Obama said rising American productivity and increasingly competitive costs add up to "a unique moment, an inflection point" for businesses to invest in the U.S. and bring jobs back home. And he argued there's a moral case for it, too, and that business leaders have a responsibility to their country.
"So my message to business leaders today is simple: ask yourselves what you can do to bring jobs back to the country that made our success possible -- and I'm going to do everything in my power to help you do it. We're going to have to seize this moment," Obama said.
The White House gave the session a high profile in the wake of Mitt Romney's victory in New Hampshire, which solidified his lead over the GOP presidential field. Romney has targeted Obama as a foe of free enterprise. Obama's forum aimed in part to counter that message.
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