Keen Inc., the Portland footwear, bags, socks and clothing brand, announced Monday it has hired Michael Minter to be its first in-house vice president of creative.
Michael Minter
Minter worked from February 2005 to November 2013 at Sanuk Footwear as global creative director and global marketing director, according to his LinkedIn profile. During his nine-year tenure, Sanuk sales grew from $4 million to more than $90 million, the profile says. Deckers Outdoor Corp. acquired Sanuk in 2011.
"Michael is a perfect fit for the future path of Keen," company president Steve Meineke said in a news release. "He has a strong understanding of the Keen connection to today's consumers. He also brings unmatched experience in reading and engaging consumer behavior, building creative strategy, and communicating compelling brand stories."
"Keen is an amazing brand with an exciting future," Minter said in the release. "There simply aren't many companies out there with the true freedom and fearlessness needed to innovate, push design and keep things interesting. There's great energy at Keen right now, I'm excited to join the team and help drive that forward."
Keen also announced the launch of an "Innovation Lab," based in Portland for the development of new products.
Keen products are sold in more 5,000 retail locations in more than 60 countries, as well as in Keen Garage retail stores in Portland, Palo Alto, Tokyo, Prague and Toronto.
-- Allan Brettman