by Larry EderPat O’Malley has been promoted, and that is great! It is great to see that Saucony has seen the quality, talent and focus he brings to his product portfolio. And it is nice to see a good guy do well.
There is one bone of contention I have with Mr. O’Malley. He and I kid each other each and every shoe review, as he wants to know when he will win the top shoe in two categories, he has won the top shoe while he was at two different companies, but the top shoe, two categories, same company, I believe, should be called, unofficially, of course, the O’Malley.
In the past three weeks, we have seen three guys, Tom Carleo, Fritz Taylor and Pat O’Malley, all at different companies, all doing great things in the industry. That is our lesson for today folks, the companies kicking butt right now are focused, driven, emotional running brands. All three of these guys started out at the swoosh, but they have found homes for themselves in disparate corners of the footwear world, where they can use their talents in concerns much different than what they found in Beaverton. Focus, focus, focus.
Great job, Pat!
SAUCONY® PROMOTES O’MALLEY TO VICE PRESIDENT
OF GLOBAL PRODUCT
Running industry vet to further sharpen brand’s award-winning
product platform
LEXINGTON, MA (October 29, 2008) – Continuing its focus on enhanced product innovation and design, Saucony, Inc., a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel and a division of The Stride Rite Corporation, has promoted Pat O’Malley to the newly created position of vice president of global product, effective immediately. In his new role, O’Malley will now be responsible for the brand’s worldwide footwear design, development and engineering. O’Malley will report directly to Richie Woodworth, president of Saucony, who made the announcement today.
“Pat’s proven track record, industry credibility and passion for product position him perfectly to succeed in the competitive global running market,†said Woodworth. “In his five years with Saucony, Pat has played a significant role in the success of the brand, upgrading key products, advancing technical concepts and relentlessly pursuing meaningful innovation. Pat is a deeply respected industry veteran who is tirelessly devoted to creating great product for runners everywhere,†added Woodworth.
Under O’Malley’s direction, Saucony has earned numerous industry awards for both its road and trail products, including, most recently, Runner’s World magazine’s “Best Buy†for the ProGrid Jazz 12 and “Editor’s Choice†for the ProGrid Xodus trail shoe, as well as Outside magazine’s “The Gear of the Year†for the ProGrid Triumph 5.
O’Malley is credited with last year’s launch of the brand’s award-winning Flexion Plate™ technology, a revolutionary system that helps propel the runner forward, achieving the coveted Runner’s World “International Best Innovation†Award. Also in 2007, the Independent Running Retailers Association named the ProGrid Omni 6 “Product of the Year†based on key advancements O’Malley introduced to the brand’s flagship stability shoe.
Prior to his promotion, O’Malley served as vice president of product for Saucony since 2005, having joined the brand a year earlier as senior director of footwear. Before coming to Saucony, O’Malley spent four years at Reebok International as director of running and a decade with Nike in various positions within the running category.
O’Malley holds a B.A. and an MBA from University of Maine, Orno, where he captained both the cross country and track teams and achieved All-New England and All-Eastern status.
About Saucony, Inc.: Saucony, Inc., a subsidiary of Collective Brands and a division of The Stride Rite Corporation is a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands Saucony and Saucony Originals. For more information, go to www.saucony.com.
About Collective Brands, Inc.: Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic units covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing. Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its more than 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands American Eagle™, Airwalk®, Dexter®, Champion® and designer collections Abaeté for Payless, Lela Rose for Payless and alice + olivia for Payless, among others; Stride Rite, focused on lifestyle and athletic branded footwear and high-quality children’s footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite®, Keds®, Sperry Top-Sider®, Robeez®, and Saucony®, among others; and Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk®, Vision Street Wear®, Lamar®, Sims®, LTD®, genetic®, Dukes™, Rage®, Ultra-Wheels®, and Skate Attack®. Information about, and links for shopping on, each of the Collective Brand’s units can be found at http://www.collectivebrands.com.
Runblogrun.com encourages you to check out the sites of Shooting Star Media, Inc.: American Track & Field (www.american-trackandfield.com), Athletes Only (www.atf-athlete.com), California Track & Running News (www.caltrack.com), MIssouri Runner & Triathlete (www.morunandtri.com), Latinos Corriendo(www.latinoscorriendo.com), Coaching
Athletics Quarterly (www.coachingathleticsq.com), and USATF Fast Forward (www.usatf.org). All of the above magazine websites can be found at RunningNetwork.com (www.runningnetwork.com).
