by Larry Eder
“Mark Sheehan is one of those industry stalwarts that quietly gets things done – efficiently, effectively, and without fanfare. Etonic has chosen wisely, and if they give him room to work, they will be rewarded with a return to prominence for the brand. His successes at Nike and Puma, and total magic at KSwiss can be easily documented by their results. We wish them both good luck in this endeavor.” From www.RunningProductReviews.com
Newly acquired Etonic returns to U.S. ownership and appoints award winning running industry veteran to head up product development. – New York, January, 2, 2013 – Etonic Holdings LLC, a wholly owned U.S. company which recently acquired the Etonic brand and intellectual property from Lotto Sport Italia SpA, today announced the appointment of Mark Sheehan as its Vice President of product development for footwear and General Manager of its running division. Sheehan will oversee design and development of running, golf, fitness, basketball, cross-fit, walking, basketball, court and lifestyle categories for Etonic.
Sheehan previously served as VP of Product Development at K-Swiss, the Westlake Village, California based athletic footwear brand. While at K-Swiss, Sheehan developed a successful running program with an emphasis on ultra-marathon, triathlon and Iron Man racing shoes. Prior to K-Swiss, Sheehan oversaw basketball, cross-training and tennis at Reebok, and spent 11 years in development at Nike, spending over half of his tenure working in Asia in design, development and production.
“Having worked in the industry for over 26 years, I certainly recognize that opportunities like this one are a rarity. Having the chance to shape the future direction of a well respected brand like Etonic does not come around very often,” said Sheehan. “I believe all of my experiences will be put to the test and bringing technical innovative products to the marketplace is what we will strive for. We have great respect for all of the other brands in the marketplace but I believe we have the vision and the determination to bring Etonic back to its rightful place in our industry.”
As a competing marathon runner, Sheehan produced winning race times of 2:15, and 2:17 qualifying for the Olympic Trials. He coached runners at the University of South Florida and has remained a National Class runner throughout his 20 + year career in the athletic footwear industry.
Etonic CEO Bruce Weisfeld commented, “We are extremely excited to have someone with Mark’s experience and expertise on our team. With Mark’s successes bringing high performance running product to market, and elite status as a marathon athlete, we believe he brings instant credibility to Etonic as a running specialty brand. Etonic is truly an authentic American athletic company with products ranging from running, golf to basketball and tennis. We plan to restore and reinvigorate Etonic and return the brand to its rightful place among the best athletic companies in the world.”
About Etonic Holdings, LLC
Etonic Holdings, LLC, is a collaboration of the Weisfeld Group and Anthony L&S Footwear, representing over fifty (50) years of combined experience in building brands in the apparel and footwear sector. The Weisfeld Group, a preeminent leader in building brands within the footwear and apparel industry. As one of America’s premier footwear companies, Anthony L&S sources, markets, and distributes a broad range of footwear including men’s, women’s, and children’s sneakers and boots. They currently manage a portfolio of more than 10 owned, licensed and exclusively distributed premium footwear brands including G Star, Levi’s, U.S. Polo Assn., Mountain Gear, Adio, Phat Farm and FUBU.
