Dive Brief:
- Shinola and Filson parent Bedrock Manufacturing Company has appointed Steve Katzman to the role of CEO and Kevin Wertz as chief marketing officer, according to a release sent to sister publication Fashion Dive. Both Katzman and Wertz previously worked in senior advisory roles at Bedrock.
- Katzman, whose role is effective immediately, joins the company after working as a partner at private investment firm Camelot Venture Group and real estate development company PS Ventures. He takes over the role from Awenate Cobbina, who joined Bedrock in 2021, per the release. Wertz was most recently chief marketing officer at SmileDirectClub, which declared bankruptcy in 2023. Before that, he was with advertising and marketing communications firm Campbell Ewald.
- The company also announced that Carolina Clouet, Shinola’s vice president of licensing, wholesale and corporate sales, will take on those roles at the Filson brand, and join Bedrock’s management team.
Dive Insight:
In his new role, Katzman will oversee operations at both Detroit-based Shinola and Seattle-based Filson, and he said his appointment comes at “a pivotal time for the company.” He will also join Bedrock’s board of directors.
“We are eager to accelerate the performance of these two brands, deepen [Bedrock]’s support for them, and grow our portfolio of brands and experiences,” Katzman said in the release.
Clouet began at Shinola in 2022, and before that was an executive at audio brand Master & Dynamic. She previously consulted for companies including Neiman Marcus and Beats by Dre, per the release.
Departing CEO Cobbina will transition to a role in Bedrock’s hotel and hospitality initiatives. In addition to timepieces, leather goods, housewares and bicycles, Shinola also runs a hotel, launched in 2019.
In February, outdoor brand Filson announced an expansion into womenswear, expected to launch in August.
Texas-based investment firm Bedrock was founded in 2005 by Tom Kartsotis, who also founded watch brand Fossil.
