Tom Fitzgerald (left) and Shawn Dietel (center) look on as Richard Dietel operates a machine at KEEN’s shoe factory in Portland, Ore. The 15,000-square-foot facility houses two production lines.
“The American economy lost more than 5,000 jobs to offshore outsourcing in 2010, and in Tuesday’s State of the Union address President Obama made it clear that he wants them back James Curleigh, CEO of the Portland, Ore.-based footwear company Keen, knows exactly what Obama is talking about. In 2010, Curleigh opened a workboot factory in Portland; today it employs 30 people. Keen still produces most of its shoes in Asia, but Curleigh says starting to manufacture in the U.S. was a big step.”
Click here to listen to the interview on NPR’s All Things Considered.
What do you do when it’s cold outside and you still want to take a break for recess at the office? Apparently, KEEN Japan took their 15-minute break and made mini-KEEN shoes.
Our President and CEO, James Curleigh, was given the opportunity to take part in the ‘Insourcing American Jobs’ Forum on January 11th at the Whitehouse. James is pictured in the above photo (top row, right-hand side).
At “Insourcing American Jobs” forum, President Obama talked about his hope for the future:
I don’t want America to be a nation that’s primarily known for financial speculation and racking up debt buying stuff from other nations. I want us to be known for making and selling products all over the world stamped with three proud words: “Made in America.” And we can make that happen.
I don’t want the next generation of manufacturing jobs taking root in countries like China or Germany. I want them taking root in places like Michigan and Ohio and Virginia and North Carolina. And that’s a race that America can win.
“These shoes have taken me to Chile, Argentina, Peru, Denver, Aspen, San Francisco, Seattle, DC, Boston, and Miami Beach for Halloween!” – An Ode to KEEN shared by Rex Burkholder
Our team in Seoul, Korea continues to grow our Hybrid.Care partnership with The Beautiful Store. Through its 118 store fronts and mobile popup-shops, the Beautiful Store, a social enterprise, sells donated new and recycled goods to raise money and awareness of local and international social needs and projects. On 1st Oct, during the Seoul Fringe Festival, proceeds from sales of KEEN footwear helped fund the purchase of books for the Beautiful Library that they helped establish in Coloney, Nepal.
About The Beautiful Store
The Beautiful Store facilitates sharing by providing a framework for individuals to donate items they no longer use to others who need them. After items are donated, the Beautiful Store cleans and repairs them, and then sells them to members of the community at a low price. It is through this process that the Beautiful Store hopes to succeed in creating a culture of sharing and recycling in Korea.
“Keen was founded in 2003 to make shoes, bags, and socks, with a focus on outdoor activity; their first product was a sandal with a distinctive rubber toe-protector that quickly found a market among sailors, kayakers and hikers. The company makes social responsibility a major focus of its work, donating its entire marketing budget to relief efforts after the 2004 Asian tsunami and partnering with environmental groups and other NGOs around the world through its HybridLife program. Keen is working to increase the responsibility of its supply chain and has even opened a factory in Portland to make shoes in the United States, a counterintuitive move when its cheaper to manufacture shoes abroad (other Keen products are made in China and North Carolina).” – Tim Fernholz, GOOD Business editor
88bikes just built its first 88bikeshop on the Navajo Nation in Utah! Designed by DesignBuildBLUFF and built by DBB staff and volunteers and 88bikes volunteers, it is sustainable, mobile, fully powered by solar panels, and built primarily from salvaged materials.
The 88bikeshop will be a base camp for bike workshops and clinics for kids on the Navajo Nation who will receive bikes this September. The 88bikeshop will also be a mobile adventure studio, supporting bike rides for kids throughout the area.
Thanks to KEEN, Osprey Packs and Eddie Bauer/First Ascent for supporting the 88bikeshop; thanks also to Kona bikes for sponsoring 50 rugged, hip, World Bikes for the project. The 88bikeshop was officially unveiled during the Moment of Happy on the Navajo Nation on September 7-8, 2011.
You can learn more here about 88Bikes, which is one of our Hybrid.Care partners.
“I am a BIG fan – literally and figuratively (size 17). I’m a photographer out of Minneapolis, Minnesota and my wife bought me a bunch of different KEEN shoes and boots. They’ve made an enormous difference for me. As a photographer I walk/hike all the time and I never think about my feet anymore – warm, cozy, well supported and dry. Thanks to your team for making such great shoes and boots. A BIG fan.” – Mark
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