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.
“I have always loved KEEN’s outdoor oriented shoes, and thought I’d give their ‘Boulevard Line,’ shoes best suited for more casual use, a try,” comments Claire on Gear.com.
She goes on to add that “KEEN seems to do as well with casual shoes as they do their hiking boots- I love my Shelbys! Living in a rain forest, the idea of owning leather boots just seemed silly. However, when I saw that the Shelbys came with the KEEN.Dry technology that I know and trust, I figured I could give leather boots a try. So far, they’ve stood up to the downpours up here, and appear to be no worse for the wear.”
The good and bad according to Claire at Gear.com. . .
THE GOOD:
1) No heel! I love that I get the same traction that I would in a pair of KEEN hiking boots while wearing fancy leather boots and a skirt!
2) Boots have an elastic insert around the top that allows for some flexibility in your calves. They also have a bit bigger calf circumference than other leather boots I’ve tried on, which is nice for us more active ladies!
3) Zipper is also waterproof so you’re not getting moisture that sneaks in unexpectedly.
THE BAD:
1) Nothing negative to say about this boot. Another success for KEEN.
Wilderness Tourism: Whereas many Tokyo trends are based solely on fashion, Yama Girls have developed a lifestyle to complement their outfits. Trips to so-called power spots have led to both a national hiking boom (especially among females 25 to 29) and a marketing frenzy, with hotels offering Yama Girl weekend packages and tour groups organizing women-only outdoors excursions.
Meanwhile, this past September’s Arth Camp drew hundreds of stylish outdoor enthusiasts from Tokyo to the forests of Shizuoka. The sold out festival included art installations, hands-on workshops, corporate sponsors (among them, outdoor shoe brand KEEN), and views of one of Japan’s most vaunted power spots, Mt. Fuji.
“Sometimes footwear should just be simple, comfortable, relaxed (still without Velcro) but versatile. KEEN has come up with a solution to this need in their new KEEN Timmons Slip-On, a grown up version of the casual canvas numbers that are ubiquitous when the weather turns warm. Well, the Timmons Slip-Ons we tried recently proved to be more than just comfortable, warm-weather footwear.”
“The waterproof nubuck leather and skid-resistant soles stood up to wet fall weather more than adequately and the grown-up style enabled us to go from backyard relaxation in shorts and a t-shirt to a casual dinner in khakis and a button-up oxford without changing shoes. The vulcanized construction should hold up well, eliminating the use of adhesives that could come undone. We especially loved the comfort of the natural canvas lining and the memory foam footbed. The best part? Not having to bend over and untie these numbers after a particularly huge meal.”
“After a day of hiking in the NC mountains and getting caught in an afternoon summer deluge, where we walked a good 30 minutes in the pouring rain, we set our shoes on the deck to dry. Upon seeing all the shoes, my father thought to take a picture…and then we realized, all KEENs. I thought you’d enjoy seeing that your footwear was worn to hike in by 3 generations of my family. My father and mother; my husband, sister and me; and my sons. Thanks for making such great shoes!” - Avery A. of North Carolina
“KEEN: Official Footwear of Peterson Family Reunion,” comments Leah. This picture was recently posted on our Facebook page. Talk about a KEEN family reunion…the Peterson family knows good footwear!
“At KEEN, it’s important to not only talk the talk but to walk the walk and that’s not just because it’s a footwear company.”
“Besides trying to sell stuff, through its website and a network of 5,000 retailers worldwide, the Portland-based company encourages people to get involved in their communities. Phyillis Grove, Keen’s vice president of marketing, talked this afternoon about how Keen does just that. She was one of the participants on the panel, ”Connecting with Customers/Public Engagement” at the Companies That Care Symposium at The Nines Hotel.”
“KEENencourages its employees to volunteer in the community, Grove said, offering up to 36 hours of paid time each year to participate in volunteer activities. On Earth Day last month, nearly 40 of the company’s employees helped with trail maintenance in Portland’s Forest Park.”
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