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.
During their Inspire and Be Inspired Bus Tour, Tony Hsieh and the Delivering Happiness Team visited KEEN. Our CEO and Chief Product Tester James Curleigh echoes lessons taught in Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose. Check out this short video!
“How is trust maintained and earned?” was the question posed by the moderator to a panel, which included KEEN CEO and President James Curleigh.
Edelman just completed an annual “Trust Barometer” study that finds trust in American business, government, non government agencies and media is declining. It was an impressive piece of work that surveyed the thoughts of 5,000 educated and successful people in 23 countries.
“The rubber vulcanization process involved with making shoes can be smelly and inefficient. Vulcanization with sulfur requires high temperatures, long heating periods–and that nasty chemical smell. So Portland, Ore., based footwear company KEEN decided to try something new with its Santiago Collection of shoes: they’re bringing back Desma’s hand-operated direct vulcanization machines. The only catch is that these machines haven’t been made for 60 years.”
“Desma’s German-made machines stopped being manufactured because of the arrival of quicker chemical vulcanization processes. But KEEN CEO James Curleigh went on a worldwide hunt to find them–in part because the hand-cranked machines make for a healthier environment for workers.”
“Last night I met up with Winter Wildlands Alliance (WWA) executive director Mark Menlove at the organization’s Backcountry Film Festival, which stopped off at KEEN in Portland as part of the festival’s world tour to celebrate the human powered snow experience through film. Typical of events held at KEEN, the spirit of outdoor recreation culture was evident from the outset, with attendees being greeted by a table loaded with swag from various outdoor brands (a chunk of which was donated from Portland-based U.S. Outdoor Store) and a beer booth, where a representative from Portland’s Bridgeport Brewing Company dished out an unlimited supply of sudsy deliciousness.”
“The Festival kicked off with an opening speech delivered by KEEN CEO James Curleigh, who referred to backcountry skiers as pioneers that are emblematic of the company’s Hybrid Life motto, a Wend-like approach to outdoor recreation that combines creativity with playing and caring for the places one plays. By using it to tie the company’s mission to that of the festival, Curleigh’s speech was typical of the kind of corporate spiel one would expect to hear from a CEO at an event like this. But unlike many CEOs, Curleigh can speak about the altruistic side of his company’s mission with absolute authenticity. If anything, his sentiments at the event were understated.”
James Curleigh, CEO of KEEN Footwear stopped in to talk about parenting and the brand new KEEN HybridLife Radio Show. Plus he had a few extra stories and tips to share with Todd and Laura.
Notable quote: “Many people ask our team at KEEN what does ‘HybridLife’ mean? When we have the opportunity to talk with people one on one and share stories about people living and embracing a meaningful and multidimensional HybridLife, they get it. The radio show is the perfect platform to share these stories and inspire others to join the HybridLife community. It’s not a how-to guide or step-by-step instructional show. We’ll be listening and learning ourselves about how people interpret HybridLife and make it a part of their family experiences.”
Last Thursday at the KEEN, the Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) held a toast to the public release of DataBasin.org, an online conservation mapping and data sharing system. Presentations from CBI’s partners and friends were given including: Keens President and CEO James Curleigh, The Wilburforce Foundation’s Program officer Joel Clement, innovator and Wikipedia founder Ward Cunningham, Edelman Vice President Henk Campher, and CBI’s Director Dr. James Strittholt.
KEEN President and CEO James Curleigh having fun with the audience and Rose.
Joel Clement of The Wilburforce Foundation speaking about Data Basin’s development and history.
The event attendees included representatives from non-profit, corporations, universities, small businesses, and local governments.
Stephen Hatfield of the Forest Park Conservancy and Chris Enlow of KEEN taking some time to visit.
The crowd mingles after the presentations.
It was a great time for adults and kids alike. CBI was proud to share a night of information and fun for current and future Data Basin users. If you want to know more about how to get involved, please visit DataBasin.
Some highlights from the event:
CBI Partnership with Keen announced for Data Basin
Many possible partnerships and collaborations were also formed
This fall KEEN will be producing an internet based radio show for active families with an organization called pagatim.fm. The program will be called HybridLife Radio (HLR) and will focus on the ways families can incorporate HybridLife into their daily living.
The show will officially launch September 29, 2010 at 1 p.m. PST. Heather Hardy of NW Portland and Adam Sawyer of North Portland will co-host HLR. They will be responsible for putting together 48 half-hour shows over a year on a variety of topics along the HybridLife theme.
Heather is a mother of three, with 2 boys (ages 12 and 7) and a girl (age 7). She works in non-profit development for Morrison Child and Family Services. “I hope to bring fun new ideas to families and encourage others to get their kids out of the house,” said Heather.
Adam has an 8-year old daughter and is a freelance outdoor writer/photographer, program director for Oregon Active Family and a pizza maker. “I hope to talk about raising active kids in Portland and how families can be more active in their communities,” said Adam.
To kick-off the HybridLife Radio Show, our President and CEO went live with “Dads Unplugged Radio – With Special Guest James Curleigh.” Listen here!!!
We are thrilled to welcome Heather and Adam to the KEEN family as hosts of the new HybridLife Radio show, and as brand ambassadors. We look forward to the inspiration they will bring our brand, and HLR listeners, on ways to integrate creativity, playfulness and caring for community (what we call HybridLife) into active family living.
Check out the show’s Facebook page for latest updates about the show.
Outside TV visited our headquarters as part of their Best Places To Work segment. ”Keen’s headquarters in Portland, Oregon exemplifies the fresh thinking of this company. It’s a 3000 square foot living space with game consoles, a movie screen and musical instruments. It’s available to local nonprofits for fund raising activities as well.”
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This fall KEEN will be producing an internet based radio show for active families with an organization called 
