ALLISON GETTINGS NAMED CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF RED WING SHOE COMPANY
Red Wing Shoe Company today announced that its board of directors has named Allison Gettings president and chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2023. Gettings will become the 10th CEO and first woman to lead Red Wing Shoe Company since it was founded in 1905.
Gettings who is currently president will assume the role of CEO following the planned retirement of Mark Urdahl who has served as the company’s CEO since 2016. She has worked at the company for 14 years in a variety of roles with increasing responsibilities.
During her tenure, Gettings spearheaded the launch of Red Wing's Women’s Heritage product line, reimagined the company’s Outdoor business as president of its Vasque brand and helped set the stage for delivering a seamless omnichannel customer experience. In her most recent position as president, Gettings established the company’s first dedicated corporate social responsibility department, which is focused on further advancing Red Wing Shoe Company’s commitments to the environment and the community. Gettings is the great granddaughter of J.R. Sweasy, who served as president and CEO from 1921-1949 and the first fourth-generation family member to run the company.
"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead Red Wing Shoe Company and excited about what the future holds. Over the past 117 years, we have garnered incredible customer ‘brand love’ across our portfolio of purpose driven brands and we have an awesome opportunity to build on that foundation. I am so grateful for the support and guidance Mark has provided me and I look forward to working with the high performing teams he has built as we accelerate our growth.”
- Allison Gettings
“It has been an honor to serve as president and chief executive officer of this great company as we have evolved our business to meet the demands of the market. The last several years have been difficult for all companies and yet we have flourished at Red Wing due in large part to our culture and people. We stand on the shoulders of those that have come before us and I know that there are great things to come as we transition leadership to Allison.”
-Mark Urdahl
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