Bill Dodge Joins Patagonia Footwear as General Manager

Patagonia Footwear, a brand within Wolverine World Wide’s Outdoor Group, appoints Bill Dodge as global General Manager. In his new role, he will oversee all business operations, product development, marketing and sales initiatives. Prior to joining Patagonia Footwear, he was General Manager of GoLite Footwear for Timberland. Additionally he was Sales and Marketing Manager for the Dunham Brand at New Balance and Director of Footwear for Salomon North America. Dodge is an active outdoor enthusiast and a life long environmental steward.

“Patagonia is a company I have always respected and am excited to lead the growing Footwear business,” said new G.M. Bill Dodge. “The aim is to blend my experience into this very strong team and continue to grow the business with great footwear and efficient, respectful business practices. We will build the ‘best product with least harm’ and continue to lighten our environmental footprint in as many ways as we can.”

“I’ve known and worked closely with Bill for many years in the outdoor and ski industries,” said Casey Sheehan, CEO of Patagonia. “His deep footwear experience, love of outdoor sports, great integrity and sense of humor make him a perfect fit for this position and I look forward to seeing Bill make the Patagonia Footwear initiative even more successful.”

Craig Throne, original general manager of Patagonia Footwear, will take on the role of Vice President of Global Marketing, leading the marketing efforts of Wolverine World Wide’s Outdoor Group that includes both Merrell and Patagonia Footwear. This includes global brand management, leadership of product line managers and marketing initiatives. Prior to his role with Patagonia Footwear, Throne led the sales and marketing efforts for Wolverine World Wide’s Outdoor Group within Asia/Pacific.

In its second full year at market, Patagonia Footwear will further develop its internal marketing, product and sales teams to support the company’s growth. Whitney Conner will continue as Brand Manager working closely with the Patagonia marketing team on all levels of U.S. and international marketing and brand support. Wendy Kindy will be Assistant Product Manager as the liaison between marketing and product development and design.

Additionally, Jamie Barbor, national sales manager, recently appointed two independent sales representatives to oversee sales in key territories. With nine years of sales experience with Merrell, Brian Walton will cover California, Arizona, Nevada and Hawaii for Patagonia Footwear. Bill Gange will oversee sales in the Northern Central States including Illinois, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota and north of Missouri. Both have many years of independent sales experience in the outdoor and footwear industries as well as a strong passion for protecting the environment.

Patagonia Footwear is a brand within the Outdoor Group, a division of Wolverine World Wide, Inc. that also includes Merrell®. Wolverine World Wide, Inc. is headquartered in Rockford, Michigan. The company’s portfolio of highly-recognized brands includes: Bates®, Hush Puppies®, Merrell®, Sebago and Wolverine®. The Company is also the exclusive footwear licensee of the following popular brands: CAT®, Harley-Davidson® and Patagonia®. The Company’s products are carried by leading retailers in the U.S. and globally in nearly 200 countries and territories. Merrell, 9341 Courtland Drive, Rockford, Mich. 49351. Phone: (800) 789-8586; Fax: (888) 746-3329.

Patagonia, with sales last year of $298M, is noted internationally for its commitment to product quality and environmental activism. Its Environmental Grants Program has contributed over $30M to grassroots environmental activists since the program began in 1985, and its Environmental Internship Program allows employees to work for environmental groups while receiving their full paycheck. Incorporating environmental responsibility in to product development, the company has, since 1996, used only organically-grown cotton in its clothing line, and its most recent launch of synthetic fiber-to-fiber recycling – taking back its worn-out clothing and reincarnating it as new products, forever capturing the petroleum used in making virgin fiber. Known for a unique corporate culture, the company has been recognized for many years by Working Mother magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies for Working Mothers,” and is a regular recipient of recognition by Fortune and Human Resources Management magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work for in America.”