Sock brand Feetures, family owned and operated since 2001, announced that as the company heads into its 20th year in business, it will implement organizational changes as part of a longer-term succession planning process.

In announcing the changes that went into effect on January 1, 2021, Feetures CEO and founder Hugh Gaither said his vision is to evolve the organization so it will continue to support and maintain its founding principles and culture amidst what he expects to be a significant growth period within the next three to five years. Gaither will remain CEO and will maintain strategic responsibility for all sales channels, including Specialty Retail, National Accounts, E-commerce, and International Sales.

Feetures National Sales Manager for footwear specialty retailers, Steve Hallinan, will be promoted to Key Accounts Manager. In this role, Hallinan will become the point person and primary account manager for key accounts that were managed by Gaither for many years. Feetures National Sales Manager for Run Specialty, Dan Gardner, will be promoted to National Sales Manager for all specialty accounts, including both run and footwear specialty retailers.

In addition to these changes and as part of the long-term planning, Gaither’s son, John Gaither, will become the Chief Operations Officer for Feetures, handling overall responsibility for all operations, including distribution, supply chain, production planning, product development, and innovation. His previous role was VP of Product Development.

Gaither’s other son, Joe Gaither, will be promoted to Executive Vice President, where he will oversee all e-commerce, marketing, and customer service. Joe’s previous role was VP of Marketing, where he oversaw immense growth of Feetures’ e-commerce department in 2020.

“2021 marks our 20th year in business and that is a huge milestone for a family-owned business such as ours,” stated Hugh Gaither. “As we prepare for the future, we know it is necessary to have a proactive approach to the succession planning process to ensure growth and stability for our retail partners, our customers, and internal team to feel confident in the long term health and viability of this very special company.”