Matthew Rubel

Last updated
Matthew E. Rubel
Born (1957-11-29) November 29, 1957 (age 66)
Alma mater Ohio University (BS)
University of Miami (MS)
Occupation(s)Senior Advisor, Texas Pacific Group
FamilyMarried with three children

Matthew E. Rubel (born November 29, 1957) is an American entrepreneur and investor. He is the former chairman, chief executive officer, and president of Collective Brands, Inc., the parent company for Payless ShoeSource, a footwear, accessory, and lifestyle brand company, Collective Brands' Performance + Lifestyles Group (formerly Stride Rite Corporation), and Collective Licensing International.

Contents

Education

Rubel was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He attended Ohio University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Science in 1979. He then obtained an MBA from the University of Miami School of Business at the University of Miami in 1980.

Career

Rubel started his career at Bonwit Teller in New York City, and later became executive vice president of Murjani International Ltd., where he was in charge of all Tommy Hilfiger businesses.

After leaving Murjani, Rubel served as president and chief executive officer of Pepe Jeans USA and managed Revlon Inc.'s prestige cosmetic brands as president of the Specialty Store Division. From 1994 to 1999, he served as executive vice president of J. Crew Group and the CEO of Popular Club Plan. In November 1998, he led the sale of Popular Club from J. Crew to Fingerhut, the largest independent direct marketer in the United States. While at J. Crew, Rubel handled all licensing and international and brand marketing.

From 1999 to 2005, Rubel was chairman, president, and chief executive officer of Cole Haan, a leading marketer of high quality men's and women's shoes and accessories and a subsidiary of Nike, Inc. At Cole Haan, Rubel led a multi-year turnaround, [1] and guided the company into a new era by re-energizing the brand and creating a strong global presence.

Rubel joined Payless ShoeSource in June 2005. [2] In July 2007, Rubel led the acquisition of The Stride Rite Corporation and the formation of Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS), [3] the parent company of Payless ShoeSource, Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group and Collective Licensing International.

In December 2007, Footwear News named Rubel their 2007 "Person of the Year" [4] in recognition of his leadership in forming Collective Brands and establishing the company's vision of creating the preeminent, consumer-centric, global footwear, accessories and lifestyle brand company, reaching customers through multiple price points and selling channels. [5] The year prior, Footwear News awarded Payless its "Marketer of the Year" award in recognition of its turnaround effort under Rubel's leadership. In April 2008, Rubel received the M.B. Zale Visionary Merchant Award from Texas A&M University. [6]

In 2011, Rubel resigned from Collective Brands and joined TPG Capital as a senior advisor. In 2015, Rubel left TPG to join Roark Capital as a senior advisor, before joining Varsity Brands as chief executive officer. Rubel left Varsity Brands in early 2017.

Rubel is active in several industry and civic organizations, including the Advisory Council for Trade Policy Negotiation, which provides counsel to The White House and USTR, the Jay H. Baker Center at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, the Young Presidents' Organization, and the President's Council at his alma mater, the University of Miami. He is chairman of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America and a member of the American Ballet Theatre board of governing trustees and the International Council of Shopping Centers board of trustees.

He is a board member for SuperValu, HSNi, Hudson's Bay Company, A.T. Cross Pen, and Edible Communities.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quiksilver</span> Brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories

Quiksilver is an American brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories that was founded in 1969 in Torquay, Victoria, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. It is one of the world's largest brands of surfwear and boardsport-related equipment. The parent company changed its name in March 2017 from Quiksilver, Inc. to Boardriders, Inc., and is the owner of the brands Quiksilver, Roxy and DC Shoes. In 2018, Boardriders acquired Billabong International Limited, gaining the Billabong, Element, Von Zipper, RVCA and XCEL brands. Authentic Brands Group bought Boardriders and its associated brands and intellectual property in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesco</span> American footwear retailer

Genesco Inc. is an American publicly owned specialty retailer of branded footwear and accessories and is a wholesaler of branded and licensed footwear based in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded as the Jarman Shoe Company in 1924 as a footwear manufacturer, the company changed its name to the General Shoe Company in 1931 and became a public company in 1939. The company took its current name, Genesco, in 1959. Genesco exited footwear manufacturing in 2002 and now contracts with independent, third parties located outside the United States to manufacture its branded and licensed footwear. In June 2011, Genesco acquired U.K. retail chain and web business Schuh, which gave them an already well-established grounding in a market outside of the U.S.

Saucony is an American brand of athletic footwear and apparel. Founded in 1898, the company is owned by Wolverine World Wide. Products commercialised by Saucony include footwear and clothing ranges, such as athletic shoes, jackets, hoodies, T-shirts, sweatpants, shorts, and socks. Accessories include hats and backpacks.

Wolverine World Wide, Inc. or Wolverine Worldwide, is a publicly traded American footwear manufacturer based in Rockford, Michigan. The shoemaker is known for its eponymous brand, Wolverine Boots and Shoes, as well as other brands, such as Hush Puppies, Chaco, and Merrell. The company also manufactures licensed footwear for other firms, such as Caterpillar and Harley-Davidson. In 2012, Wolverine World Wide added Saucony, Keds, Stride Rite and Sperry Top-Sider to its list of brands, after acquiring the Performance Lifestyle Group of Collective Brands in a $1.23 billion transaction that also involved the sale of Payless ShoeSource and Collective Licensing International to private equity firms Blum Capital Partners and Golden Gate Capital.

Payless ShoeSource Worldwide, LLC, is an American multinational discount footwear chain. Established in 1956 by cousins Louis and Shaol Pozez, Payless was a privately held company owned by Blum Capital, and Golden Gate Capital. In 1961, it became a public company as the Volume Shoe Corporation, which merged with The May Department Stores Company in 1979. In the 1980s, Payless was widely known in the U.S. for its Pro Wings line of discount sneakers, which often had Velcro straps instead of laces. In 1996, Payless became an independent publicly held company. In 2004, Payless announced it would exit the Parade chain and would close 100 Payless Shoe outlets. On August 17, 2007, the company acquired the Stride Rite Corporation and changed its name to Collective Brands, Inc. As of 2020, Payless is owned by a group of investors led by Alden Global Capital and Axar Capital Management.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Billabong (clothing)</span> Australian clothing brand

Billabong International Limited is an Australian company focused on surfing, primarily a clothing retailer that also produces accessories, such as watches and backpacks, and skateboard and snowboard products under other brand names. Founded in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant, the company first traded on the Australian Securities Exchange in August 2000. The name "billabong" is derived from the Wiradjuri word bilabaŋ that refers to a "creek that runs only during the rainy season". As of September 2013, Von Zipper and Element were two of the prominent brands that Billabong owns. Honolua Surf Company, Kustom, Palmers Surf, Xcel, Tigerlily, Sector 9, and RVCA were the company's other brands. In 2018, Billabong International Limited was acquired by Boardriders, Inc, owner of rival brand Quiksilver.

Shoe Carnival Inc. is an American retailer of family footwear. The company operates 429 stores throughout the midwest, south, and southeast regions, and Puerto Rico. It was founded by David Russell in 1978 and is headquartered in Evansville, Indiana.

Sperry or Sperry Top-Sider is an American brand of boat shoe designed in 1935 by Paul A. Sperry. Sperrys, or Top-Siders, were the first boat shoes introduced into the boating and footwear markets. Until January 2024, the Sperry brand was owned by Wolverine World Wide and headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. It is currently owned by Authentic Brands Group, with the North America operations licensed to Aldo group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cole Haan</span> American footwear brand

Cole Haan is an American brand of men's and women's footwear and accessories that serves markets worldwide. The company was founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1928. Cole Haan currently has its headquarters in both New York City and Greenland, New Hampshire.

Nine West Holdings is an American designer, marketer and wholesaler of branded clothing, shoes and accessories. In 2019, the company restructured under the new name Premier Brands Group Holdings Llc.

Crocs, Inc. is an American footwear company based in Broomfield, Colorado, that manufactures and markets the Crocs brand of foam footwear. Crocs, Inc. term these "clogs", but they do not contain any wood like traditional clogs.

Designer Brands Inc. is an American company that sells designer and name brand shoes and fashion accessories. It owns the Designer Shoe Warehouse (DSW) store chain, and operates over 500 stores in the United States and an e-commerce website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vision Street Wear</span> American skateboard brand

Vision Street Wear is an American clothing, skateboarding and BMX brand. Started in 1976 by Brad Dorfman, the company sponsored early skateboarding greats such as Mark 'Gator' Rogowski, and Mark Gonzales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Frye Company</span> American shoe manufacturer

The Frye Company is an American manufacturer of shoes, boots and leather accessories. Founded in 1863, it claims to be the oldest continuously operated American shoe company.

Stride Rite, formerly the Stride Rite Corporation and stylized in all lowercase, is an American children's footwear company. The company markets Stride Rite products globally through brand licensee Vida Shoes International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xtep</span> Chinese sports equipment company

Xtep International Holdings Limited is a Chinese sportswear company based in Xiamen, Fujian. Established in 2001, the company has been traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange since 2008.

Rocky Brands, Inc., formerly known as Rocky Shoes & Boots, Inc., is a company which designs, develops, manufactures, and markets outdoor, work, western and military footwear, and other outdoor and work apparel and accessories. The company was founded in 1932 in Nelsonville, Ohio, and still maintains its corporate headquarters there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delia's</span> American lifestyle brand

Delia's, Inc. is a lifestyle brand of apparel & accessories, primarily targeting girls and young women.

Airwalk is a lifestyle brand known for making skateboarding shoes. Originally based in Altoona, Pennsylvania, during its heyday it was cited as one of the world's most influential brands. Originally a subsidiary of Items International, it was later sold to private equity firms.

Altra Running, commonly known as Altra, is an American manufacturing company engaged in the design, development, marketing, and sales of athletic shoes for road running, trail running, and general footwear. Since 2018 Altra is owned by VF Corporation, an American global apparel and footwear company with other brands like Icebreaker, The North Face, Vans, JanSport, Eastpak and Timberland.

References

  1. James Covert: "Shoe Merger Seeks Big Footprint", The Wall Street Journal . Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Aug. 22, 2007
  2. "Forbes Profile". Forbes.com. Archived from the original on January 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  3. "NYSE Listing". NYSE.com. New York Stock Exchange . Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  4. Katie Abel (2007-12-03). "FN Achievement Awards 2007: The House Rubel Built". Footwear News. CondeNet, Inc. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  5. Katie Abel (2007-11-19). "FN to Honor 18 at Awards Breakfast". Footwear News. CondeNet, Inc. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  6. Chrystal Houston (2008-03-25). "Payless CEO honored with A&M retailing award". Mays Business Online. Texas A&M University. Retrieved 2008-07-22.