As the year comes to a close, SGB Media remembers the leaders in the Active Lifestyle Industry who died in 2020.
›Laurent Boix-Vives
Rossignol
1926 – 2020
Laurent Boix-Vives was Rossignol Group’s president and leader from 1956 to 2005.
›Frank Dassler
Adidas
1956 – 2020
The former president of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) and the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry (FESI) was the last representative of the Dassler family at Adidas until 2018.
›Gordon Davison
Berghaus
1935 – 2020
Davison teamed up in 1966 with Peter Lockey to open up an outdoor store, LD Mountain Centre, in Newcastle and the two in the seventies began selling products to mountaineers across the U.K. under the Berghaus name.
›Robert Gore
W.L. Gore & Associates
1937 – 2020
Robert Gore was best known as the inventor of Gore-Tex fabric that revolutionized outdoor wear and helped spawn uses in numerous other fields.
›Cassie Heppner
Timberland
1973 – 2020
Heppner was a long-time marketing executive at Timberland, most recently director, global marketing, Timberland PRO.
›Tony Hsieh
Zappos
1973 – 2020
Zappos’ visionary led the footwear e-tailer for two decades and was known for his unorthodox management style that included a strong commitment to customer service and an employee-first culture.
›Keith Hufnagel
Huf Worldwide
1974-2020
Hufnagel founded the streetwear brand, Huf Worldwide, in 2002, roughly 10 years after he began skating professionally and became one of the first skaters to have a shoe with his name on it with sponsor DVS.
›Dick Lipsey
SBGnet
1931 – 2000
Lipsey helped develop the NSGA Sports Participation in the U.S. study and was the founder of SBRnet (Sports Business Research Network), the sports marketing research firm.
›John McArthur
Mac’s Sporting Goods
1928 – 2020
McArthur founded Johnny Mac’s in 1967, operating nine stores at its peak.
›Mark Satkiewicz
SBT GRVL
1968 – 2020
Mark Satkiewicz was formerly general manager at TOMS, president of Smartwool and most recently a founding partner at SBT GRVL, the gravel bike race in Steamboat Springs, CO.
›Michael Schindler
Baden Sports
1950 – 2020
The son of Baden Founder E.C. Schindler, Schindler spent the entirety of his 40-plus-year career at Baden, helping turn a small, family-owned startup into one of the largest athletic-ball brands in the industry.
›Harold Sells
Woolworth
1928 – 2020
Harold Sells was Woolworth’s CEO from the mid-80s to mid-90s and is credited with helping launch the Foot Locker chain in 1974.
›Yoshizo Shimano
Shimano
1935 – 2020
The third son of the company’s founder established the company’s first overseas division, the Shimano American Corporation, in 1965, where he served as president for 27 years.
›Rodney Smith
Backpacker’s Pantry
1963 – 2020
The second-generation owner and president led Backpacker’s Pantry since 2001.
›David Stern
National Basketball Association (NBA)
1942 – 2000
Stern was the NBA’s commissioner from 1984 through January 2014.
›James Thorneburg
Thorlos
1937 – 2020
Throneburg invented the technology behind Thorlo’s engineered-padded socks in 1953 and founded Thorlo Inc. in 1980.
›Tom Trauger
Sports Basement
1963 – 2020
The chief financial officer was with the popular Bay Area-based sporting goods chain for 14 years.
