Robert C. Skinner, Jr. was appointed Kellwood president and chief operating officer, according to Hal J. Upbin, Kellwood chairman and chief executive officer.
W. Lee Capps III, and Stephen L. Ruzow were elected executive vice presidents
of the Company, in addition to their current roles.
“I am quite pleased to be passing on the Kellwood presidency to Bob. He has done an outstanding job over the past three years at Kellwood. His efforts have strengthened and rebuilt our men's and intimate apparel
businesses, and introduced us to the childrenswear arena through our Gerber Childrenswear acquisition. These three areas are now poised for growth and continued success, which can be attributed to Bob's excellent leadership
skills and business acumen,” said Upbin.
During his brief tenure at Kellwood, Skinner has added several brands and
licenses to the Kellwood portfolio including Oscar de la Renta Pink Label(R)
for intimates, and Run Athletics(TM) and Def Jam University(TM) for the young
men's and juniors markets. He is known in the apparel/retail industry for
having a proclivity towards identifying new trends and opportunities in the
business, which has been a tremendous asset to Kellwood.
Formerly, Skinner held the post of Kellwood corporate vice president with
overall responsibility for the Company's menswear, intimate apparel, and
childrenswear businesses. He had served in this role since March 2002.
Skinner joined Kellwood two years earlier as president of the Company's
menswear division.
Prior to Kellwood, Skinner was president of Oxford Shirt Group for 13
years, and corporate vice president of Oxford Industries for his last two
years there. During his tenure at Oxford, Skinner changed the product mix
from a predominantly private label sales format to a more balanced
branded/private label portfolio; expanded the company's distribution to
include all channels of distribution, and launched numerous new business
ventures.
In his position of president and chief operating officer, Skinner will be
responsible for all domestic business units. He reports to Upbin.
As a result of their contributions to the success and growth of Kellwood,
Capps adds the title of executive vice president finance to his current
position of Kellwood chief financial officer, a post he has held since
November 2000. Formerly he was senior vice president finance and CFO. He was
elected SVP finance in March 2002. He joined the Kellwood family in 1987
through the Company's American Recreation Products subsidiary.
Ruzow, as executive vice president and president Kellwood Womenswear, is
responsible for the overall direction and management of the Company's
womenswear divisions. He joined Kellwood as president of the womenswear
division in 2001, and was elected corporate vice president in March 2003.
Prior to Kellwood, Ruzow was chairman and chief executive officer of Pegasus
Apparel Group. From 1989 to 1998, he served as president and COO of Donna
Karan International.
“Kellwood is fortunate to have executives with the caliber and stature of
Lee and Steve, respectively, leading our financial and womenswear areas. With
their promotion to executive vice president, the Board and I laud their
efforts and their dedication to the growth and success of Kellwood,” said
Upbin.
The new posts for Skinner, Capps and Ruzow are all effective December 1, 2003, and part of the Company's succession planning program. Capps reports to Upbin, and Ruzow reports to Skinner.
