Heelys, Inc. reported late Friday that its board had accepted the resignation of Michael G. Staffaroni, CEO of Heelys, Inc. since 2001. Ralph Parks, former president and CEO of FootAction USA, will serve as interim CEO. Parks was named to the Heelys board of directors on January 29.
Parks, who has more than 40 years of experience in the footwear industry, began his career as a sales associate for Kinney Shoes, a division of The Woolworth Corporation now known as Foot Locker, Inc. He joined FootAction USA in 1987 and assumed the role of president and CEO in 1991, where he remained until his retirement. During his tenure, the company grew from 48 stores to a national chain with 565 store locations and sales exceeding $650 million. Parks was inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame in 2000.
Also new to Heelys executive management team is Don Carroll, who joined the company on January 2, as SVP of Marketing. Carroll brings 20 years of marketing and product development experience to Heelys. Since 2006, he has co-owned Vector2Group, a Dallas-based management consulting firm, after serving as Radio Shacks first chief marketing and brand officer.
