Wall Street Icon John Shanley Loses Battle with Cancer

Prior to joining Susquehanna in 2004, Shanley served as managing director and senior analyst at Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, and managing director at JW Genesis Capital Markets, LLC, in New York. Shanley was the director of research and strategic Planning at The Woolworth Corp., which later became Foot Locker, Inc. Prior to Woolworth, he was at Allied Stores Corp., now Macy’s. Shanley was also a member of the Board of Directors for The Retail Marketing Society.

He is survived by his wife Patricia; son, Joshua and his fiance, Kristen Johnson; son, Christopher and his wife Jennifer; grandchildren, Dylan John, 12, and Madeline, 9; sisters, Jeanne Comerford and Joan Shanley. Shanley was an avid gardener, sailor and antiques collector, and supporter of the United Way, Soles4Sole, and the Manhattan Rose Society.

Sports Executive Weekly reached out to the market to get a sense of Mr. Shanley’s contributions:

Matt Serra, president and CEO, Foot Locker Inc.: “John was a true professional in his field.  His many years of experience in the retail industry provided a competitive edge in understanding the implications of the operating strategies employed by the companies that he covered.  He was extremely dedicated to his work, putting in endless hours to stay current on trends in the athletic industry.  John’s insights to both the supplier and retailer’s strategies were very helpful for his clients. At the same time, John was a great mentor to his junior associates, helping many to further their careers.  He was also fortunate to have a supportive partner in life, his wife Pat, who enjoyed traveling and assisting him in various capacities.”

Matt Rubel, CEO of Collective Brands, Inc.: “What was most impressive was John's breadth of exposure…he was not narrow in focus.   He had a unique and strong understanding of the full range of business — wholesale, retail, supply chain and branding covering athletic and brown shoe categories. John was a fixture in our industry with broad-ranging and deep insights into the global footwear market.  He will be greatly missed.”

Bob Dennis, president and CEO, Genesco Inc.: “John will be dearly missed by all of us here at Genesco; many of us have had the privilege to work with him over many years.  No one worked harder to understand the industry and the companies within it…. Traveling with John on investor trips always brought out his innate gentleness and kindness and we looked forward to every trip. We are sad we have made our last one with John. Simply said, John made all of us here better retailers.”

Steve Schneider, president, The Finish Line:  “John certainly was a strong, knowledgeable athletic analyst with a long history in this industry.  I always found John to be a person of high integrity with a deep passion for the athletic industry.  He will be missed.”
Mickey Newsome, chairman and CEO, Hibbett Sports, Inc.: To me, John was the spokesman for Wall Street for the industry. He was great with numbers and he understood the sporting goods industry because he came out of the sporting goods. We traveled many times with him and he was well-respected within the investor community. We have a big meeting at Hibbett's once a year to bring all our vendors in and John Shanley was the only person from the financial community to attend.  Then again, he was also the only one who asked.  He was a good friend and did a great job.

Gene McCarthy, co-president, Timberland Brand: “We were incredibly saddened to hear the news of John’s passing; he covered our company and our industry longer than any other analyst and knew the space better than anyone.  As analysts go, John was rare … thoughtful and considerate while still deliberate. His personal spirit and professional insight will be greatly missed.”

Jim Weber, president and CEO, Brooks Sports: “John Shanley has many family and friends who will miss him dearly. Unfortunately, so will our industry. John is irreplaceable as the eyes, ears, and voice for our industry on Wall Street. He was accessible to everyone and understood not only the businesses and brands that drive our industry but the various personalities as well. He educated Wall Street suits (especially the young, overconfident ones!) on how brands are built.  We will miss you John.”

Scott Sible, president, Wolverine Outdoor Group: “I thought John was the best in the business. His passion for the business, level of integrity, and overall personality really stood out for me. John will be missed because you could believe what he said; he did his homework and earned the trust of a number of business leaders that few if any other analyst have. He was a great guy, honest, caring, and a pleasure to talk with.”