Brunt Workwear has been preparing for the next phase of growth with a spate of new leadership appointments.
The startup brand, which launched in 2020 and specializes in boots and apparel for tradespeople, announced today that footwear industry veteran Wendy Yang has joined its board of directors. Yang has more than 25 years of experience in the shoe business and is best known for her transformative work as president of the Performance Lifestyle Group at Deckers Brands, where she led its Hoka brand from $70 million in revenue to $1 billion in seven years.
At Brunt, Yang will tap into her proven track record in scaling global brands, to help Brunt capitalize on its already significant progress. The company recently doubled its revenue for the third straight year and celebrated selling its 500,000th pair of boots. And it is preparing to expand into wholesale retail channels in 2024.
“Brunt is disrupting the workwear category through smart marketing, product innovation and a deep relationship with their customers. I’m thrilled to now be a part of this fast-growing challenger story,” said Yang, who also serves on the boards of Kizik, Cotopaxi and Pressed Juice, and is an advisor at Women in Sports and Tech (WIST).
Additionally, Brunt Workwear has been adding several other top executives to its leadership team this year.
Chris Heffernan joined Brunt in February as president and head of product. He brings extensive knowledge in the work category after spending seven years as GM of Keen Utility and chief revenue officer.
In July, Tim Linberg came on as chief marketing officer. He previously served as chief strategy officer at the Nobull athletic brand and as chief experience officer at digital agency Verndale.
Meanwhile, co-founder Dave Chernow was recently promoted to the role of chief operating officer; Mike Abbott joined Brunt in September as chief financial officer after stints at Burton Snowboards, Owlet Baby Care and other brands; and Katelyn Crowley was named head of people in July.
Founder and CEO Eric Girouard said in a statement, “To scale the Brunt brand through its next phase of growth, we need extraordinary talent leading this organization as it continues to expand. That starts with a world-class leadership team that has both the experience and commitment to serving the 23 million Americans who wake up every day and put on work boots and apparel to do their jobs.”
Notably, both Yang and Linberg have backgrounds in the sneaker business, but Girouard told FN that is not indicative of a larger brand shift.
“While their experience in the performance athletic category with fast-growing brands is incredibly valuable — and the athletic space could have some interesting translations into workwear — we do not intend to expand the brand outside of the workwear category,” he said.
