RG Barry Brands CEO Greg Tunney Steps Down
Greg Tunney, president and CEO of RG Barry Brands Inc., is stepping down from both roles, effective immediately.
Tunney, a 12-year veteran of the Pickerington, Ohio-based company best known for its Dearfoams slipper collection, will continue to work with its board of directors in the role of senior adviser. In December, Tunney also will assume the post of chairman of the Two Ten Footwear Foundation.
During his tenure at RG Barry, the company made the transition from public to private and acquired the Baggallini bag line and the Footpetals footwear accessories brand. According to Tunney, during the past 12 years, the firm has achieved more combined profits than it had been able to achieve in the prior 58 years combined. The company expects to post 2017 sales of $200 million.
In a recent interview with Footwear News, Tunney said the hardest part of his job was recruiting the right people for his team. “Finding and developing good talent for a micro-cap company [means] competing with big companies. It is very challenging.”
An industry veteran, Tunney also reflected on the dramatic changes that have transformed the retail business in recent years. “The convergence of the e-commerce wars, the collapse of the mid-tier channel and the drive of discount [stores] have made this business not for the faint of heart. However, these [changes] drive the business and make it exciting.”
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