The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America brought industry leaders together for its 2018 Executive Summit, this year under the theme “Footwear Retail Revolution.” The annual event, held in Washington on May 3, included panel discussions on a wide range of topics from the evolution of consumerism to technologies transforming retail, as well as its evening awards reception on May 2.
One session, The Revolutionizing Consumer Engagement in the Digital World, included D’Wayne Edwards, founder of Pensole Academy; Sara Irvani, CEO, Okabashi; Dr. John Puterbaugh, managing director, BlueSoho and Jeff Hunt, founder and CEO of Snap36. Rules for Revolutionaires: Lessons from the Sneaker Market featured Matt Powell, president and senior sports industry advisor, The NPD Group.
Meanwhile, the May 2 awards ceremony was attended by 75 executives from leading footwear companies.
Winning the award for Assisted Service Footwear Sales was Rack Room Shoes, while Full-Service Footwear Sales went to Wolverine Worldwide.
Advocate of the Year went to Target for outstanding efforts in advocating lower footwear costs for consumers and the industry, specifically their efforts against Border Adjustment Tax.
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Footwear Activist of the Year was awarded to Sandra Fallgatter, senior director, trade compliance and supply chains, JCPenney, for her untiring efforts to increase awareness of issues impacting the footwear industry, specifically related to trade.
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Footwear Collaborator of the Year was Chris Hillyer, innovation director, Deckers Brands, for his exemplary service to FDRA and the footwear industry, specifically in helping with the development of the new Material Exchange platform.
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