Smits brings over 27 years in consumer-packaged goods, with 15 years of senior leadership experience to For Bare Feet. Most recently, he has served as the President and COO of Zebco Brands, a recreational fishing equipment company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that employs approximately 350 people worldwide. Zebco was sold to Rather Outdoors in 2021. As President and COO of Zebco, Steve oversaw the global Zebco Brands Business with operations in the UK, EU, North America, and China.
“I could not be more excited to join the For Bare Feet family. The company has a rich history, an incredible team and strong partnerships with our licensed partners, retailers and stakeholders” said Smits, “With our investments in product design and our revamped digital and e-commerce capabilities, clearly, there are exciting days ahead.”
After a very productive search process, For Bare Feet and Taglich Private Equity selected Smits from an impressive pool of individuals because of his transformative leadership qualities. He has a track record of crafting organizational vision, building high-performing teams and engaging with all stakeholders to achieve exceptional results.
“We're thrilled to have Steve joining the For Bare Feet team. Steve brings a wealth of experience and a leadership style that we believe will make For Bare Feet an even better company,” said Will Morris, Managing Director at Taglich Private Equity, “We are continuing to invest in our people to help bring new and improved products to our customers and build upon the legacy that is already established with For Bare Feet.”
As a long-standing leader in the industry, For Bare Feet will continue to develop and expand its strategic partnerships, innovative product assortments, designs and capabilities under the leadership and direction of Smits.
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About For Bare Feet, LLC:
For Bare Feet was founded in 1984 and is a leading manufacturer, distributor and retailer of licensed and novelty socks. Headquartered in Martinsville, Indiana, For Bare Feet is the longest-tenured sock licensee of the National Football League and is also licensed with hundreds of colleges, the NFLPA, the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, Wrangler, Mars Wrigley, and other Fortune 500 companies and businesses. For Bare Feet socks are sold by retailers across North America, For Bare Feet Stores and can be purchased directly through the For Bare Feet website, www.forbarefeet.com.
About Taglich Private Equity LLC:
Taglich Private Equity LLC is a middle-market private equity sponsor that has completed buyouts and add-on acquisitions totaling over $650 million since 2001. TPE works closely with Taglich Brothers, Inc., a FINRA Broker/Dealer, to finance their investments. Taglich Brothers is currently managing over $600 million of capital and with TPE has made over 20 private equity platform investments and over 20 additional add-on investments. More information on TPE can be found at their website (http://www.taglichpe.com).
