Mark Cavanaugh Named CEO of Original Footwear Company

Former global executive for Under Armour, New Balance, and Nike to lead top military footwear brand with a focus on growth, access, and quality.

MORRISTOWN, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Original Footwear Company (“OFC”), a Brand Velocity Group (“BVG”) portfolio company and the largest contractual supplier of "Made in the USA" tactical footwear to the U.S. Department of Defense, today announced longtime global footwear and apparel brand executive Mark Cavanaugh has been named Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Founder Kevin Cole, who will remain on the Board of Directors.

“Building brands, forging authentic partnerships, and helping companies unlock their full potential have always been my top priorities,” said Mr. Cavanaugh. “We live in a world where employees and consumers alike value brands that stand for something. I am truly excited to drive OFC’s mission of serving those who serve us: law enforcement officers, military operators, first responders, and other uniformed professionals.”

“I’m proud of what the Original Footwear team has built over the last two decades and of the work that Brand Velocity Group has done to help position us for future success,” said Mr. Cole. “I could not be more excited to welcome Mark to spearhead the company’s next phase of growth.”

In his new role, Cavanaugh will continue to drive growth within OFC’s core military, law enforcement and first responder customer bases, as well as create new partnerships with leading national retailers where OFC’s products have crossover appeal with consumers.

Previously, Cavanaugh served as Partner, Executive Vice President for Soldier Unlimited – a progressive agency of dedicated brand builders. While there, Cavanaugh led business development and strategic planning efforts, partnering with driven business leaders from Fortune 100 companies to start-ups.

Cavanaugh also brings to OFC over 30 years of experience leading teams and launching category defining products at global footwear and apparel brands including Under Armour, New Balance, and Nike.

“Mark’s experience as an executive at top global brands has yielded incredible results for each team that he has led, perfectly equipping him for this role,” said Steve Lebowitz, BVG Managing and Founding Partner. “Our investors and strategic partners are fully aligned with OFC’s mission and confident that’s Mark’s enthusiasm, expertise and relationships will help drive the company to new heights.”

BVG is an innovative private equity firm that seeks to make a positive impact through driving growth, brand value, and employee engagement across its portfolio of companies.

About Original Footwear Company

The Original Footwear Company (“OFC”) designs, manufactures, and sells high-quality footwear that law enforcement officers, military operators, first responders and other uniformed professionals can trust in every critical situation. OFC is largest contractual supplier of "Made in the USA" tactical footwear to the U.S. Department of Defense, in addition to driving product innovation for first responders, and servicing a rapidly growing consumer business. OFC’s unwavering respect for their customers’ high-performance standards drives the brand to deliver honest products that they are proud to stand behind. The Original Footwear Company’s portfolio of globally-recognized brands includes Altama®️ combat boots, Original S.W.A.T.®️ tactical boots, Smith & Wesson Footwear®️, and Capps®️ uniform footwear. To learn more about OFC, please visit www.originalfootwear.com.

About Brand Velocity Group

Brand Velocity Group is an innovative investment platform focused on acquiring businesses that are well-positioned to benefit from its operational expertise, deep in-house marketing resources, and thoughtful approach toward company culture. BVG has deep strategic partnerships with specialty brand marketing agencies that develop and execute marketing plans across its investments. Portfolio companies also leverage BVG’s vast sports and entertainment networks to create accretive partnerships with athletes, teams, leagues, celebrities and other businesses. In addition, BVG recognizes the worth of all portfolio company employees, each of whom is valued and critically important to their continued, collective success. In recognition, the firm dedicates 10% of its total carried interest pool (i.e., its primary means of compensation as investment managers) in every investment to the non-management team employees. This is the Share the Gains program, which ensures that all employees of portfolio companies share in the success of the firm’s united efforts. To learn more about BVG, its portfolio companies, and its innovative growth strategies, please visit www.brandvelocitygroup.com.