Orva Announces Appointment of Jason Short as Senior Vice President, General Merchandising Manager

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Orva, a leading e-commerce accelerator serving the footwear, apparel, and broader consumer goods industries, today announced the appointment of Jason Short as Senior Vice President, General Merchandising Manager.

In this role, Short will lead the merchandising strategy for Orva’s footwear business, with a focus on expanding its performance brand portfolio and optimizing the overall assortment. With more than 30 years of consumer-centric merchandising experience, he is well positioned to advance Orva’s mission of building long-term partnerships with leading footwear brands.

“Jason brings over three decades of invaluable merchandising experience to Orva following successful tenures at major retailers including Famous Footwear and Finish Line,” said Jeff Espersen, EVP, Chief Merchandising Officer at Orva. “We look forward to benefitting from his strong merchant skills and deep industry relationships as we continue to attract the next generation of customers.”

Most recently Short led the merchant team at Famous Footwear, the $1.6 billion division of Caleres. He worked on the executive team and partnered with leading global brands like Nike, adidas, Birkenstock, Skechers, Croc’s, New Balance, and Under Armour to deliver elevated, on-trend assortments that delivered improved gross margin return on inventory.

Prior to Famous Footwear, Short spent nearly 19 years at Finish Line, rising from sales associate to the Divisional Merchandise Manager of footwear during a period of growth from 80 to more than 700 stores.

“Orva has established itself as a trusted partner in the e-commerce space, and I’m honored to be joining a team focused on empowering brands and building meaningful, long-term partnerships,” said Short.

Espersen added, “The addition of Jason will further strengthen Orva’s position as a market-leader within the footwear industry and e-commerce. We are excited to welcome him to the team and look forward to what we’ll accomplish together.”

Short’s appointment follows other recent senior-level appointments at Orva, including Solomon Hedaya as Chief Strategy Officer and EVP in 2025.

About Orva:
Orva is a leading e-commerce accelerator specializing in footwear, apparel, and other consumer sectors, committed to empowering brands to reach their full potential in the digital marketplace. With over 75 years of retail experience, Orva has become a trusted partner in an evolving e-commerce landscape. Orva leverages its deep industry knowledge and technology-enabled solutions to drive growth for its 150+ partner brands including Skechers, Under Armour, Crocs, New Balance, Brooks, Merrell, Clarks, and many others. Orva's unique e-commerce and marketplace capabilities encompass strategic merchandising, supply chain management and logistics, demand planning, listing health, content optimization, performance marketing, and buy box enforcement. Orva is headquartered in New York City.