TOPEKA, Kan., Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Stride Rite
Corporation of Collective Brands, Inc. today announced that it has promoted
Frank Caruso to senior vice president and chief administrative officer
reporting to Gregg Ribatt, who was named president and chief executive
officer of Stride Rite yesterday.
Caruso has been with Stride Rite for 17 years, serving in various roles
in finance and most recently, since 2001, as chief financial officer. As
chief administrative officer, Caruso will assume an expanded role
overseeing Information Technology and general administrative functions, in
addition to finance.
"Frank has 17 years of strong experience with Stride Rite, managing
through significant changes, acquisitions and shifts in the business," said
Matt Rubel, president and chief executive officer of Collective. "We look
forward to Frank's expanded role, leadership and historical expertise as we
work to grow and expand on the opportunities before us with the Stride Rite
unit and its strong brand portfolio."
Caruso was named chief financial officer for Stride Rite in 2001 and in
1998 he was named vice president and controller for the company, a role
that also included overseeing operations such as customer service,
warehousing and logistics. He started out at Stride Rite in 1990 heading up
the finance and operations for the Keds Group, at that time the largest
wholesale group at Stride Rite. Prior to joining Stride Rite, from 1982 to
1990, Caruso was employed at Price Waterhouse Coopers, most recently
serving as a senior manager. He holds a masters degree in public
administration from Boston University and masters degree in accounting from
Bentley College and is a certified public accountant.
Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling
lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related
accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic
units covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points
and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing.
Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on
democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its
more than 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands American Eagle(R),
Airwalk(R), Dexter(R), Champion(R) and designer collections Abaete for
Payless, Lela Rose for Payless and alice + olivia for Payless, among
others; Stride Rite, focused on lifestyle and athletic branded footwear and
high-quality children's footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with
its brands including Stride Rite(R), Keds(R), Sperry Top-Sider(R),
Robeez(R), and Saucony(R), among others; and Collective Licensing
International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit,
with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk(R), Vision Street Wear(R),
Lamar(R), Sims(R), LTD(R), genetic(TM), Dukes(R), Rage(R), Ultra-Wheels(R),
and Skate Attack(R). Information about, and links for shopping on, each of
the Collective Brand's units can be found at
http://www.collectivebrands.com.
SOURCE Collective Brands, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.payless.com
CONTACT:
media, Mardi Larson, +1-612-928-0202, or
financial, James Grant, +1-785-559-5321, both for Collective
Brands, Inc.
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