BERNIE LEIFER TO RETIRE AS SG COMPANIES’ CEO, MATT FEINER NAMED AS SUCCESSOR
SG Companies, the 120-year-old company formerly known as S. Goldberg, has announced the retirement of long-time shoe veteran Bernie Leifer effective January 1, 2017. Leifer joined the company over 35 years ago and has been at the helm for over 30 years. As a result, Leifer has named Matt Feiner as his successor and will transition to the role of chairman.
Over the years, the company has evolved into four strong operating divisions under the corporate umbrella of SG Companies: SG Footwear – children & adult footwear, SG Messer Group – adult seasonal footwear, SGI Apparel Group- children & adult sportswear & sleepwear, and Rugged Shark – a fishing/marine lifestyle footwear brand.
Feiner has over 25 years’ experience in the footwear industry. He most recently spent six years as SVP/GM of Stride Rite’s wholesale division, a division of Wolverine World Wide. Prior to Stride Rite, Feiner had an accomplished 19-year run at Reebok where he held several key leadership positions in sales, product, and merchandising.
“Matt has a proven track record of success throughout his career, and we are thrilled to have him now at SG Companies,” says Leifer. “He is very sales and product driven, and he has a strong background working for very structured companies with lots of systems, SG is at a point where that experience is needed.”
Feiner added, “Bernie is leaving the company in a very healthy place. We’ve had a strong year in 2016 and we’re well positioned for growth in 2017. My primary goal will be to make sure we don’t miss a beat.”
