Former Detroit Lions Exec Named Shinola CEO

Detroit--Motor City-based watch brand Shinola has named former Detroit Lions President Tom Lewand as its CEO to succeed Steve Bock.

Bock, the former Bedrock Manufacturing Co. president and Shinola CEO, has transitioned into the role of CEO of Filson, an apparel and accessories brand also owned by Bedrock. He is relocating to Seattle.

Lewand was with the Lions for 20 seasons, including six as the team’s president, but was fired from the position last November after a disappointing season, according to ESPN.

His appointment as the brand’s CEO will allow Shinola President Jacques Panis “to expand his reach toward some exciting new initiatives which are being explored,” the company said in a statement.

Panis will report directly to Lewand and Shinola founder Tom Kartsotis.

Concurrently, Shinola has made a number of other changes in management roles.

Christopher Hull has been promoted to chief merchant and will work with Creative Director Daniel Caudill. Both will report to Kartsotis.

Shannon Washburn has been named vice president of watch product development, Kara Berg was appointed vice president of sales, Whitney Delgado was named vice president of design and Trish O’Callaghan has been appointed as vice president of communications.

Shinola has plans to open new stores in Toronto, Brooklyn, N.Y., Hawaii and Los Angeles by the end of the year to take its global count of branded stores up to 20, and continues to look for additional locations for both brick-and-mortar stores of its own as well as third-party retailers with which to partner.

At the same time the company is expanding, it also is dealing with the fallout from the Federal Trade Commission’s recent ruling that it can no longer use the slogan “Where American is Made” because its watches contain too many imported parts.

The FTC also has ordered Shinola to, among other things, redesign its watch casebacks to add the words “Swiss and Imported Parts” below “Built in Detroit,” which the FTC said the company can continue to use.