RALEIGH, N.C. — Johnnie-O, the premium apparel brand renowned for blending West Coast casual and East Coast polish, today announced the promotion of Matt Ferrer to President, continuing to report into Johnnie-O CEO, Dave Gatto.
Ferrer, who joined the brand in spring 2015, has been a member of the company’s leadership team for nearly a decade, playing a central role in Johnnie-O’s expansion across wholesale, retail and licensed businesses. As president, Ferrer will oversee the commercial side of the business, including brand, marketing, product and sales across wholesale, retail and e-commerce.
“Matt has been instrumental in driving the commercial growth of Johnnie-O,” said John O’Donnell, founder of Johnnie-O. “You can see it in the business, but you also see it in the people around him. He has built a strong team in Raleigh and created a culture rooted in trust and collaboration, which matters just as much as the numbers. I’m excited to see where he takes the brand next.”
Ferrer began his career at Johnnie-O as business development manager and progressed through roles including director of business development, vice president of sales and senior vice president of sales, most recently overseeing all wholesale channels. He joined the company after completing a two-year MBA program at UCLA Anderson School of Management and previously worked in finance at Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital before moving into brand consulting.
I’ve had the opportunity to grow alongside this brand for the past 10 years, and I’m grateful for the trust that has been placed in me,” Ferrer said. “What has always set Johnnie-O apart is our people and our consistency. We know who we are, and that shows up in our product, our partnerships and how we work together. I’m excited for the opportunity to help take the brand even further.
In 2016, Ferrer helped launch Johnnie-O’s Major League Baseball license, marking the brand’s first entry into sports licensing. Under his leadership, the licensing business expanded across Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the National Football League, the PGA Tour, the United States Golf Association and more than 200 colleges and universities. During this period, Johnnie-O also scaled its retail business from three locations to 15 stores, with plans to double its footprint over the next 18 months.
For more information on Johnnie-O, please visit www.johnnie-o.com.
About Johnnie-O:
Johnnie-O, headquartered in Santa Monica, CA and with a significant presence in Raleigh, NC, was founded in 2005 by John O’Donnell as a premium lifestyle brand merging East Coast classics with West Coast casual to create a perfect blend of high quality product offerings for all of life’s occasions. Johnnie-O currently offers a wide-range of premium apparel, footwear, and accessories for men, women and boys. Collections include polos, button-downs featuring the patented “Tweener Button,” bottoms, swim, outerwear, a line of performance gear for the active lifestyle, and a robust licensed business across the NFL, NHL, MLB, and the NCAA. Johnnie-O is available online at www.johnnie-O.com, and in-store at 14 and growing locations, alongside hundreds of specialty retailers, and thousands of golf and racquet clubs across the United States. For more information, visit Johnnie-O.com or follow @johnnieobrand.
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