Body Glove licensee Surf 9 appoints Brad Gruber as footwear president

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Mar 29, 2018

Body Glove licensee Surf 9 LLC has appointed Brad Gruber to be the new president of its footwear division. Florida-based Surf 9 designs, manufactures and distributes footwear and holds multiple Body Glove licenses.

Gruber will be tasked with sales, merchandising and product design for all of Body Glove's footwear, and will also lead the launch of a new lifestyle footwear collection for men and women.

Speaking of his appointment in a release, Gruber said, "the new lifestyle collection allows us to develop new markets and reach new segments."

He explained that the new lifestyle footwear line incorporates several Body Glove swim prints as well as "fresh designs that pay homage to the roots of Body Glove and west coast leisure."

Gruber brings 20 years of experience in the footwear industry, having developed his career at Grendene. While there, he worked with brands such as Rider flip-flops and Cartago. Other brands in the Grendene portfolio include Melissa and Ipanema.

Surf 9 is the exclusive footwear, kayak and inflatable standup paddleboard licensee to Body Glove. The brand sells at Dick's Sporting Goods, Big 5, Academy Sports, Cabela's, Famous Footwear and Rack Room Shoes.

Gruber's appointment is effective immediately.