KISS Front Men Tap Footwear Giant As They Continue Thoughtful Expansion of Their Popular Restaurant Brand
Rock icons Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, announced that they have appointed Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS USA, Inc., to the board of directors of their rapidly expanding restaurant company, Rock & Brews.
Rock & Brews was co-founded by Simmons and Stanley along with restauranteur Michael Zislis and concert industry veterans Dave and Dell Furano and currently has 12 family-friendly restaurants in the United States and Mexico with three additional locations set to open by January 2016. Having recently completed a rollup forming Rock & Brews Holdings, LLC, the company, founded in 2012, expects to surpass $70 million in revenues in 2016 with plans for 30 percent growth annually for the foreseeable future.
“Greenberg has the entrepreneurial spirit, business savvy, enthusiasm and social consciousness to help Rock & Brews expand strategically and intelligently,” said Simmons and Stanley in a joint statement. “He is a visionary and we are proud to have the opportunity to tap his genius.”
Greenberg is a 30-year veteran and a distinguished visionary in the footwear industry. He co-founded SKECHERS with his father Robert Greenberg in 1992, and has served as president since its inception. He previously held senior positions with LA Gear.
In just 23 years with SKECHERS, Greenberg has taken an idea and turned it into an international success story. The company, recognized worldwide for both its high performance athletic shoes and trendy lifestyle footwear, experienced meteoric growth and currently sells product in more than 120 countries with annual sales in excess of $2.3 billion. As a result of numerous license agreements, SKECHERS also offers branded apparel, bags, watches, eyewear and additional merchandise.
“From day one, SKECHERS focused on product development, compelling marketing and an aggressive growth strategy and we found the winning combination that propelled our brand and filled a niche in the industry that appealed to a broad consumer audience,” said Greenberg. “Rock & Brews is a unique brand that appeals to a multi-generational audience and I am excited to be a part of their board of directors and a part of their growth.”
It is not only Greenberg’s success with SKECHERS that appealed to Rock & Brews. A consummate entrepreneur with a magic touch, he has also been instrumental in the successful expansion of a notable Southern California-based pizza company, and was one of the co-founders of the luxury boutique hotel brand Shade Hotels. The flagship Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach, Calif., has been named the #6 reason to visit Los Angeles by Conde Nast Traveler, one of the top 25 “trendiest hotels” by Trip Advisor, and one of the top 10 boutique hotels in Southern California in USA Today.
Rock & Brews has captured a significant amount of restaurant industry attention and, working with multi-unit franchise partners, the brand is expanding with three distinct concepts into communities, airports and arenas. Only two years after the first restaurant opened, Nation’s Restaurant News named Rock & Brews as one of the 10 cutting edge restaurant concepts set to redefine foodservice on its 2014 list of “Breakout Brands” and, most recently, the magazine included the brand among the “Next 20” restaurant chains poised to join the Top 200 in the industry. Restaurant Business Magazine also recognized Rock & Brews as one of the “Future 50” fastest-growing small chains in America in its June 2015 issue.
Rock & Brews is a one-of-a-kind, rock-inspired restaurant and entertainment concept designed to engage people of all ages with quality comfort food and local favorites, a broad selection of craft and international beers, and an energized environment that is reminiscent of being at a family-friendly music event. Founded by rock icons Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, along with partners, restaurateur Michael Zislis and concert industry veterans Dave and Dell Furano, the first Rock & Brews opened near Los Angeles International Airport in Southern California in April of 2012. Each location boasts a backstage environment showcasing a “Great Wall of Rock,” iconic rock art, concert trusses and lighting and multiple flat screens sharing some of the greatest rock concert moments of all time. Most offer a play area for kids and many are dog friendly. For more information, please visit www.rockandbrews.com.
SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE: SKX), based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets a diverse range of lifestyle footwear for men, women and children, as well as performance footwear for men and women. Skechers footwear is available in the United States and over 120 countries and territories worldwide via department and specialty stores, more than 1,050 Skechers retail stores, and the Company’s e-commerce website. The Company manages its international business through a network of global distributors, joint venture partners in Asia, and 12 wholly-owned subsidiaries in Brazil, Canada, Chile, Japan and throughout Europe. For more information, please visit skechers.com and follow us on Facebook (facebook.com/SKECHERS) and Twitter (twitter.com/SKECHERSUSA).
