Solo Brands Announces Leadership Transition
19 February 2025 - 8:26AM
Business Wire
Appoints John Larson as Interim Chief Executive
Officer
Solo Brands, Inc. (NYSE: DTC) (“Solo Brands” or “the Company”)
today announced that John Larson, a member of the Solo Brands Board
of Directors, has been appointed Interim President and Chief
Executive Officer (CEO) of the Company, effective immediately. Mr.
Larson succeeds Chris Metz who informed the Board of his decision
to step down as President, CEO and a member of the Board. Mr. Metz
is committed to supporting a smooth and orderly transition and will
remain with the Company in a non-executive capacity through March
7, 2025.
“John has the strategic expertise and necessary leadership
skills to serve as Interim CEO at Solo Brands,” said Matt Hamilton,
Chairman of the Board. “We are confident that his background and
experience leading enthusiast brands will ensure a smooth
transition while the search process for a permanent CEO is
underway.”
“I am honored to be named Interim CEO and to continue working
closely with the Board and management team to drive Solo Brands
forward during this time,” said Mr. Larson. “We are committed to
continue building the next generation of digitally-connected
commerce and remain laser focused on executing the strategic plans
laid out and leading with product innovation.”
Mr. Hamilton continued, “On behalf of the Board, I would like to
thank Chris for his leadership over the past year. We wish him all
the best as he moves on to his next opportunity.”
“I would like to thank the Board for the opportunity to lead
this great organization,” said Mr. Metz. “I also want to thank my
teammates for their trust and support during my tenure. Their
dedication to our brands, products and customers are what makes
this company so special.”
The Solo Brands Board will conduct a process to identify a
permanent CEO. Mr. Metz’s departure is not a result of any
disagreement with the Company or the Board, or any matter relating
to the Company’s operations, policies, or practices.
About John Larson
Mr. Larson joined the Solo Brands Board in December 2024. He
most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Bestop, Inc., a
leading manufacturer of soft tops and accessories for Jeep
vehicles, since 2015. He previously served as Chief Executive
Officer of Escort Inc., an automobile electronics manufacturer from
2008 to 2014 and as its President and Chief Operating Officer from
2007 to 2008. Prior to that, he worked in a number of senior
management positions at General Motors Company, a leading car
manufacturer, from 1986 to 2007. He has served on a number of
public and private company boards, including as Chairman of IAA,
Inc. from 2019 until 2023; the Lead Independent Director of KAR
Auction Services, Inc., a provider of vehicle auction services,
from 2015 to 2019, and a director for SCA Performance, Inc. a
leading manufacturer of high-end custom trucks for Ford, GM and
Dodge, from 2018 to 2020. Mr. Larson received a B.S. in Finance
from Northern Illinois University and an M.S. in Management from
Purdue University.
About Solo Brands:
Solo Brands, headquartered in Grapevine, TX, is a leading
portfolio of lifestyle brands that are redefining the outdoor and
apparel industries. Leveraging e-commerce, strategic retail
relationships and physical retail stores, Solo Brands offers
innovative products to consumers through its lifestyle brands –
Solo Stove, Chubbies, ISLE and Oru. For more information, visit
www.solobrands.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. All statements contained in this press release that do not
relate to matters of historical fact should be considered
forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements
regarding our chief executive officer transition; the execution of
our strategic plans; and our financial position, seasonal trends,
momentum from retail partners, impacts of previously announced
restructuring efforts. In some cases, you can identify
forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,”
“should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,”
“targets,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,”
“predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these
terms or other similar expressions. These statements are neither
promises nor guarantees, and involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual
results, performance or achievements to be materially different
from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or
implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not
limited to, the following: reactions from our employees, vendors,
customers, lenders and investors to the chief executive officer
transition announced hereby; the impact of the chief executive
officer transition on our common stock; our ability to manage our
future growth effectively; our ability to expand into additional
markets; our ability to maintain and strengthen our brand to
generate and maintain ongoing demand for our products; our ability
to cost-effectively attract new customers and retain our existing
customers; the highly competitive market in which we operate; and
the ability of our stockholders to influence corporate matters.
These and other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk
Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2023, as amended by Amendment No. 1 on Form 10-K/A,
and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports
on Form 8-K, or other filings we make with the Securities and
Exchange Commission could cause actual results to differ materially
from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this
press release. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date
the statements are made and are based on information available to
Solo Brands at the time those statements are made and/or
management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to
future events. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable
law.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250218270481/en/
Company Contact: Solo Brands, Inc. Mark Anderson Sr. Director,
Treasury & Investor Relations investors@solobrands.com
Investor Relations Contact: Three Part Advisors, LLC Sandy
Martin or Steven Hooser 214-616-2207
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