WEBVTT - Keds President Commitment to Empower Women

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<v Speaker 1>You're listening to Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Masser and

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<v Speaker 1>Jason Kelly on Bloomberg Radio. So this hour there's a

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<v Speaker 1>work going on, no doubt about it, this day and

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<v Speaker 1>this week, but this hour in light of International Women's

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<v Speaker 1>Day officially this Sunday, UM, we wanted to shift gears

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit. Some great guest talking about women's issues.

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<v Speaker 1>So joining us right now is Jillian Meek. She is

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<v Speaker 1>president at the Boston based Kids And specifically we're going

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<v Speaker 1>to get into the kid's handbook handbook for women. Will

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<v Speaker 1>get into that in just a moment. She joins us

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<v Speaker 1>in our Bloomberg Interactive Broker Studio. Nice to have you here, Welcome,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you so welcome back. I should say thank you

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<v Speaker 1>so much for stopping here. Um, we want to get into,

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<v Speaker 1>um this handbook that you guys have, But I do

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<v Speaker 1>want to ask you because the headlines about the virus

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<v Speaker 1>seemed to be kind of NonStop here. So as someone

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<v Speaker 1>who is you know, running a company, how are you

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<v Speaker 1>guys thinking about this and what impact has it had

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<v Speaker 1>on you? Yeah, it's you know, every day it's new,

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<v Speaker 1>there's new information rolling in. We are part of a

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<v Speaker 1>larger enterprise Wolverine worldwide. So we have a pretty robust

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<v Speaker 1>network of brands and therefore we have a really large

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<v Speaker 1>global sourcing arm who who's helping us navigate these times.

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<v Speaker 1>I would say, right now, we don't have any delays

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<v Speaker 1>on product one of those tactical things. Um, I'm sure

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<v Speaker 1>that we eventually will, as you have overseas suppliers, We

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<v Speaker 1>have overseas suppliers overseas manufacturing. So right now all things

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<v Speaker 1>are moving ahead as normal. But we're all waiting, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>all of us in the industry for or industry and

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<v Speaker 1>of course other consumer products industries are waiting to see,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, how this unfolds. We also have retail in

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<v Speaker 1>some of the countries that have been hardest hit, and

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<v Speaker 1>that will also take some time to manifest itself. But

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<v Speaker 1>we're really just trying to do the best that we can.

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<v Speaker 1>We have great e commerce businesses, which is a great

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<v Speaker 1>you know alternative at this time pick up an e

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<v Speaker 1>commerce as a result, not necessarily as a result of

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<v Speaker 1>this situation. Yet, UM, we've had, you know, growing e

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<v Speaker 1>commerce business for quite some time, so it'll be hard

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<v Speaker 1>to sort of pull apart. What the what the natural

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<v Speaker 1>contributor is, but so far it's a wait and see

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<v Speaker 1>along with all of our you know peers in the

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<v Speaker 1>business absolutely well. And you know, obviously we're seeing you know,

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<v Speaker 1>people's scale back travel. We just heard from Charlie about

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<v Speaker 1>uh south by Southwest. So meanwhile, business is going on

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<v Speaker 1>in many ways. I mean, here we are doing our show,

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<v Speaker 1>we're visiting with you and and lots of other folks.

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<v Speaker 1>And it is International Women's Day on Sunday. We're gonna

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<v Speaker 1>be talking more about that on Monday as well. But

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<v Speaker 1>tell us about the Kid's Handbook for women because it

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<v Speaker 1>is coming at a really interesting time in the broader economy,

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<v Speaker 1>uh and and sort of the broader movement. I think

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<v Speaker 1>we talked a little bit about that last time we

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<v Speaker 1>caught up with you. Yes, So the handbook is actually

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<v Speaker 1>a manifestation of some work that we've been doing over

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<v Speaker 1>the last year. Our brand is a hundred and four

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<v Speaker 1>years old, which is an amazing opportunity, and it has

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<v Speaker 1>really rich history in creating footwear for women. We made

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<v Speaker 1>some of the very first sneakers for women a hundred

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<v Speaker 1>and four years ago, and in fact, in the nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>twenties we published a handbook for girls. It was called

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<v Speaker 1>at the time, and it was a very small handbook

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<v Speaker 1>that was full of a lot of content that was

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<v Speaker 1>groundbreaking for the day and really inspired the women of

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<v Speaker 1>that era to go and tell our stories and do

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<v Speaker 1>the things that you know they wanted to do, live

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<v Speaker 1>their dreams, live their best life. And so as a

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<v Speaker 1>part of that, we're relaunching it to our modern day consumer.

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<v Speaker 1>One of our biggest challenges in the businesses. Everyone knows

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<v Speaker 1>us great brand recognition, but they're looking to understand what

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<v Speaker 1>our voices in the in this contemporary So what is

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<v Speaker 1>the voice that you're putting out there? So the voices

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<v Speaker 1>the umbrella is made for women, whatever that means, and

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<v Speaker 1>that came directly from our consumer in all of the

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<v Speaker 1>conversations that we've been having with her her she was

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<v Speaker 1>really clear to say, there's no one definition of a

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<v Speaker 1>woman in today's environment, and so if you want to

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<v Speaker 1>emotionally connect with me, you can't put me in one

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<v Speaker 1>little box or one little corner. And so made for Women,

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<v Speaker 1>whatever that means, as a headline, allows us to bring

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<v Speaker 1>in all kinds of storytelling. So the handbook this time around,

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<v Speaker 1>in this era is called the Handbook for Women. So

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to grow it up a little bit and

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<v Speaker 1>it's a platform for us to allow women in our network,

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<v Speaker 1>women who love our brand, women who have a story

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<v Speaker 1>to tell, to come and actually tell that in the

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<v Speaker 1>goal will be you know, inclusivity, more diverse cities. We

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<v Speaker 1>really feel like the more stories we tell, the more

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<v Speaker 1>we can demonstrate that that thesis that there is no

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<v Speaker 1>one definition. And are you finding as I think we are,

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<v Speaker 1>that women and men for that matter, are looking for

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<v Speaker 1>a little bit more from their brands, to connect a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit more and and knowing that it reflects a

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<v Speaker 1>certain thing about them when they put on a shoe

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<v Speaker 1>and walking the talk as a company without question. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I think today's consumer tells us that, you know, I

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<v Speaker 1>wouldn't call it skepticism. I would say they're more curious

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<v Speaker 1>and they want emotional connection means that you have to

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<v Speaker 1>resonate with something that is important to them in their life.

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<v Speaker 1>And so for men and for women as you as

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<v Speaker 1>you point out, you know, it's not just about consumerism

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<v Speaker 1>for the sake of that. It's consumerism and purchasing a

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<v Speaker 1>product because it's meaningful and money to know sort of

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<v Speaker 1>like where it's made and how it's which is something.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, you've been in the shoe business for some time,

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<v Speaker 1>you understand that as well as anyone or how many

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<v Speaker 1>women are on your board or or or or involved

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<v Speaker 1>in like senior management. What I do wonder too, is

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<v Speaker 1>Jillian and speaking to what Jason is getting at, because

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<v Speaker 1>we talk about this a lot with our you know,

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<v Speaker 1>our own kids care about this in a big way.

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<v Speaker 1>We both have teenagers. But I do wonder how provocative

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<v Speaker 1>and how much the brand, which has been around for

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<v Speaker 1>so long iconic, but is willing to push it, whether

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<v Speaker 1>it's on me too or gender identity, Like, how willing

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<v Speaker 1>are you to push it? So we're very willing and

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<v Speaker 1>very open. And I think the great thing about this

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<v Speaker 1>handbook is it's allowing us to step into this space

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<v Speaker 1>in a really meaningful way, but not jump into it,

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<v Speaker 1>if that makes sense. So a brand that's kind of

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<v Speaker 1>pivoting and telling those stories. We're starting off this first

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<v Speaker 1>handbook under the theme of power um and what does

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<v Speaker 1>that meant to you? So all the women who are

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<v Speaker 1>telling stories in the handbook are telling stories about what

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<v Speaker 1>power means to them. I told my own story, which

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<v Speaker 1>has to do with becoming an American citizen and exercising

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<v Speaker 1>my right to vote only five years ago for the

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<v Speaker 1>first time. That was powerful to me. And so you'll

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<v Speaker 1>see throughout this handbook, you know, everything from producers to

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<v Speaker 1>photographers to writers who are telling you what it means

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<v Speaker 1>to them personally interesting. So what does it go from here?

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<v Speaker 1>I mean what you know, we've talked. I think we

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<v Speaker 1>talked about this last time, that we are at this moment,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I mean, we are not to take it

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<v Speaker 1>down too far, and I should be like, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>we're a week out from Harvey Weinstein getting convicted. We're

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<v Speaker 1>at this moment where, at least at times, setting aside

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<v Speaker 1>some of the recent drama around coronavirus, it does seem

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<v Speaker 1>like we're more engaged on a lot of these issues.

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<v Speaker 1>Is that going to continue or we just sort of

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<v Speaker 1>having a moment that that may pass. How how much

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<v Speaker 1>do you worry about this being fleeting? I guess I

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<v Speaker 1>don't worry about it being fleeting. I think it's here

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<v Speaker 1>and we are all a part of it, and we

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<v Speaker 1>welcome change, and and I think it's not a moment.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a moment of change in that and I think

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<v Speaker 1>we will continue to develop I have a young daughter.

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<v Speaker 1>I want her to see that opportunity. But I also

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<v Speaker 1>have a young son, and I don't want him to

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<v Speaker 1>grow up thinking that there is a you know, a

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<v Speaker 1>different point of view for his sister than him. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think this is where we're going, all right. Great

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<v Speaker 1>to catch up you, Julling meet president of Kids based

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<v Speaker 1>up in Boston. Here with us in New York City

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<v Speaker 1>today