{"id":52571,"date":"2019-05-06T15:53:44","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T22:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=52571"},"modified":"2019-05-10T07:44:15","modified_gmt":"2019-05-10T14:44:15","slug":"announcing-eric-artz-as-reis-president-and-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/announcing-eric-artz-as-reis-president-and-ceo","title":{"rendered":"Steve Hooper: Announcing Eric Artz as REI\u2019s President and CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"

The co-op has a new president and CEO. REI Board Chairman Steve Hooper shared the news Monday evening at the co-op\u2019s annual member meeting that Eric Artz will be the eighth CEO in the co-op’s history, effective immediately.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hooper also sent the following letter to REI Co-op employees.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

REI employees,<\/p>\n

I\u2019m Steve Hooper, chair of\u00a0the\u00a0REI board of directors. I\u2019m writing\u00a0with exciting news\u00a0from Washington,\u00a0D.C., here at the\u00a0beautiful\u00a0REI flagship\u00a0store, where we are hosting our annual member meeting with employees, members, nonprofit leaders and people from the local community.<\/p>\n

The board and I are thrilled to announce\u00a0Eric Artz as the next president and CEO of REI, effective immediately<\/strong>. He will serve as the eighth CEO in our 81-year history.<\/p>\n

One of the most important jobs we as board members have is to choose the best leader for the future of REI. And it is clear to us that the best person for the job is already leading the co-op.<\/p>\n

We want\u00a0to emphasize\u00a0that\u00a0selecting Eric to be the next leader\u00a0of REI\u00a0was a carefully considered decision\u00a0and a thorough process.\u00a0REI plays a\u00a0central\u00a0role in the health of the outdoors and the\u00a0outdoor and retail\u00a0industries. That\u2019s why, over the past three months, we\u00a0met with and considered leaders from some of the most recognized companies in the world.<\/p>\n

Eric\u00a0was\u00a0and is\u00a0the clear choice.<\/p>\n

To his core, Eric believes in the\u00a0purpose\u00a0and impact\u00a0of the co-op<\/a>. Anyone who knows him well will tell you that above all, he cares deeply about the power of the outdoors to bring people together and the responsibility of all REI employees to protect the environment.<\/p>\n

His leadership is defined by service\u2014to the co-op, to\u00a0our employees\u00a0and\u00a0to\u00a0our members.\u00a0In his seven years at REI, Eric has\u00a0served as\u00a0chief financial officer and chief operating officer. He\u2019s led\u00a0our teams in\u00a0retail, digital, strategy,\u00a0supply-chain and IT.\u00a0Before REI, he held leadership roles\u00a0at\u00a0Urban Outfitters and spent 17 years at VF Corporation (which includes brands like\u00a0The North Face, Smartwool and\u00a0Timberland).<\/p>\n

He is\u00a0vice chairman of the board of the\u00a0Outdoor Industry Association\u00a0<\/a>and sits on the board of the\u00a0Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust<\/a>\u00a0in Washington\u00a0state.\u00a0He is also an advisor to\u00a0EarthLab<\/a>, part of\u00a0the University of Washington\u2019s College of the Environment.<\/p>\n

His connection with the outdoors began in rural Pennsylvania, where he grew up. He\u2019s an Army veteran who has traveled and worked all over the world. Today, you\u2019ll find Eric and his family\u2014his wife, his two daughters and his dog Chet\u2014spending time outside in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.<\/p>\n

Eric\u00a0would like\u00a0me to share his appreciation for you. REI is only as strong as the people who choose to be part of this longstanding organization, which exists to serve REI members and the outdoors. We\u00a0would like to thank you, our 13,000 employees, for your\u00a0dedication. Your tireless efforts are why REI is healthy\u00a0today.<\/p>\n

Please keep fighting for life outdoors.<\/p>\n

Steve Hooper<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The co-op has a new president and CEO. REI Board Chairman Steve Hooper shared the news Monday evening at the co-op\u2019s annual member meeting that Eric Artz will be the eighth CEO in the co-op’s history, effective immediately. Hooper also sent the following letter to REI Co-op employees.\u00a0 REI employees, I\u2019m Steve Hooper, chair of\u00a0the\u00a0REI […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":45172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[637],"tags":[727,682],"internal-tag":[1492],"class_list":["post-52571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stewardship","tag-latest-posts","tag-rei-news","internal-tag-staff-featured-hp-stories"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/announcing-eric-artz-as-reis-president-and-ceo","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Steve Hooper: Announcing Eric Artz as REI\u2019s President and CEO","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/announcing-eric-artz-as-reis-president-and-ceo","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/stewardship\/announcing-eric-artz-as-reis-president-and-ceo"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/Lasso_20180326__0012_converted.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/03\/Lasso_20180326__0012_converted.jpg?fit=4476%2C3083"},"articleSection":"Stewardship","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Laura Chapman"}],"creator":["Laura Chapman"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["latest posts","rei news"],"dateCreated":"2019-05-06T22:53:44Z","datePublished":"2019-05-06T22:53:44Z","dateModified":"2019-05-10T14:44:15Z"},"rendered":"