Bruce R. Katz, the founder of the Rockport Shoe Company and Samuel Hubbard Shoe Company, passed away on June 26, after suffering injuries from a fall at his home in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 75.
Born in Newton, Mass. on Feb. 17, 1947, Katz was the third generation of a family shoemaking legacy that began with his grandfather Samuel J. Katz, who founded the first Hubbard Shoe Company in 1930, and his father Saul L. Katz who was the co-founder with Bruce of The Rockport Company.
As a child, Katz was fascinated with science, technology and “how things work” and went on to study engineering physics at Cornell University. He applied his engineering expertise to all his undertakings and when it came to shoemaking, he would always say, “If your feet had an engineering degree, these are the shoes they would make!”
All throughout his more than 50-year career in the footwear industry, Katz believed the shoe is a person’s most important piece of apparel. Every shoes he crafted were made with one thought in mind, “Feet have feelings too,” the headline of a prominent Rockport advertisement from the 1980s.
Katz’s largest entrepreneurial endeavor was the Rockport Shoe Company, which he co-founded with his father Saul in 1971. Rockport was the first shoe company to put lightweight, cushioned orthotic elements and athletic technology into traditional footwear. RocSports, as they were called, became a huge success and kicked off the development of a new category of footwear – walking shoes.
As the walking shoe category became a $1 billion success, Katz sold Rockport to Reebok in 1986. He spent the next 15 years exploring the world by sea, while also running multiple software and internet ventures.
In 2013, Katz returned to footwear with the launch the Samuel Hubbard Shoe Company. After a trip to the Platform shoe trade show in Las Vegas, Katz teamed up with Werner Wyrsch, who had served as VP of sourcing for Rockport, to launch the company with just four styles that year.
Speaking to FN in 2019, Katz described the most important advice his father gave him. “Business relationships have to be a win-win,” he said. “When Rockport was growing and we had a little money in the bank, Dad said we had to send an order to a Brazilian factory for 3,000 pairs. I thought] we had enough shoes, but he said it needed the order. He made me understand you have to make sure you’re winning, the factory’s winning and the customer gets what they want.”
Speaking on Katz’s passing, Noah Wheeler, CEO of Samuel Hubbard, said in a statement, “Working with Bruce over the past six years has been a continual master class in shoemaking. While we are heartbroken to lose him, our team will continue Bruce’s extraordinary shoemaking legacy. The upcoming introduction of the Performance Walker is the ultimate shoe Bruce dreamed of. It will honor his genius and is a comforting reminder that he is still on his journey with us.”
Katz is survived by his wife, Dasa, their only child Lee, brother Roger Katz, sister-in-law Karolynn Flynn and their children Abbi Hunter and Connor Katz.
Plans for a celebration of life will be announced at a later date.
