If a company’s name ever had meaning, it’s Phoenix Footwear Group, Inc. The name stems from the ancient Greek myth of the phoenix rising from the ashes—something the Old Town, Maine, company can relate to.
In 1998, Greg Tunney took on the arduous task of saving a rapidly sinking company. As president and chief operating officer, Tunney turned the century-old manufacturing relic into 2002’s No. 1 performing footwear company in terms of overall stock price increase and sales and earnings growth for the entire footwear sector.
“We spent the last forty-eight months refocusing the company by divesting poor performing assets and making a couple of acquisitions that have helped us in laying a solid foundation for a successful future,” Tunney said.
In honor of the company’s triumphant turnaround, Tunney rang the opening bell of the American Stock Exchange in New York City 20 May. “To be recognized and given the honor of ringing the opening bell on Wall Street was one of the great thrills of my professional career,” Tunney said.
Phoenix Footwear—formally known as the Daniel Green Company—sells to more than 2,500 independent shoe stores and catalogs throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. The modern-day sourcing and marketing footwear company considers Nordstrom and Dillard’s its prime department store customers.
Tunney earned his BS in business management and marketing from BYU in 1986 and completed the executive management program at Harvard University in 1996. Tunney and his wife, Heidi, have four children and reside in Hampden, Maine.
