WICHITA — In a meeting this morning, Coleman Co. officials informed employees that the company is establishing a leadership center in the Denver metropolitan area.
The new center will house some sales, marketing and product teams that, according to a release, “will have the opportunity to relocate from Wichita.”
It’s not clear if Coleman considers its new leadership center to be the company’s new headquarters.
The majority of Coleman’s 800 Wichita workers won’t be affected.
The company also is investing in its Wichita and New Braunfels, Texas, facilities with a multimillion dollar capital initiative.
“These investment initiatives, including the establishment of a Leadership Center in the Denver area, best position the company for the future and provide a desirable platform to serve our global customer base in the most efficient manner,” said Robert Marcovitch, Coleman’s new president and CEO, in the release.
“The Denver metropolitan area is an important hub for the outdoor industry and will provide us with several key advantages as a global business competing on the world stage,” he said.
“We are, however, absolutely committed to continuing our investment in our Kansas based enterprises.”
The moves will happen over the next 18 months or so.
Coleman, which was founded in Wichita in 1901, has manufacturing, distribution, marketing and sales operations in 20 countries.
“Coleman is an iconic name synonymous with the outdoors, and this investment in the company’s future will further solidify its leadership position while providing a platform to drive continued global expansion for all of its brands,” said James E. Lillie, CEO of Jarden Corp., the global products company that owns Coleman.
In 1995, previous Coleman owners moved the company’s headquarters to Golden, Co.
A new CEO moved the company back two years later.
Look for more information online later today and in tomorrow’s Wichita Eagle.