Welcome to Beer & Gear, a series where we get to know individuals making big moves in Portland’s Athletic and Outdoor industries. In this edition, author Ellee Thalheimer meets with Andy Gilbert, board chair of Footwear Innovation Foundation.
Andy Gilbert is no stranger to the Portland footwear scene. In 1987, he joined the Nike sales team in Memphis. During that time, he was briefly roommates with Elliott Hill (now CEO of Nike), then an apparel sales representative intern for Nike. For five years, Gilbert worked on the Nike marketing team, though eventually his career steered him to Nashville to work for the footwear company Genesco.
After retiring in 2023, Gilbert isn’t quite letting the grass grow under his feet. He’s board chair for the nonprofit Footwear Innovation Foundation (FIF), an offshoot of Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America.
“The Foundation was formed because our industry is very insular,” says Gilbert, who became the FIF chair in 2024. “Because of that, we have lagged behind in game-changing innovation. We also struggle to recruit talent from outside the industry.”
This November, Gilbert returns to Portland for the FIF Elevation Event, which is the culmination of the organization’s second annual Footwear LaunchPad Innovation Challenge.
Gilbert likens the Footwear LaunchPad Innovation Challenge to Shark Tank for the footwear industry: “Anyone with an idea can apply; that means people outside the industry. And pitches don’t have to be just product ideas. They can be about anything: logistics, manufacturing, software. We receive around 150 applications from all over the world—including back-of-the-napkin ideas and pitches from people with proof-of-concept and businesses. We narrow it down to the top 20 then hold one-on-one interviews to select the Elite 8. Those entrepreneurs hone their ideas in our nine-week bootcamp (our “Elevation Lab”) which transforms their initial concept to being pitch-ready.”
The Elite 8 Elevation Event—November 4th at Castaway in Northwest Portland—is the celebration and showcase of the top eight competing entrepreneurs in the LaunchPad Innovation Challenge (the Elite 8). The event is paired with the Shoe Innovation and Sustainability Summit, a day-long industry conference that gathers executives from major brands, manufacturers, scientists, engineers, legal experts, material innovators, and investors from around the world. That means the Elite 8 will give their presentations to a room full of 150-200 industry leaders who could conceivably help launch their ideas. After first-, second-, and third-place winners from the Elite 8 are chosen, participants are invited to network.
Images courtesy of Strike Footwear
While Gilbert will be at the Summit in the spirit of widening the industry’s pipeline of innovation, he’s also there as the president of Strike Footwear—a performance footwear brand founded by artisan shoemaker and avid angler Stephen Palmer. Launched in 2025, Strike specializes in durable, slip-resistant, quick-draining shoes and boots for anglers and boaters. Their designs lean heavily on sustainable materials, like algae-based insoles and recycled plastics.
Gilbert’s “retirement” is none too leisurely, but he seems to be having a grand time nudging the industry towards out-of-the-box solutions and sustainable options. (It doesn’t hurt that his office is sometimes a boat deck.) Catch him in action at this year’s Summit.
Beer + Shoes for the Greater Good!
At the Shoe Innovation & Sustainability Summit and Shoe Trade & Logistics Strategy Summit, attendees drink beer for a good cause–while networking with designers, manufacturers, retailers and industry leaders. Brews & Shoes is a charity event that overlaps with the Elevation Event at Castaway on November 4th, running 5:30-8p.m. Hosted by the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, all proceeds go to Soles4Soles, a nonprofit that transforms donated shoes into opportunities for people facing poverty.
Ellee Thalheimer is a Portland-based freelance writer and guidebook author. When she can’t get to the trails, she’s writing fiction, relishing local IPAs, falling off bouldering walls, and obsessively scheming the next adventure. Find her on Instagram: @ellee_thalheimer.
