More than a product
KEEN calls Shepherdsville home
WHEN MARTIN KEEN AND RORY FUERST founded KEEN in 2003, they were on a mission to create a company that does the right thing.
The business first got its footing with the popular Newport H2 Sandal, a versatile shoe comfortable for different outdoor activities.
“We’re not just about product,” says Don Wicks, senior director of North America Manufacturing for KEEN Footwear. “The product—this is obviously what makes us and what the business is about—but it’s more than that. We take care of the employees. We take care of the environment; we try to be conscious about what we’re doing.”
KEEN’s distribution center and manufacturing plant now are both located in Shepherdsville. It offers its employees 40 hours of volunteer time annually, where they can partner with organizations like nearby Bernheim Forest and Arboretum to clean up parks and trails.
“When you think about products that are built in America, it represents more than where a product was made—it reflects the workers, communities and businesses behind it,” says Salt River Electric President and CEO Tim Sharp. “Salt River Electric is proud to provide the reliable power that helps companies like KEEN Footwear manufacture right here at home.”
KEEN’s distribution center moved to Kentucky about eight years ago, and in 2025, the manufacturing plant relocated here from Portland, Oregon.
Wicks says there were many reasons to make the move.
“If you look at the U.S. as a central piece by population, we’re right in the heart of that (in Kentucky), so it allows us to get our product to either part of the U.S. in just two days,” Wicks says.
Being next to its distribution center “makes our product really quick to market,” he adds. “It also reduces our carbon footprint, so we have a very positive impact on the environment compared to having things shipped across the U.S.”
Another attractive quality in Kentucky was the workforce and the diversity of manufacturing opportunities across the state, he says.
“There’s a lot of talent back here that we can take advantage of and use that as our resources and provide secure jobs for people long term,” he says.
