Consumer >> CEO Interviews >> November 24, 1997
DOUGLAS W. HYDE is president and chief executive officer of OshKosh
B'Gosh, Inc., a manufacturer and marketer of premier children's wear
available in over 70 countries around the world. A self-taught
merchandiser, Doug was instrumental in the company's decision to
aggressively pursue the children's wear market as demand for the product
began to grow in the late-1970s. He grew up in the business under his
father, former OshKosh B'Gosh Chairman Charles F. Hyde. Doug was born
August 1, 1950, in Chicago, Ill. Educated at Coe College, Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, he received a bachelor of arts degree in business administration
in 1974. He served in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1970 to 1976. Upon
graduation, he joined Sunstrand Corp. where he worked as a contract
administrator until joining OshKosh B'Gosh as a sales representative in
1975. He was appointed director of merchandising in 1979, vice president
of merchandising in 1983, and senior vice president of marketing in
1989. In July of 1991 he was elected president of OshKosh B'Gosh. The
following May, the OshKosh B'Gosh Board of Directors elected him CEO,
and in 1994 he assumed the position of Chairman of the Board. Elected to
the board of directors of OshKosh B'Gosh in 1988, he also serves on the
boards of OshKosh B'Gosh U.K. Ltd., OshKosh B'Gosh Deutschland GmbH and
OshKosh B'Gosh (Asia/Pacific) Ltd. Hyde currently serves as chairman for
the national non-profit organization, Kids in Distressed Situations
(K.I.D.S.) through 1997. He also serves on the board of OshKosh United
Way, and on the board of trustees of Coe College. He is past president
of K.I.D.S., the OshKosh YMCA, was formerly commodore of the OshKosh
Power Boat Club and served on the board of Firstar Bank-OshKosh. Profile
B'Gosh, and what is that company doing today?
Mr. Hyde: Our history is fairly well documented. The company started in
1895
