Kodiak Group, Canadian footwear brand, will introduce an aggressive industrial line of footwear into the USA to complement its outdoor lifestyle programme and has also announced the opening of its American office and the appointment of footwear executive Wayne Elsey as President of Kodiak USA. As part of its expansion the company has already opened sales channels across the USA and will roll out its new product catalogues and websites later this month.

Kodiak possesses a safety toe option called Rocfibre that does not incorporate steel but is reportedly stronger and more durable than traditional ’composite’ toe footwear. "Canada’s version of OSHA is the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), which is famous for its tough standards," Wayne Elsey said. "Kodiak’s patented formula is combined with a unique layering process that makes Rockfibre extremely tough and comfortable while offering a very clean look."

With companies tightening internal security with metal detectors, steel toe footwear is becoming less popular as a safety toe option and Rockfibre technology, in line with ANSI Z41 PT99 impact and compression specifications, offers an alternative.

Wayne Elsey has extensive experience in the footwear industry, most recently as President and CEO of Footwear Specialties International (FSI), makers of the Nautilus brand of safety footwear. Recently, Elsey was the primary organiser of the South Asian Tsunami Footwear Drive, which netted more than $3,000,000 in footwear product and cash donations.

Kodiak was established in 1912 with the aim of producing footwear suitable for the country’s harsh climates and conditions.

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