It’s been five months since Keen Inc. moved its U.S. footwear factory to Shepherdsville, Ky., from Portland, Ore., and the facility already has big goals.

Kevin Oberle, Keen Utility ’s senior director of global insights and engagement, said one of the driving forces behind the relocation was the need for more space. “We’ve been placing a bigger emphasis on our American Built products, especially for Keen Utility, because we know that resonates with our consumers,” he said. “But we were about tapped out from a capacity standpoint at the location in [Portland].”

With the new, larger space, Keen Utility will continue to support growth of its Liberty series that launched this year. And it also recently soft launched a U.S.-made work boot version of its popular Targhee hiker.

Todd Le

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