John Connelly, the founder of Oboz Footwear and an outdoor industry luminary, passed away on August 22 following his most-recent bout with cancer. Tomorrow, Oboz will honor his legacy with a noon-time “A walk in John’s shoes” company hike. The company is encouraging anyone who knew him or has ever worn a pair of Oboz to also salute him with a noon hike on Friday.
“John was a visionary, the ultimate non-conformist, and a forever optimist,” said Amy Beck, Oboz Footwear president. “He will always be a part of Oboz, from devising name our, Outside + Bozeman, to our commitment to community, trees, and this beautiful place that we get to call home.”
Connelly was a serial entrepreneur who loved sports car racing almost as much as creating innovative footwear. He combined his two passions in his most recent venture, Chicane footwear. Born in 1947, Connelly began his outdoor industry career at a Richmond, Virginia outdoor shop; over the next 40 years he worked with over 15 outdoor footwear brands. In 2007, he founded Oboz, building it into a leading outdoor brands in the market.
In 2018 he sold the company to one of the brand’s original retailer partners, New Zealand’s Kathmandu.
“The Oboz family sends love and condolences to his family and friends,” said Beck. “We’ll be sure to toast John with a little Agwa on Friday.”
