But Davis, a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is making an even bigger statement in July when he steps down as CEO of the $100 million company to take on a missionary role in the church. To run the company during his planned three-year absence, Davis has been beefing up the management team, bringing in former Eddie Bauer CEO Damien Huang as president to take over the reins when he leaves this summer, along with other key executives.
WWD: Cotopaxi reflects your passion and commitment to giving back. How are you able to instill the same culture in people who didn’t grow up like you did?I’ve always had a great filter for hiring good people. We hire people that we love working with and who are passionate about our vision and what we’re trying to build. With Damien, for example, we had over 1,000 applicants for this president’s role.
WWD: Nate Checketts, the cofounder of Rhone, is also an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Do you know each other?Nate is a good friend. We actually started Rhone and Cotopaxi the same month. We invested $5,000 in each other’s businesses. Neither of us had any money, but we believed in each other and we wanted to signal support. And we talk on a regular basis. I’m a big fan of Nate and what he’s doing at Rhone.