Two Ten Footwear Foundation's A.A. Bloom Memorial Award honors the late Abe Bloom, one of Two Ten's founders. The Bloom Award recognizes extraordinary service advancing the mission of lifting lives in footwear and Birkenstock Americas President David Kahan has exemplified the spirit of this award through his work on Two Ten's Board of Directors and on behalf of the footwear community.
WALTHAM, Mass., Feb. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Two Ten Footwear Foundation today announced that David Kahan, President, Birkenstock Americas, will be the 2025 recipient of the A.A. Bloom Memorial Award, which recognizes extraordinary service to advance the Foundation's mission of lifting lives in footwear.
"Those who've followed the growth of Birkenstock Americas know David is a transformational leader for a storied brand, but what many in the industry do not know is how deeply impactful his decade of service on Two Ten's board of directors has been," said Shawn Osborne, president and CEO of Two Ten. "David not only champions our mission of lifting lives, he also thinks about the long-term advancement of the Foundation. During his tenure as board chair, we completely transformed our fundraising model, raising almost $10 million as we shifted to an approach that emphasized building more meaningful partnerships."
"David led the way as we planned for a post-Covid world," added Osborne. "He pushed us to reimagine how the Foundation operated, to think about what we needed, not just to weather a period of crisis, but to position ourselves to thrive once that crisis had passed."
Kahan served as Two Ten board chair from 2021–2023, a period when Two Ten awarded a record number of disaster and hardship relief grants to footwear employees, as the industry emerged from the Covid pandemic and faced the devastation of Hurricanes Fiona and Ian. More than 3,500 footwear families were directly impacted by Two Ten's relief and education programs in this period.
The A.A. Bloom Award was created in honor of the late Abe Bloom, one of the original founders of the Two Ten Footwear Foundation. The award recognizes an individual whose hard work, dedication and initiative have furthered the mission of the Foundation—and during his decade of board service, Kahan has demonstrated that drive to advance Two Ten's work.
"It is an incredible honor to receive the A.A. Bloom Award from the Two Ten Footwear Foundation, an organization that has been a lifeline for so many in our industry. Over the past decade, I've witnessed firsthand the profound impact of Two Ten's mission—whether through disaster relief, education programs, or financial assistance, the Foundation is there when people need it most," said David Kahan, President, Birkenstock Americas. "Being part of this journey, especially during some of the industry's most challenging moments, has been deeply meaningful. I'm proud to have played a role in strengthening Two Ten's ability to uplift footwear families, and I look forward to seeing its continued impact for years to come."
Kahan will be receiving the 2025 A.A. Bloom Award at the Two Ten Annual Gala, which is being held at The Glasshouse in New York City on June 3, 2025. The Two Ten Annual Gala is a highlight of FFANY Market Week and all members of the footwear community are welcomed. Contact [email protected] for information about tickets or sponsorship.
About Two Ten
Two Ten Footwear Foundation is an independent nonprofit with a unique mission: serving the U.S. footwear community. Since our founding in the 1930s we've brought hope and opportunity to generations of footwear families. Two Ten provides emergency financial assistance in times of disaster or hardship; offers free and confidential access to financial, legal, and mental health counseling services at any time; awards educational grants to industry employees seeking upskilling and professional development; awards college scholarships to make higher education more affordable for footwear employees and their dependents; and convenes professional/networking groups and leadership councils to connect professionals across the industry. Two Ten brings people working in footwear together to support each other, building a feeling of community and fostering a more resilient industry workforce. Learn more at twoten.org
About BIRKENSTOCK
BIRKENSTOCK is a global brand which embraces all consumers regardless of geography, gender, age and income and which is committed to a clear purpose - maintaining foot health. Deeply rooted in studies of the biomechanics of the human foot and footed on a family tradition of shoemaking that can be traced back to 1774, BIRKENSTOCK is a timeless "super brand" with a brand universe that transcends product categories and ranges from entry-level to luxury price points while addressing the growing need for a conscious and active lifestyle. Function, quality and tradition are the core values of the lifestyle brand which features products in the footwear, sleep systems and natural cosmetics segments. BIRKENSTOCK is the inventor of the footbed and has shaped the principle of walking as intended by nature ("Naturgewolltes Gehen").
With around 6,200 employees worldwide, BIRKENSTOCK is convinced that how things are made matters as much as the product itself. To ensure these quality standards, the Group operates a vertically integrated manufacturing base and produces all footbeds in Germany. In addition, BIRKENSTOCK assembles over 95% of all products in Germany and sources over 90% of materials and components from Europe. Raw materials are processed to the highest environmental and social standards in the industry. For materials testing BIRKENSTOCK operates state-of-the-art scientific laboratories.
Headquartered in Linz am Rhein, the BIRKENSTOCK Group also operates its own sales offices in the United States and Canada as well as in Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, the United Kingdom, France, Norway, the Netherlands, Dubai, Singapore and India.
Media Contact
Barbara Clement, Two Ten Footwear Foundation, 1 781-736-1500, [email protected], https://twoten.org
Dania Shiblaq, BIRKENSTOCK, [email protected], https://www.birkenstock.com/us
SOURCE Two Ten Footwear Foundation
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