It’s the dawning of a new era at Charles River Apparel (PPAI 111644, Gold), as PPAI 100’s No. 37 supplier has announced that Jason Lipsett has been promoted to president of the company, effective September 12.
Jason’s appointment marks three generations of Lipsetts at the helm of the New England-based firm, which his grandfather, Walter Lipsett, founded in 1983.
“I feel a great responsibility stepping into this role and am deeply mindful of what it means for our employees, our customers and our community,” says Jason. “I’m committed to creating a work environment built around respect, teamwork and a growth mindset. Our customers know they can trust Charles River Apparel for quality and reliability, and it’s my goal to create even stronger partnerships that yield mutual success.”
- Barry Lipsett, Jason’s father, will continue to serve as CEO, partnering with his son to lead the company going forward.
- Jason is the same age, 34, that Barry was when he became the company’s president in 1993.
“Jason’s leadership and dedication have been pivotal in driving our recent successes,” Barry says. “He has an innate understanding of our business, our crew and our customers. His promotion to president isn’t just a reflection of his accomplishments, but a testament to his vision for the future of Charles River Apparel.”
As part of that vision, Adam Heaslewood has joined the company as chief revenue officer, overseeing sales and marketing. Reporting directly to Jason, he’ll begin his new role on the same day that his new boss takes over.
- Heaslewood’s career in sales and marketing spans several decades and includes leadership roles at global brands like adidas, where he helped drive growth and expand the brand’s market presence.
- He was most recently vice president of sales at Los Angeles-based Therabody, working on the retail side of the business. Therabody also sells into the promotional products market.
“What really stood out to me about Adam is his impressive track record and how closely his values align with those of Charles River Apparel,” Jason says. “Adam is deeply team-focused, driven and has a vision that I believe will be key in shaping the future of our company, creating opportunities for both our employees and our customers.”
It’s A Family Affair
Entrepreneurship is in the Lipsett blood.
In the wake of World War II, Walter bought Central Steel Supply from his uncles and brother, resuscitating the floundering business. More than three decades later, inspired by the unpredictable weather of New England, he launched Charles River Apparel with its signature product: a yellow rain slicker.
After several years of stagnant sales in the retail space, Walter sent his son Barry (who joined Charles River Apparel in 1987) to a local promotional products trade show to gauge the potential of the market. The jacket was a hit, and the Lipsetts embraced the promo industry.
- Over the past 40-plus years, the product line has expanded to include additional outerwear, activewear, corporate attire and other apparel.
In 1993, Barry purchased the business from his father, becoming president and CEO. He has since led the Sharon, Massachusetts-based supplier to significant sales increases: Charles River Apparel generated $40 million in 2023 revenue, up 25% since 2020. For 2024, the company earned PPAI 100 High Marks in the categories of Innovation and Employee Happiness.
- Serving more than 13,000 distributors nationwide, the company’s lines have penetrated sporting goods, college bookstores, resort stores and other avenues.
Charles River Apparel has focused on philanthropic efforts as part of the Charles River Cares program, which was created by Barry’s wife Deb in 2010. Through the program, the firm has donated more than 108,000 products since 2018 to go along with additional monetary donations. Employees participate in volunteerism and fundraising events, such as Christmas in the City, an annual toy-filled party for homeless and poverty-stricken Boston-area families. Charles River Apparel’s closest philanthropic partner is Circle of Hope, which supports 22 homeless shelters in the area.
- Throughout 2024, Charles River Apparel is donating 3% of net sales from its Franconia Collection to Meals on Wheels for a minimum of $25,000.
- From August 1 to October 31, the firm is donating 10% of the purchase price from select pink items for a minimum donation of $10,000 and a maximum donation of $20,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
- Barry also participates in the Pan-Mass Challenge, an annual bike-a-thon that raises funds for cancer research.
“From the beginning, my vision for Charles River Apparel was to create a business rooted in strong core values, like bringing in quality merchandise and building good relationships with customers,” Walter says. “As we grew, maintaining these values became even more important, and I always hoped the company would remain in the family long-term. That was my objective when I founded the business, and I take great pleasure in seeing this legacy continue within our family.”
A New Generation
Although Barry had hoped he would one day hand the reins over to his son, he never pressured Jason to join Charles River Apparel.
He credits Deb, who was a career counselor at various colleges, in guiding Jason to explore his interests before choosing a path that resonated with him.
- Barry also attributes Jason’s time as a competitive athlete – he played men’s varsity tennis in college and was a three-time Bay State Conference All-Star during high school – with teaching him discipline, hard work and leadership.
In 2013, Jason graduated magna cum laude from Bentley University with a bachelor’s in business management and a minor in psychology. The next year, he joined Charles River Apparel as a digital marketing manager and would later serve as the key project manager for the development of the company’s website.
- In the fall of 2017, he took a two-year sabbatical to earn an MBA from Boston College.
Upon his return, Jason became marketing director before transitioning to vice president of strategic initiatives, a new position that he says enabled him to work as more of a partner with the leadership team, especially Barry, to “evolve and guide the big decisions impacting the company.”
Furthermore, Barry says he’s been helping prepare Jason for this new role by encouraging him to seek additional training, build relationships with customers and business partners and learn from the company’s successes and failures.
“Jason has a natural ability to build deep connections with team members, and I’ve always encouraged him to lean into this strength,” Barry says. “I’ve also emphasized the importance of aligning with the company’s core principles established by my dad, ensuring that our company’s legacy continues. Through these experiences, Jason has developed the skills and confidence needed to step into this expanded role.”
At the same time, Barry plans on staying very involved by nurturing and strengthening relationships with customers, constantly advocating for continuous improvement and seeking new ideas to differentiate the brand.
“Barry is very hands-on and excels at problem-solving, always directly engaging with challenges as they arise and constantly pushing the envelope with new ideas,” Walter says. “On the other hand, Jason has a unique approach to leadership by creating a strong team, leveraging a growth-oriented mindset and developing short and long-term strategies. It’s wonderful to see Barry and Jason complement each other so well and respect each other’s opinions, guiding the company forward with their distinctive styles.”
What’s Next For Charles River Apparel?
As president, Jason says he’ll focus on increasing market share and brand awareness through innovation, sustainability and customer relationships.
- Under his leadership, the company will also prioritize modernizing the customer experience, expanding its product offerings and leveraging digital strategies.
“We now see more and more brands in this space, which is exciting,” Jason says, “and we believe that Charles River can easily be a true, nationally recognized lifestyle brand. We have all the ingredients: a great product, great story, great team and a great customer base.”
Jason says he’s also building a team built for long-term success, starting with the hiring of Heaslewood, who has plenty of experience growing apparel brands.
“After speaking with Jason and the team, I came away thinking they were humble and hungry, which really resonated with me,” Heaslewood says. “I’ve worked for corporations where there were egos at play, but they seem to park the egos at the door and just generally want what’s right. That comes with running a family business for so long.”
Heaslewood adds that the company’s structural changes allow the leadership team to now focus on key strategic initiatives to evolve Charles River Apparel.
“One thing that really appealed to me is the ability to be agile and pivot quickly if we need to,” Heaslewood says. “In working for a global brand like adidas, you can’t pivot quickly no matter how much you want to. So, if we can build off our infrastructure, then there are some exciting things that we could try within the marketplace.”
Ultimately, the leadership team is now able to invest in the brand in a bigger way, Jason says.
“We’re going to explore new opportunities for Charles River Apparel and really extend our solid core,” Jason says. “Our goal is to make Charles River Apparel more of a front-of-mind brand name for consumers bringing that demand into the promotional products industry.”
