Tom Kartsotis ( el, Τομ Καρτσώτης; born 1959) is a

Greek-American Greek Americans ( el, Ελληνοαμερικανοί ''Ellinoamerikanoí'' ''Ellinoamerikánoi'' ) are Americans of full or partial Greek ancestry. The lowest estimate is that 1.2 million Americans are of Greek descent while the highest es ...

entrepreneur, best known as the founder of the brand development firm Bedrock Manufacturing Co., which is named for ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

'' hometown and was founded in 2003. Kartsotis was also known as the founder and the president of

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

since 1984 until 2010.

Career

Kartsotis is the founder of

Fossil Inc. Fossil Group, Inc., is an American fashion designer and Manufacturing, manufacturer founded in 1984 by Tom Kartsotis and based in Richardson, Texas. Their brands include Fossil, Relic, Michele Watch, Skagen Denmark, Misfit (company), Misfit, W ...

in 1984 and served in roles including Director, President, Chief Executive Officer, Chairman from 1984 to January 2010. Kartsotis re-founded defunct shoe polish

brand A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...

Shinola as

Shinola Detroit Shinola is an American lifestyle brand based in Detroit, Michigan. It produces and sells watches, bicycles, leather goods, clocks, home goods, and jewelry. Founded in 2011, Shinola takes its name from a common saying that harkens back to the def ...

and re-positioned it as a

wristwatch A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

brand.STACY PERMAN
The Real History of America's Most Authentic Fake Brand: A mogul from Texas is using the country's least aspirational city as the backdrop for his next global lifestyle company--a $225 million experiment in manufactured authenticity
Inc. (magazine)

Controversy

In June 2016, the US

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

ordered Shinola to stop using 'Where American is made' as a slogan because "100% of the cost of materials used to make certain watches is attributable to imported materials." Kartsotis responded with an

open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...

which noted that the regulations defining " Made in America" for cars are not the same as for watches.

Other brands

Kartsotis has also invested in American designer

Steven Alan Steven Alan (born ''Steven Alan Grossman'') is an American fashion designer from New York City. His eponymous brand has stores in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco and is sold online. History Opening his first New York City retail store and ...

and outdoor goods brand Filson. Kartsotis has served on the

Board of Directors A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...

Burton Snowboards Burton Snowboards is a privately-owned snowboard manufacturing company that was founded by Jake Burton Carpenter in 1977. The company specializes in products aimed at snowboarders, such as snowboards, bindings, boots, outerwear, and accessorie ...

since 2004.

Personal life

Kartsotis is of Greek parentage. He shuns media attention and is rarely photographed.LAUREN SHERMAN
How Tom Kartsotis Is Banking on America
businessoffashion.com MARCH 22, 2016 His brother, Kosta also served as CEO & chairman of Fossil, replaced Tom's position since 2010.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kartsotis, Tom Living people American people of Greek descent American fashion businesspeople 1959 births