Sperry Top-Sider Hires Bill Bettencourt as Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development

LEXINGTON, Mass., March 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sperry Top-Sider, a division of Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group, announced today that Bill Bettencourt has joined the Sperry team as Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development, reporting to Craig Reingold, President of Sperry Top-Sider.

In his role, Bettencourt will serve as the senior leader for Sperry's global marketing and sales effort and is responsible for the development and execution of authentic marketing programs and new business initiatives that will support and amplify Sperry Top-Sider's global brand position as the nautical lifestyle brand dedicated those with a Passion for the Sea.  A key part of the role includes managing and expanding the brand's wholesale partner network and identifying new strategic opportunities to expand the brand in the global marketplace.

"It's an exciting time for the Sperry brand, with the recent launch of new Sperry retail stores and the brand's evolution beyond boat shoes and into the global nautical lifestyle brand," said Craig Reingold, President of Sperry.  "Bill brings with him 20-plus years of experience in the footwear and apparel industry, but perhaps more importantly, he has a keen understanding of the consumer and seasoned, creative thinking that will enable us to continue to broadcast our clear and relevant brand messaging to a growing global audience and expand our sales channel partnerships with innovative new alliances.  We are thrilled to have Bill join the Sperry team, and we look forward to seeing his leadership and inventive approach continue the strong momentum and growth of the Sperry brand."

Since 2004, Bettencourt was with Vans, Inc., where he joined as Vice President, Footwear and Equipment and most recently served as Vice President, Product and Marketing, with responsibility for developing product and marketing programs that resonated with the action sports youth consumer and to increase brand affinity overall.  From 1998 to 2004, Bettencourt served as president of Arena North America, where he reintroduced the Arena brand back into the U.S. and Canadian markets and championed the brand's strategic direction.  Just prior, he spent eight years with Reebok International in roles of increasing responsibility, including Vice President of Global Marketing, where he administered the global marketing strategy to drive a single brand message and brand position worldwide.  Bettencourt began his career in 1987 in Taipei, Taiwan, with Taishoe, where he served as part of the original team that launched Reebok in the Taiwan market.

Bettencourt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology from the University of California at Davis.

About Sperry Top-Sider

Since 1935, Sperry Top-Sider has been the leading brand of footwear for those with a Passion For The Sea.  From its introduction of the World's first siped rubber outsole for non-marking traction, to advanced technical fabrication to combat the elements, Sperry Top-Sider remains the vanguard of high-performance amphibious footwear.  Available around the globe in independent, marine, outdoor and department stores, Sperry Top-Sider is the official footwear of US SAILING, US Sailing AlphaGraphics Team, and the National Safe Boating Council.

Based in historic Lexington, Massachusetts, Sperry Top-Sider supports a wide range of ocean-related activities through its many sponsorships, including Key West Race Week, the New York Yacht Club's Invitational Cup and the Sperry Top-Sider NOOD Regattas.  Sperry Top-Sider was also recently recognized for its recent brand transformation by industry trade magazine Footwear News by being named 2009 "Brand of the Year."  Sperry Top-Sider is a division of the Collective Brands Performance and Lifestyle Group, a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS).  For more information, please visit www.sperrytopsider.com or www.passionforthesea.com.

About Collective Brands, Inc.

Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide.  The company operates three strategic units covering a powerful brand portfolio, as well as multiple price points and selling channels including retail, wholesale, ecommerce and licensing.  Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its nearly 4,500-store retail chain, with its brands Airwalk®, Dexter®, Champion®, Zoe & Zac™, the first-ever affordable green footwear brand, and designer collections Lela Rose for Payless, Unforgettable Moments by Lela Rose, alice + olivia for Payless, Christian Siriano for Payless and STLP x Airwalk, among others; Collective Brands Performance + Lifestyle Group, focused on lifestyle and performance branded footwear and high-quality children's footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite®, Keds®, Sperry Top-Sider®, Robeez®, and Saucony®, among others; and Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit, with such youth lifestyle brands as Airwalk®, Vision Street Wear®, Sims®, Lamar® and LTD®.  Information about, and links for shopping on, each of the Collective Brand's units can be found at www.collectivebrands.com.

SOURCE Collective Brands, Inc.