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Wayne Elsey
Born	February 10, 1965 Arlington, Virginia
Known for	Soles4Souls

Wayne Elsey is the founder and former CEO of Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based nonprofit organization that collects shoes from footwear companies and shoe drives. After leaving Soles4Souls in 2013, he established Elsey Enterprises, a branding and marketing firm. In 2013 founded Funds2Orgs, a social enterprise for helping nonprofit organizations raise funds.

Career

Elsey started working in the footwear industry at the age of 15, as a stock boy for GallenKamp Shoes in Fredericksburg, Virginia, where he worked full-time before graduating from Stafford Senior High School in 1983. At the age of 20, he began employment at Stride Rite Corporation, and became a regional vice president at the age of 25.

From 1999 to 2004, Elsey worked for FSI as president-CEO and an equity partner. Later, he managed growth and development in the occupational footwear market with Nautilus, Skidbuster, Third Watch, and Avenger. He also worked at EJ Footwear, LLC (formerly known as the Endicott Johnson Corporation), Iron Age and Lake of the Woods. In 2000, Elsey was promoted to CEO/president of Nautilus Footwear. In March 2005, Elsey was named President of Kodiak-Terra USA Inc. He left Kodiak-Terra in April 2007 to work full time on Soles4Souls.

Charity work

In 2004 Elsey founded Soles4Souls, a nonprofit organization that sends shoes to recovering communities struck by natural disasters. Soles4Souls became one of the USA's fastest growing charities, but faced criticism over misleading claims, including that a $1 donation would provide a pair of shoes to someone in need and it was revealed that they sold shoes that were donated to them, rather than shipping them overseas. In 2010, Elsey expanded Soles4Souls to Clothes4Souls and in 2011, he added Hope4Souls.

In 2008, Elsey completed his book Almost Isn’t Good Enough, which relates his experience with nonprofit organizations. In the same year, he left Soles4Souls and started Elsey Enterprises, a branding and marketing company. During his tenure at Soles4Souls, he was accused of misusing charity funds for personal needs by borrowing $900,000 to refinance his personal property, which Elsey refuted, although it was ruled to be illegal under Tennesseea law. Elsey later repaid the money in full. In 2016, Elsey Enterprises acquired Shoes With Heart, a shoe drive fundraising business based in Southern California.

References

1. Walter, Laura (6 February 2009). "Shoe Charity Encourages Manufacturers, Employees to Recycle Safety Footwear". EHS Today. Retrieved February 18, 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
2. "Elsey Enterprises: Private Company Information - Bloomberg". www.Bloomberg.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
3. ^ Reisinger, Brian. "Wayne Elsey resigns from Soles4Souls". Nashville Business Journal. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
4. Scott Williams (17 December 2010). "Win A FREE iPad – Almost Isn't Good Enough". Bigisthenewsmall.com. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
5. "The Free Lance Star features Soles4Souls". Soles4Souls. June 19, 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
6. "Ceo Resigns Footwear Specialties International". Highbeam.
7. "USA: Wayne Elsey named CEO of Nautilus Footwear". just-style.com. 14 November 2000. Retrieved 18 February 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
8. "Kodiak Uses Direct Mail to Gain Toehold in U.S." March 17, 2005. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
9. Kodé, Chantal (April 16, 2007). "Shoe executive steps down to focus on nonprofit work". Nashwille Business Journal. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
10. "ABC News Good Morning America". ABC News. 24 August 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
11. O’Brien, James (March 24, 2014). "How A Former Shoe Salesman Supports Microbusiness In The Developing World". Forbes. Retrieved February 17, 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
12. ^ Smietana, Bob (23 March 2013). "Soles4Souls shoe charity takes steps to restore trust". USA Today. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
13. "Soles4Souls now handles Clothes4Souls, too". Nashwille Business Journal. 25 February 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2015.
14. Bob Smietana (April 4, 2011). "Shoes charity sells more soles than it gives away". USA Today. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
15. Dan Duffy. "68 Hours in Haiti, Part 6: Epilogue". Huffington post. Retrieved May 18, 2015.
16. Weilheimer, Neil (April 11, 2011). "Soles4Souls Refutes Newspaper Charges". Footwearnews.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
17. ^ Reisinger, Brian. "Wayne Elsey resigns from Soles4Souls". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2019-07-18. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)

• 1965 births
• American philanthropists
• Living people
• People from Arlington County, Virginia