STEVE JAGLER

Jagler: Former Allen Edmonds CEO's new menswear brand celebrates American bravado

Steve Jagler

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming. But who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

The above quote from former President Teddy Roosevelt is the inspiration behind Paul Grangaard’s latest business venture.

Grangaard this past week rolled out CircleRock LLC, an upscale menswear retailer with a bold lifestyle brand “celebrating men of character (the Circle) and their transcendent American values (the Rock).”

You probably remember Grangaard as the CEO who turned around Port Washington-based Allen Edmonds Shoe Corp. He left the men’s shoemaker after it was acquired by Caleres Inc. last December.

Grangaard, 60, was too young, too vibrant and too creative to retire. So, he moved back home to Edina, Minnesota, and launched CircleRock as the founding investor.

Three other former Allen Edmonds executives joined his founding team: former vice president of retail stores Ross Widmoyer; senior buyer Mark McNeill; and former creative director Mike Lyons, who still lives in the Milwaukee area and works remotely.

Grangaard plans another round of investments to help the company build scale this fall.

“We’ve had a number of people ask if they can invest, and we want help going viral on the internet,” Grangaard said. “We’re going to allow friends and family who ‘want in’ on the opportunity to help us ramp up faster and benefit from it in their investment return.”

American made

CircleRock sells custom-made men’s suits, sport coats, dress shirts, slacks, ties, casual shirts, sweaters, rugby shirts, jeans, coats, jackets, bags, belts and wallets. The items are made using premium fabrics and leathers crafted by the company’s production partners, including Allen Edmonds and Southwick of Haverhill, Mass.

CircleRock says the market for “cheap suits” (less than $700) is crowded, while the market for suits priced at more than $1,000 provides better quality, but often with a service model that adds significant costs to the consumer.

“CircleRock’s positioning fills that gap in the upper middle, delivering superior quality, made-to-order, made-in-the-USA menswear at a very fair price ($950), without the added cost of marked up service and salespeople,” Grangaard said.

Grangaard said almost all of the company’s merchandise is American-made.

“That’s absolutely essential. It’s a huge part of why we’re doing this,” Grangaard said. “Across history, Americans have worked hard for improvement. We know the world can be better, and we can do better. That’s what CircleRock is all about. In our product offerings, we want you to look your best at work, among your family and friends, and in your communities.”

CircleRock’s online lifestyle brand augments the apparel. The company’s In the Circle e-magazine is scheduled to debut Sunday.

In preparation for the launch, Grangaard spent six weeks interviewing CEOs he admires. (Watch it, pal. That’s my side of the street.) Videos of those interviews about how the men lead their lives and view the world will accompany the launch of the apparel.

CircleRock is donating 5 percent of its revenue to College Possible, an Americorps-staffed nonprofit organization helping thousands of talented but “under-resourced” U.S. high school students navigate college admissions and scholarship processes and then graduate.

Steve Jagler is the business editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. C-Level stands for high-ranking executives, typically those with “chief” in their titles. Send C-Level column ideas to him at steve.jagler@journalsentinel.com.

Paul Grangaard

Title: Founder and CEO

Company: CircleRock LLC

Hometown: Edina, Minnesota

Previous gig: CEO of Allen Edmonds Shoe Corp., Port Washington

Education: Bachelor’s degree, economics, Stanford University; master’s, business administration, University of Chicago

Family: Wife, Margot; four grown children; and a dog, Harmon (as in former Minnesota Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew)

Favorite musician: Maynard Ferguson

Favorite book: “Great Expectations”

Favorite Wisconsin restaurant: Lake Park Bistro

Best advice ever received: “Paul, your friends don’t care what you do for a living.”

Best lesson learned: “How you treat people matters. Never alienate your current customers to try to attract new ones. Your customers end up being your best advocates.”