Fossa Apparel (asi/55141) is making some changes at the top, chief among them the appointment of Michelle Chen as president.

Michelle Chen, president of Fossa Apparel

Chen was previously the director of sales for the family-operated supplier headquartered in Fremont, CA. Chen and her parents, Judy and Andy, founded Fossa Apparel in 2007. Woman- and minority-owned, the company designs women’s styles first, with the thought that “it’s easier to modify a woman’s design for men than to carve a woman’s cut into a design originally for men,” according to the company website.

Prior to joining the promotional products industry, Chen worked as a kindergarten teacher at a private school, but eagerly jumped on board her parents’ plan to launch Fossa Apparel. “When my mom proposed the business opportunity to me, I knew it wasn’t a matter of choice,” Chen said in a 2021 podcast interview about the supplier’s origins.

As president, Chen will take on a much more strategic role at Fossa Apparel, leveraging her experience, knowledge and promotional products industry visibility to best position Fossa for long-term healthy and profitable growth. Fossa will increase its internal sales support team to help Chen attain those goals.

The leadership change was announced after a week of strategic meetings at Fossa Apparel’s corporate headquarters. The formalization of the supplier’s executive structure was announced to help manage the growth of its in-line and custom business segments, according to Tim Mason, vice president of sales.

In addition to naming Chen’s new role, Fossa reiterated other parts of the executive team. Judy Chen, founder and owner, will continue as the lead of all product development and merchandising for both in-line and custom. Eric Chen will continue as CEO/general manager, managing all production, distribution, IT and training. Will Tang will continue in his role of chief financial officer, overseeing the financial aspects of the business. And Mason will continue as VP of sales, overseeing the entire sales organization as well as direction and management of national accounts.

Fossa Apparel says it has been experiencing what it characterizes as “exceptional growth” over the last 36 months and is excited about its long-term prospects with this formalized organizational structure and focus.