Jason Wehlage (l) and Marissa Cundiff
 LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Kenmark Eyewear has announced the promotions of Jason Wehlage and Marissa Cundiff. Whelage, who began his career at Kenmark in 2001 as a design assistant, has held roles as product designer and director of product design. His promotion now brings him to the role of vice president of product and design. In his 19 years at Kenmark, Whelage has spearheaded the design of the Jhane Barnes, Original Penguin and Paradigm Eyewear collections. In his new role, he will continue to head design for these collections while overseeing the product and purchasing teams as well as managing the inventory of all product.

Whelage said, “Eyewear is one of the most personal and transformative accessories a person can own, and to have the fortune of creating and shaping Kenmark Eyewear’s role in providing original product on such a personal level is readily embraced. I am excited and humbled for the opportunity to propel our talented Design and Purchasing teams to be among the best in the industry, both now and in the years ahead.”

CEO Mike Cundiff said, “We are so thrilled to promote Jason to further fully manage all of product design, release schedules and inventory management. He has worked hard and has made tremendous strides in these areas of the company. These are very important aspects of our company, and I have full faith he will step up to the challenge. I look forward to working with him in this role and seeing the continued growth of the company.”

Marissa Cundiff joined Kenmark Eyewear in 2002 in the customer service department and transitioned to product coordinator in 2010. She has held roles as social media coordinator, digital marketing manager and marketing director. Her promotion brings her to the role of vice president of marketing, where she will continue to lead the marketing team and oversee all marketing strategy, creative and communications of the company as well as spearhead PR, advertising, digital marketing, sustainability initiatives and brand management. In addition, she will now manage all licensing relations and explore new possibilities.

CEO Mike Cundiff said, “In her new role, Marissa will take on several new responsibilities such as managing relations with our licenses as well as negotiating renewals and exploring new opportunities. She will work closely with the product and sales teams to bring new products and brands to our team, including digital opportunities. Marissa’s areas of responsibility also include advertising, PR, trade show management and all creative aspects of the company. She has worked very hard to raise the level of awareness of our company and what we have to offer. I look forward to working with her in the future to continue this advancement.”

Marissa Cundiff said, “I’m so excited for this opportunity to continue to grow and progress our company forward. I’m thrilled with how far we have come digitally, the way we are telling our stories and connecting with our customers and what the future looks like for us in this industry I love. The past couple of years have been so amazing. We've been able to start our own brand, which has exceeded all our expectations, in addition to all of our licenses really thriving and doing so well. I’m excited to take on this new role of continuing to expand our digital footprint and progress us forward, exploring new opportunities, as well as continuing to reduce our carbon footprint as we do all we can to become a more sustainable company. I can’t wait to continue on our path of growth and success with the amazing team at Kenmark.”