Brooks Running CEO Jim Weber to step down

The longtime CEO of Berkshire Hathaway’s Brooks Running, Jim Weber, is stepping down after more than 20 years in the top job, the company will announce Tuesday. 

Brooks veteran Dan Sheridan, who started at the running company in a marketing role in 1998 and worked his way up to chief operating officer and president, will take over on April 26. 

Weber, who brought Brooks back from the brink of bankruptcy, steered it through four different owners and built it into a $1 billion-plus brand, told CNBC he’s sad to step down and leave what he called the “best job in the world.” But after he recovered from cancer several years ago, he said he is looking to “dial back” and find more balance in his life.

“I’m super proud of what we built. I’ve been CEO for 23 years and if I add two years in front of that as a board member, it’s been 25 years so it’s just been such a great run,” Weber said in an interview. “We’ve got a company that’s achieved a lot and has incredible opportunity looking ahead. We’ve got momentum right now.” 

Sheridan is inheriting what he called a thriving business. He has taken on a bigger role in building it in the last few years as Weber prepared him to take over.

Last year, Brooks hit $1.2 billion in sales, a more than 5% increase globally. Much of that growth came in North America, where the company takes in about 80% of its total revenue.

Looking ahead, Sheridan has his eyes on global expansion and building out Brooks’ product offering. That includes plans to build the first Brooks Running store in China, an “absolute growth market” for the brand, according to Sheridan. He said the company also aims to expand direct sales in the U.S. and grow wholesale partnerships in Europe.

“I’m lucky because not many new CEOs get to step in and inherit what I would call a sound business, a sound culture and a sound brand, and the strength that we have is pretty unique,” said Sheridan. “So I don’t have a…