Great Escape Lands Tolcher as COO
Los Angeles-based manufacturer Great Escape has hired Bill Tolcher as chief operating officer, filling a position that has been vacant since October, according to Steve Maiman, owner of the childrenswear company and co-owner of Stony Apparel, makers of the Trixxi and Eyeshadow brands. Tolcher was vice president of operations for Los Angeles-based XOXO for five years. He also held the same title at Jalate and Rampage.
Maiman said he was overseeing the operations side of his 16-year-old company, but was interested in Tolcher ’s experience in operations with other junior labels.
“I’ve been in this company for the past 16 years, I don’t have any global experience,” said Maiman. “Bill can take the best of what he’s seen out there and bring it here.”
Tolcher said he has been looking for ways the company can run more efficiently—from large-scale shifts in procedure to small simple changes. For example, Tolcher said he changed the lunch shift in the company’s cutting room to stagger the workers’ lunch breaks to keep the machines always working.
“Machines should not have a lunch break,” said Maiman.
Tolcher also noted he was impressed with the company atmosphere at Great Escape/Stony Apparel.
“It’s like a family business with a corporate mentality,” he said. —Alison A. Nieder
