Top Nike and Adidas Executives Join Portland's $125M 'Made in Old Town' Project

Portland, Oregon’s ambitious effort to reinvigorate U.S. footwear manufacturing just scored a big win. Former Adidas Brand President Eric Liedtke and ex-Nike Chief Sustainability Officer Noel Kinder are officially on board with the $125-million "Made in Old Town" initiative.

Liedtke, who led Adidas' Futurecraft program, has been at the forefront of circular sourcing and material innovation. His work with Germany and U.S.-based "Speedfactories" pushed the envelope in automated, localized manufacturing and made significant strides in reducing ocean plastics.

Kinder, during his time at Nike, drove the brand’s top-tier environmental commitments. “The conventional model for global supply chains needs to be transformed,” he noted. “Footwear manufacturing is ready for disruption, and I believe Made in Old Town has an important role to play in shaping the future by enabling R&D and cross-industry collaboration.”

This first-of-its-kind project aims to revamp nine buildings across four blocks in Portland's Old Town, turning them into a sustainable footwear and sportswear production hub. The 323,000-square-foot campus will feature a mix of advanced manufacturing facilities, retail spaces, logistics, and housing. Major players like NTX, an Asian textile supplier partnering with the University of Oregon on a new facility, and 3D-printing pioneer HILOS are already on board. Dozens of small businesses, from creative brands to tier-two suppliers, will also join the space.

The Footwear & Apparel Manufacturing Innovation Hub (FAMI), the campus' flagship facility, is set to open this fall alongside two other buildings. FAMI aims to attract manufacturers to Portland by offering their R&D teams access to the region’s ecosystem of brands and talent, industry and community events, workforce training, and academic partnerships with institutions like the University of Oregon.

Ellen Schmidt-Devlin, co-founder and executive director of the U of O Sports Product Management Program, highlighted the hub’s potential as a resource for students and new graduates seeking internships and jobs. With manufacturers setting up shop nearby and hundreds of Oregon-based brands in the vicinity, opportunities are expected to abound.

The Made in Old Town project is overseen by the Perpetual Purpose Trust Stewardship Committee, which ensures the initiative’s assets are directed towards equitable neighborhood development and sustainable manufacturing innovation. Liedtke and Kinder will join this committee alongside HILOS CEO Elias Stahl.

“This is an incredibly unique moment for the industry and for the city,” Stahl said. “An entire generation of industry pioneers that built the brands we love are now focused on the future of not just one brand but the whole industry and the city they love. This opportunity comes along once in a lifetime, and we intend to seize it.”

Kinder echoed this sentiment, stating, “The industry is taking an important step towards a more sustainable future, and Portland is where that innovation will happen.”