An Interview with Howard Somberg, Chairman of the Board of Rothco, and Scott Sincerbeaux the new Chief Executive Officer.

 

Tell us about the history of your company. 

 

Somberg: Rothco was formed in 1953 but the roots go back to the early 1900s when my great great grandfather came over from Russia and started selling used clothing in a wheel barrel in the streets of Brooklyn, NY. After World War II, a tremendous amount of surplus entered the market and my father Milton Somberg, saw an opportunity to market and resell those surplus items; from there we went on to develop our own line of clothing and gear. 

My father created the foundation for Rothco as we know it today by instilling core values that have become part of our company’s DNA. We work hard every day to ensure that our customers can rely on us for quality products delivered with an unmatched level of great service. The philosophy that defines us extends beyond simply meeting customer expectations: it means we value our customers and approach them as partners. 

Rothco is celebrating our 70th Anniversary in 2023.

 

What do you feel has contributed most to Rothco’s success over the years?

Somberg: The success of Rothco is the people who work and have worked for Rothco. I am incredibly proud of the current 170 people who work at Rothco. I consider everyone that works for Rothco as family. We’ve seen multi-generational families work at Rothco and people spend their entire professional careers here.

I myself was lucky enough to work alongside my father for so many years and I am blessed to have my son-in-law Dennis Hopper working beside me for over the past decade, who is now our Chief Operating Officer. Seeing everyone come together and work towards something great is genuinely remarkable.

Sincerbeaux: Rothco has a long history of providing the most outstanding service in our industry. From over 18 months of supply of inventory, 98% in-stock rate and lightning-fast order processing, our customers know that Rothco will be there to provide the highest quality product when they need it most. With top customer service from our long-time staff. 

 

Howard, when did you begin the search for a new CEO? 

When I reached the wonderful milestone of 70 years young, I realized it was time to pass the baton over to new leadership. I wanted to spend more time with my wife and seven grandchildren. 

I realized that Rothco needed differentiated leadership to continue our legacy and lead our industry. Rothco has been in my family for four generations and it is my hope for my grandchildren to one day continue that legacy. That is why it was important for me not to sell the company but rather find a leader that would propel Rothco into the future. 

 

Howard, What attributes were you looking for in a CEO? 

The company did an exhaustive search for a new leader, which took over a year. After significant due diligence, I was excited to offer Scott Sincerbeaux the position.  I was very happy when he agreed, as he embodied the key attributes and values, we sought in a leader. Scott had the experience of being a CEO at a much larger company with broader business segments and capabilities. More importantly, Scott quickly embraced Rothco employees, my family, and our philanthropic principles.  

 

Scott, what interested you about taking over the role as CEO of Rothco?

Their roster of long-term customers and impressive catalog showed a strong foundation. With over 30 years in executive level management, I was looking for a company with a strong history that I could help lead to the next level. It was the company’s heritage, the Somberg family, the loyal employees that really grabbed my attention. Howard, was looking for somebody who could carry on the Somberg family legacy and values. A leader that would continue the company’s continuity that has been created over four generations. Howard and I are Lock Step in what we both want for this company.  

 

What are the next steps for Rothco? 

Howard: I am very excited about the future of Rothco as I have given the reign over to Scott Sincerbeaux. He has embraced the Rothco spirit by continuing the values I feel are important for Rothco. He comes with tremendous knowledge and experience as a leader of people and has enthusiastically continued the importance of treating our customers and our employees with respect.

The future is bright at Rothco! We have a well-established customer base that we will continue to respect, and we want our partners to continue succeeding with Rothco. we are developing new products in new categories to advance their business further. One thing is for sure, Rothco will always be a Somberg-owned entity and I am in continuous communication with Scott Sincerbeaux our new CEO, and the executive leadership team.

Sincerbeaux: Our customers can expect the continued level of quality and customer service from Rothco. We study trends in tactical clothing, fashion, colors etc. In the near future we will be focused on getting back to our core brand and audience while we continue to expand more into the Workwear and Outdoor arena. The Rothco BDU pant, is an iconic item, for example. We will be focusing more on our core colors and designs that our customers have come to depend on.

What would you like for Rothco’s long-time customers to know about the future direction of the company?

Somberg: The future is bright, Rothco will always remain a Somberg-run business. I want to thank our loyal partners, some of whom have been with us since the beginning and I want to assure them that Rothco will continue to be a relied upon and trusted resource and continue further enhancing their business as the years go on.

 

Sincerbeaux: We look forward to getting back to our core, while continuing to adapt and expand with the industry. We plan to continue to grow and nourish our long-term partnerships with our dealers and provide them with outstanding customer service and amazing product offering. We are happy to celebrate our 70th Anniversary with our customers this year. Many of our dealers have been with Rothco since day one. We appreciate the partnership with each of our dealers and we are committed to helping our dealers grow in the years to come.

 

Rothco
3015 Veterans Memorial Hwy
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
800-645-5195
Kristy Dineen, kristy.dineen@rothco.com
www.rothco.com