Talking Innovation with Jockey President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Fedyk at the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood
There are some days when you hit record and just know you’re capturing something special.
Our live recording at the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood (KIN) with Jockey was one of those moments.
We set up the Experience Milwaukee Podcast Lounge inside this incredible new innovation hub, sunlight pouring in, a crowd of curious minds ready for conversation, and I got to sit down with Mark Fedyk, President and COO of Jockey International. What followed was equal parts hilarious, heartfelt, and wildly inspiring.
It’s not every day you get to talk innovation, underwear, and 150 years of legacy all in one episode.
From the Basement to the Innovation Neighborhood
Before diving in, I took a minute to share a little backstory with the audience. Experience Milwaukee started in my basement in 2018 as a way to tell the stories of this city — its people, its bars, its creativity — and, honestly, to get some free beer along the way. (Mission accomplished.)
Over time, though, Adam and I started sneaking in stories about business, technology, and innovation, because that’s always been part of Milwaukee’s DNA, too.
Now here we were, years later, sitting in one of the most impressive new innovation spaces in Wisconsin, talking to one of the state’s oldest and most iconic brands about how it keeps reinventing itself.
This is the stuff I live for — connecting the human side of creativity, business, and community.
“Hey Mark.” “Hey Steve.”
Adam couldn’t make it to this one (which meant I could take all the good jokes for myself). But I had to keep the tradition alive, so I opened with:
“Hey Mark.”
And he shot back, perfectly timed:
“Hey Steve.”
Then, right out of the gate — “Boxers or briefs?”
The crowd erupted. The ice was officially broken.
Innovation: Routine, Disruptive, Radical
I’ve talked to a lot of leaders over the years, but Mark brought something to the table that genuinely surprised me.
When I asked how Jockey — a nearly 150-year-old company — manages to stay innovative, he didn’t hesitate.
“First, we define innovation,” he said. “For us, it’s taking an idea and turning it into a product or solution that has purpose. And we think about it in three ways: routine, disruptive, and radical.”
That last one caught me. Radical innovation? I told him I’d never heard a corporate leader pair those two words before.
He laughed and said, “Maybe we should trademark it.”
What he meant by “radical” wasn’t just wild ideas for the sake of being different, it was about rethinking markets entirely. Taking big swings. Asking what customers don’t even know they want yet.
And the more he talked, the more it clicked for me. Jockey doesn’t just make clothes — it solves problems. It’s been doing that since before any of us were born.
Listening — Really Listening — to Customers
Here’s something else I didn’t know: Jockey still runs its own call center right in the basement of its building. It’s not outsourced. It never has been.
Twenty years ago, that’s where customer insights came from — handwritten notes, daily calls, real people listening to real people. Today, the tools have changed, but the heart of it hasn’t.
Mark described it like this:
“We use data for a few things. To see what’s working. To see what’s not. And to find the white space — the pain points people might not even realize they have.”
That mindset — curiosity mixed with care — is exactly why Jockey continues to lead. They listen closely enough to find the next wave before it breaks.
I joked, “So basically, Jockey’s always listening?”
He smirked. “I don’t think I want to answer that question. Based on legal advice, I’m going to pass.”
The room cracked up.
The Culture Behind the Comfort
What stuck with me most, though, was how Mark talked about culture.
“Innovation isn’t a department,” he said. “It’s a mindset. It’s part of who we are.”
He reminded everyone that Jockey’s founder was an inventor — and that curiosity, that need to make things better, has been baked into the company’s DNA ever since.
It’s easy to imagine an older company getting comfortable, but Jockey’s energy feels more like a startup than a legacy brand. They experiment. They take risks. They listen.
That’s not something you can fake. It’s leadership by example — and it’s contagious.
People First, Always
We talked a lot about how innovation can sound like this big abstract concept — all technology and buzzwords — but at its core, it’s always about people.
Mark said something that really resonated with me: “You can have all the tech in the world, but if your culture doesn’t support curiosity and experimentation, you’re not going anywhere.”
That’s a lesson for all of us — whether you’re running a century-old company or just starting something new.
And honestly, it’s what makes conversations like this so important. Behind every great brand or big idea, there’s a story about people daring to try something different.
The Perfect Place for the Conversation
Hosting this episode at the KIN made the whole experience even more powerful.
If you haven’t been there yet, it’s stunning, a high-rise innovation center that’s as much about connection as it is about technology. Entrepreneurs, educators, and companies all working under one roof, building something bigger than themselves.
As I turned the corner and saw the building that morning, I thought, This is exactly what southeastern Wisconsin needs: a place where collaboration lives and breathes.
It’s why we do what we do at Experience Milwaukee. The stories we share are proof that the region’s innovation ecosystem is alive and growing.
Lessons from a 150-Year-Old Startup
By the end of the conversation, I couldn’t help but think: Jockey is basically a 150-year-old startup.
It’s constantly learning, evolving, and finding new ways to make life better, for customers, employees, and the community.
And it does all of that while staying rooted in the same values that made it successful in the first place.
As Mark put it, “Innovation is how we honor our past and create our future.”
That line hit me hard. Because it’s not just true for Jockey — it’s true for Milwaukee, Kenosha, and every local company trying to build something lasting.
Why This Conversation Mattered
When we hit stop on the recording, I just sat there for a minute.
We’d laughed a ton. We’d geeked out about innovation and customer data. But underneath it all was something deeper, a reminder that the best ideas start with listening, empathy, and purpose.
This episode wasn’t just about Jockey or business strategy. It was about mindset. About staying curious. About leading with heart even when your company’s been around for a century and a half.
And for me, it was also about gratitude — for being able to share these stories, to sit across from people who are building the future of Wisconsin in real time, and to remind everyone that innovation doesn’t have to look like Silicon Valley.
Sometimes it looks like Kenosha. Sometimes it looks like a family-owned company still daring to dream. And sometimes it looks like a podcast mic in the middle of an innovation center surrounded by laughter, curiosity, and pride.
If this conversation taught me anything, it’s that innovation is alive and well in Wisconsin — and it starts with the people who believe in what’s possible.
So here’s to that mindset, to Jockey, to KIN, and to everyone pushing this region forward.
Because we’re not just telling stories anymore. We’re building them.