Bert Hand, Former Hartmarx CEO, Dead at 84
Elbert “Bert” Osborne Hand 3rd, the former chief executive officer of Hartmarx Corp., died at home in Spring Island, S.C., on Feb. 25 from complications of pneumonia, according to his daughter Sarah. He was 84.
Hand was born on May 10, 1939, in Scarsdale, N.Y., grew up in Ardsley-on-Hudson, N.Y., and was a graduate of The Hackley School. As a young man, he attended Camps Chewonki and Keewaydin, where he led excursions as a counselor and developed a lifelong appreciation for the outdoors. He was an avid fly fisherman and bird watcher and often spent time with friends and family on the Restigouche and Bonaventure Rivers and Anticosti Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada.
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Hand earned his bachelor’s degree in English literature at Hamilton College, where he later served on the board of trustees and as a mentor to students. He later completed the executive MBA program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business.
Hand began his career in the men’s apparel industry in the early ’60s, working for McGregor Sportswear and Hart Schaffner & Marx in Chicago. He started as a salesman, became a merchandiser, president and, in 1992, was elevated to chairman and CEO of Hart Schaffner & Marx’s successor company, Hartmarx Corp., when then-chief Harvey Weinberg handed over the reins. At the time the corporation had been struggling to pay its debts, maintain its domestic manufacturing and keep its large fleet of retail stores afloat as the tailored clothing industry was under strain as a result of changing consumer demand.
Hartmarx was the leading American manufacturer of tailored clothing at the time with its flagship brands Hart Schaffner & Marx and Hickey Freeman, as well as licensed deals with dozens of labels including Karl Lagerfeld, Tommy Hilfiger, Perry Ellis, Burberry and Brooks Brothers. Despite Hand’s best efforts, the company continued to struggle as the industry shifted toward more casualwear, and despite closing its 200 or so stores and moving more aggressively into the sportswear realm with its Jack Nicklaus and Bobby Jones golf brands, Hartmarx continued to face an uphill battle.
Hand remained CEO of Hartmarx until 2002, when he was succeeded by Homi Patel, the company’s president. He remained chairman for two years. Hartmarx ultimately filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009 and the majority of its assets, including the Hart Schaffer Marx and Hickey Freeman labels, were sold to Authentic Brands Group several years later.
After his retirement Hand started another golf brand, Alister MacKenzie, named after the renowned golf course architect, in 2015. The line continued to be produced until fairly recently, his daughter said.
Hand lived in Chicago for more than 50 years, most of the time in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. He continued his love of sports by sailing on Lake Michigan, golfing at Old Elm and being an active member of the Racquet Club for many decades, where he played and competed in national doubles squash competitions. For the last 25 years, Hand and his wife spent the winters in South Carolina.
Hand served on multiple boards including A.J. Gallagher, Austin Reed U.K. and Terlato Wine Group. A lover of classical music, he was a longtime trustee of Chicago’s Music of the Baroque and The Savannah Music Festival and had an active role in the Rehab Center of Chicago, now the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.
He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Ann McSpadden Hand; his siblings Scott Hand and Kackie St. Clair; his daughters Sarah Hand (Raul Vidal) and Katherine Hand Charlson (Jonathan Charlson), and three grandchildren, Lillian, Whitney and Federico “Ozzie.”
Private family services will be held in Spring Island. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in his honor.
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