Today, Xenith is at the top of its game. The company designs and manufactures innovative football helmets, shoulder pads, and other protective gear, building itself into an industry-leading brand — one whose mission is to support the athlete’s pursuit in training, playing, and living. As Xenith’s director of technology Jonathon Pop put it, “Everything is athlete-centric for us.”
To reach this point, however, the company had to be willing to take some major risks. In 2015, Xenith moved its operations from Massachusetts to Detroit, Michigan, and in 2017 completely overhauled its business model, transitioning away from its B2B distribution approach. “We decided we were going to take our destiny into our own hands and become a direct-to-consumer seller,” Pop said.