David Goodwin used the term “embedded” to describe his position as general counsel for government and military matters at Oakley Inc. in Foothill Ranch.
He helps Oakley Defense—the eyewear and apparel manufacturer’s highly regulated business unit—avoid potential fires instead of coming to the rescue after flames break out.
“That’s what’s exciting and rewarding,” he said. “You can have discussions early on in the process and [make] smart strategic decisions about what types of contracts you’re going to pursue.
“I think sometimes companies that don’t have the benefit of that inside assistance or very close relationship with an outside specialist can end up in situations where they chase deals that they think are going to be great but then [later] realize the cost of all the things they’re going to be required to do for compliance.”
Goodwin—who was one of five attorneys honored at the Business Journal’s sixth annual General Counsel Awards on Nov. 19 at the Hotel Irvine (see related stories on pages 1, 4, 5 and 8)—joined Oakley in 2011 and is one of two attorneys there.
The subsidiary of Italy-based Luxottica Group SPA brings in an estimated $1.5 billion in sales, a portion of which comes from government and military contracts. It created a specialty products line in the 1980s—now called Oakley Standard Issue—that serves needs of the U.S. military, government, law enforcement, and other first responders.
Government
The company jumps through various hoops to compete in the government-contracts space, making sure its performance record is impeccable; being selective about where its supplies or components come from; and knowing who its business partners are.
“They hired me because I think they identified this as a critical area they were focusing on,” Goodwin said of the government and military work, adding that he likes working for a company “where they value, appreciate and are very serious about competing in a complex regulatory environment—because then they see the value of doing all those things the right way, and they see a business value to ensuring compliance and navigating those complicated requirements.”
His expertise includes anti-corruption, sanctions compliance, and export control. He helps Oakley vet prospective business partners, such as distributors, to determine “if we think there is a risk associated with doing business with that particular company.”
“I helped enhance the (anti-corruption) compliance committee that was started specifically for the military team and now has a broader scope for all Oakley business globally,” Goodwin said.
He also analyzes potential supply chains, making sure his team’s contracts abide by U.S. trade agreements and sanctions, since “sometimes you can increase what items we can sell to U.S. government versus other governments depending on where you source certain components.”
The U.S. Department of Defense, in many cases, requires that not only items are not from particular countries, “but everything is from certain other countries,” he said.
Goodwin also provides subject matter expertise on government contracts for Luxottica’s other U.S.-based brands, including LensCrafters and Ray-Ban. For example, he helped Arnette navigate state regulatory requirements to set up a pop-up tattoo parlor at a recent trade show.
Outside work, he serves as vice chair of the Orange County Bar Association’s corporate counsel section and is a member of the advisory board for the business law program at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law.
Education, Experience
He received his law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law and an undergraduate degree in political science from the University of California-San Diego.
Goodwin worked as an associate at the OC office of Greenberg Traurig LLP from 2007 to 2011 after starting out as a law clerk at Dykema Gossett PLLC in Washington, D.C., from 2006 to 2007.
Oakley is more than a job to him.
“It’s very rewarding,” Goodwin said, “and very humbling to be able to work for a company that’s doing a lot of work to help people who are putting themselves in harm’s way.”
