New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.

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Type	Privately held company
Industry	Footwear
Founded	1906 as New Balance Arch Support Company
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Key people	William J. Riley, founder Jim Davis, Chairman Robert T. DeMartini, CEO & President John Withee, Exec. Vice President and CFO
Products	Athletic shoes, shoes, apparel
Revenue	US$1.55 billion (2006)[1]
Employees	4,180 worldwide (October 2008)[1]
Website	newbalance.com

New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. (NBAS), best known as simply New Balance, is an American footwear manufacturer based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America. It was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch Support Company. Eschewing expensive advertising campaigns, it has, nevertheless, grown to be one of the largest makers of sports footwear in the world.

New Balance has continued to maintain a manufacturing presence in the United States as well as in the United Kingdom for the European market, where they produce some of their popular models such as the 990 model, in contrast to its competitors in the same market space who do not manufacture in the USA or UK. The result of this is that New Balance shoes tend to be more expensive than those of many other manufacturers. To offset this pricing difference, New Balance claims to differentiate their products with technical features, such as a blend of gel inserts, heel counters, and a greater selection of sizes, particularly for very narrow and/or very wide widths.

History[link]

In 1906, William J. Riley, a 33-year old British emigrant, founded the New Balance Arch Support Company manufacturing arch supports and other accessories designed to improve shoe fit in Boston, Massachusetts. His first product, a flexible arch support, was designed with three support points (a triangle) to provide greater balance and comfort in the shoe. It is believed that Riley came up with the name "New Balance" by observing chickens in his yard and demonstrated the way his arch supports worked by keeping a chicken foot on his office desk. He explained to customers that the chicken's three-clawed foot resulted in perfect balance. In 1927, Riley hired Arthur Hall to be a salesman. In 1934, Hall became a business partner and found his niche by marketing to people whose jobs required them to spend much time standing.^[2] In 1956, Hall sold the business to his daughter Eleanor and her husband Paul Kidd.

Eleanor and Paul Kidd continued to sell mainly arch supports until 1960, when they designed and manufactured the "Trackster," the world's first running shoe made with a ripple sole. It was also the first running shoe to come in varying widths. The "Trackster" was given a big boost through the YMCA programs in which it became the unofficial shoe. College track teams such as MIT, Tufts University and Boston University adopted the New Balance Trackster for their cross-country teams, soon to be followed by other colleges and private high schools around the country.^[2]

Marketing was mostly word-of-mouth or local sports fairs. Sales languished until 1972 when current Chairman Jim Davis bought the company on the day of the Boston Marathon. At the time, the company consisted of just six people making 30 pairs of shoes daily and selling products mostly through mail-order with a few U.S. retailers. Jim committed himself to uphold the company's traditional commitment to individual preferences, customer service and quality products. His future wife Anne, who joined the company in 1978, focused on building a distinct culture for New Balance employees and customers. Their timing was perfect, as the Boston area became a center for the running boom that struck the U.S. in the 1970s. Their product line expanded and sales grew rapidly. The company prospered, and the Davises looked to expand New Balance into a global company. The company is now run by Rob DeMartini. DeMartini's background includes Procter & Gamble and Gillette Shave Company. Today, 30% of the New Balance shoes sold in the European market are manufactured at the New Balance facility in England.

Shoes[link]

A New Balance running shoe

New Balance headquarters

New Balance is one of few shoe manufacturers to offer the majority of its shoes in a wide range of widths, typically men's range from B to 6E with 3 other widths in between (D, 2E, 4E) and one narrower offering (2A). Women's range from 4A to 4E with four widths to choose from in between (2A, B, D, 2E).

New Balance does not give names to the shoes it sells, instead referring to them by a 2, 3, or 4 digit model number. This is done to "place an emphasis on the New Balance philosophy, not any one particular shoe".^[3] When a shoe is redesigned, the model number is increased by one. The numbering system originated from the price. The Tracker 320 was $32, the 990 was $99, etc. However, now the model number reflects the category of the shoe such as stability, neutral, lightweight, and motion control. The numbering system allows customers to identify which shoes are in the categories that best fit their needs.

Made in USA (and UK) stance[link]

New Balance is one of several shoe companies that makes some of their products in the United States. Green America states in the New Balance Responsible Shopper company information page that around one quarter of NB's shoes are made in the United States.^[4] New Balance owns six factories in the United States: two in Massachusetts (Boston and Lawrence), three in Maine (Norridgewock, Skowhegan, and Norway), and one in California. ^[5][6]

In 1994, New Balance manufactured 70% of its shoes in the United States.^[7] In 2006, New Balance stated on it's customer help site that "approximately 25% of the New Balance shoes sold in North America are Made in the USA and we will continue domestic manufacturing." ^[8] According to Fortune Magazine in 2006, "about 70 percent of its shoes are now made in China and the other 5 percent in Vietnam." ^[9]

The New Balance production facility in the United Kingdom has been, since 1982, at Flimby, Cumbria in North West England, where 28,000 pairs of shoes are produced each week.

Toning footwear[link]

A class action lawsuit against New Balance filed in 2011 alleges that the company's toning footwear touts unproven benefits. In support of its claim of false advertising, it cites a University of Wisconsin – La Crosse research study on Toning Shoes that has been funded and published by the American Council on Exercise.^[10]

Researchers reported that there were no “statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation” as a result of wearing the Toning Shoes. There was no statistically significant difference between participants wearing special "Toning shoes" and controls wearing normal sneakers. The researchers concluded that there is "simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone.” However, it was noted that “These shoes may be encouraging a fair number of people who probably wouldn’t put on a normal pair of walking shoes and go out and walk." ^[11]

Sponsorships[link]

A member key for the New Balance Hubway system in Boston.

New Balance is the apparel partner for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League. It also has one endorsement deal in the NBA with Matt Bonner of the San Antonio Spurs. New Balance also sponsors the Boston Cannons major league lacrosse team (MLL). New Balance is also the primary sponsor of Boston's bike share system, the New Balance Hubway.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Sneakerset.com sneakerpedia
• FTC "Complying with the Made In the USA Standard" site
• Info on New Balance UK manufacturing

Anton Krupicka

Personal information
Nickname(s)	Tony
Born	(1983-08-08) August 8, 1983 (age 28) Nebraska
Website	http://antonkrupicka.blogspot.com/
Sport
Country	United States
Event(s)	Ultramarathon
Team	New Balance
Turned pro	2006
Coached by	Self

Anton Krupicka is an American ultra-runner. He has won the Leadville 100 twice,^[1] the Miwok 100K,^[2] the Rocky Raccoon 100 Miler,^[3] the Collegiate Peaks 50 Miler, the White River 50 Miler twice (Set 2010 CR 6:25:29),^[4] the High Mountain 50k and the Estes Park Marathon. He also came in second in the Western States Endurance Run in 2010 in what would have been a course record time of 15:13:53.^[5]

Training and personal life[link]

Krupicka is known for his long hair and beard as well as his minimalist approach. He often runs without a shirt and with very lightweight minimal running shoes. He ran his first marathon when he was twelve. During college and in his early 20s he often ran upwards of 200 miles a week. Krupicka is featured in the film Indulgence: 1000 Miles Under The Colorado Sky^[6] which chronicles his Summer 2007 training leading up to the Leadville Trail 100.

Krupicka is a graduate student at the University of Colorado. He is pursuing a MA in geography, focused on alpine/mountain watersheds and acid mine drainage.^[7] Krupicka earned his BA from Colorado College^[8] in 2005, double-majoring in physics and philosophy. In 2006, he completed a second BA at Colorado College in geology.

External links[link]

• Anton's Blog
• Running Times Blog
• Feature on Anton in Competitor Magazine
• "How Krupicka Raced the Western States 100" Running Times
• Outdoor Ambassador's Profile
• Backcountry Runner Profile

Notes[link]