by The Shoe AddictsRob De Martini is the CEO and President of New Balance Athletic Shoes. We first met him at the Falmouth Road Race in 2009, after NB began to sponsor the event.
Rob De Martini, photo courtesy of IndustryWeek.com
Updated video with official NB logo, February 5, 2017.
Interesting points from New Balance’s Rob De Martini. As the brand fires on all cylinders, due to a major refocus eight years ago, with consistent strong product, recent long term sports marketing programs with New York Road Runners, and athletes that are truly brand assets. New Balance is the largest privately held running footwear brand in our business. It will be fascinating to see how NB, and other brands steer their futures in the tumultuous year that appears to be 2017. (updated February 5, 2017)
We met with Mr. De Martini after the presser for the NYRR Run Center and the NB Run Hub. De Martini is at the helm of the largest privately held running performance footwear company in the world (January 11, 2017). And New Balance is at the top of their game. They are making consistently fine product, serving their retailers and their recent long term sponsorship of the NYRR shows that old school is the best school.
The sponsorship of the New York Road Runners by New Balance has gone farther than any sponsors of the past. First, all NYRR running events are sponsored by New Balance, including the TCS NYC Marathon. Secondly, the Run Hub in the NYRR Run Center is a living shoe lab. They can see what the kids of NYC like, and what runners from around the world want. Thirdly, the NYRR RunCenter provides a fantastic meeting place for runners of all ages.
The following interview was done on January 11, 2017 by the Shoe Addicts. We thank Rob De Martini for his time and insights. As always, we thank Mary Lawton for providing access to the NB team.
