Tom Raynor, Fleet Feet

Tom Raynor was a pretty good professional athlete in the ‘80s with 10Ks somewhere in the 28-minute range. From fleet feet to Fleet Feet – in 1993, he purchased Fleet Feet Inc. He became the ultimate running retail coach. According to the July 2003 issue of Footwear News, he transformed what was a team of underperforming running specialty shops into an all-star lineup. In 1993, the average franchise store in the 27-year-old, 37-unit company was pulling in only $260,000 a year. As president and CEO, he spent his first four years reorganizing and revamping 20 of the original stores. By 2003, there were 48 stores located in 22 states, and the average sales per store are $756,000. Today, there are about 75 stores in 34 states and Fleet Feet is clearly the leading brand in running specialty retail.

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