Client: Strideright Shoes

Good morning, everyone. And I'd just like to say, that I think David was exaggerating just a little bit about the weather at our last meeting. I'll have to talk to him about it...just as soon as I finish digging my car out of that snowbank outside.

I seem to say this every time we get together, but seriously: it is good to see so many familiar faces in the room...our immediate family of the StrideRite children's division, as well as old friends from our retail division, as well as Keds, Sperry, and our corporate Support Groups.

You know, all of us in this room today think of StrideRite as the most successful brand in the industry...a constant fixture of quality, and dependability in a market that seems to change with every new season.

But what I find even more reassuring is our reputation and standing outside this room. At StrideRite, we've spent nearly 70 years building one of the most widely recognized and respected brands in the industry. Consumers know us...they trust us...and they rely on us to produce a product of consistent quality, year after year after year.

But for us to maintain that relationship in the future, we can't let ourselves get complacent. We can't rest on our reputation just because we know we're the best. Today's market and today's consumer is changing...and to maintain our leadership role, we're going to have to do more than follow those changes...we're going to have to lead them.

I'm not talking about a change in product line, or changing our pricing structure. I'm talking about a more fundamental change: a change in attitude...a change in how we approach our business, and how all of us can help find ways to grow our brand.

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