Nike

He just did it
ABJ spotlights Oregon’s biggest mover and shaker of them all. Read on to find out how the co-founder and chairman of Nike, best known for its ‘Just Do It’ campaign, got started.

From the beginning, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman’s goal was always to serve the athlete. “When we started Nike around a track in Eugene, Oregon, our goal was simple. Nike came into being to improve athletic performance at every level. We believed then that our mission was to help athletes enjoy sports more and get injured less,” Knight told George Media in a statement.

Nike’s deep alliance to the athlete was and is still felt through every message, every innovation and every product. As the legendary University of Oregon track coach, Bowerman’s most influential innovations stemmed from his obsession with creating lightweight, better performing running shoes for his athletes, including miler Phil Knight, who ran for the University of Oregon as an undergraduate.

A partnership was solidified in 1964, when Bowerman and Knight agreed over a handshake to each pledge $500 to fund an athletic footwear distribution company named Blue Ribbon Sports, the forerunner of Nike. Knight, having just graduated from Stanford Business School, managed all business aspects of the deal and Bowerman focused on experimenting with improvements in athletic footwear design.  Together, Knight and Bowerman built Nike with a great sense of entrepreneurship and innovation continues to be the cornerstone of the company today.

About Phil Knight

Known for his superior branding that turned athletic gear into fashion, the Stanford business grad wrote a shoe company business plan that became a reality, according to Entrepreneur.  A few years later, he and his business partner started making their own shoes. Celebrity athlete endorsements, plus steady innovation in the shoes’ look and performance, propelled Nike to the top. Knight left the CEO job in 2004 but remains on the board as chairman.

Founded on January 25, 1964
Key people: Philip Knight, chairman, William Bowerman, co-founder and innovator
Headquartered in Washington County, Oregon near Beaverton
Areas served: Worldwide
Most recognized for: “Just Do It” and its Swoosh logo
Product line: athletic shoes, sportswear, equipment and accessories
Revenue: U.S. $ 19.2 billion (2009)
Head count: 30,200 employees (2008)
Celeb endorsements include: Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Spike Lee and Michael Jordan

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