News
Customized shoes put spring in their step A keen eye for innovation, complementary talents and a shift in footwear trends — is that a recipe for business success? Mark Springer and Tyler Springer hope so. Although unrelated, the two Goshen College business seniors took their same last name as a sign to combine their talents in Springer Design, Inc., a custom shoe and apparel design company. They were aided by a $5,000 entrepreneurship grant from the college’s Entrepreneurship Learning Center, which encourages students to start businesses and aims to keep Indiana college graduates in the state. Over lunch one day the two young men discovered they had similar aspirations and complementary interests. Mark, from Stanford, Ill.,
The Marketplace May June 2008
Personalized fashion templates: Tyler Springer (left) and Mark Springer had hoped to start his own design business but wasn’t as comfortable with the management and sales responsibilities. Tyler, a native of Carlisle, Pa., had plans to start his own screen‑printing and embroidery business but the artwork side
was a deterrent. “We complement each other extremely well,” says Tyler. “Mark is incredibly gifted artistically and has a keen eye for design, while I am very managerial minded.” After teaming up, they set to work devising a business plan. This included going to national trade shows, contacting distributors and talking with dozens of people in the industry. Their research revealed an emerging market for distinctive, individualized footwear among buyers who are not content with someone else’s fashion template. “We allow our customers to come up with their own design or we can come up with one for them,” says Tyler. They see themselves as on the leading edge of a shifting market. A few other businesses sell customized shoes of comparable quality, but at a price of hundreds of dollars. “That is why you will only see celebrities wearing them,” says Tyler. “We price our shoes much lower so that everyone is able to have shoes customized 22
by Springer Design.” He says this is made possible by an innovative production system that allows for quick turnaround time as they produce everyday walking shoes and athletic shoes for the 30-and-under crowd. Springer Design also creates logos for businesses and bands and does screen‑printing and embroidery for corporations, schools and teams. Community involvement has helped their business grow. Tyler coaches fifth and sixth grade boys basketball and Mark has helped coach baseball camps. “We want to play a proactive role in our community,” says Tyler. “While it is our job to sell decorated apparel, we feel that it is our duty to make a positive impact in the communities we sell that apparel in.” The Entrepreneurship Learning Center, through the Lilly Endowment, Inc., provides services for student entrepreneurs and business owners and offers grants up to $5,000 to start and run a business or nonprofit organization. So far, seven Goshen College students have received such grants. — Emily Dougherty, Goshen News Service
A gift of reading Know any young people starting out in business? Consider sending them a gift subscription to The Marketplace. Only $25 a year. Contact subscription@meda.org
