BRS 2021
Profiles of all of the winners of the 2021 Best Running Stores. 1ST PLACE SPORTS
A RUNNER’S MIND
Five locations in the Jacksonville, FL, metro area: Baymeadows, Jacksonville Beach, St. Johns, San Marco, Tapestry Park www.1stplacesports.com Key Personnel: Doug and Jane Alred, Owners; Brian Doyle, Director of Operations; Stephen Cox, Chris McCaffrey, Paige Pohler, Becca Kerr, Kelly Parete — Managers History: 1st Place Sports was started as a single door in 1978 and has since expanded to five locations. There is also an event side of the business that produces about 75 races annually, handled by Doug Alred, Stuart Toomey, Ryann Lohman and Tony Costanza. In Their Words: “Our staff makes our stores unique. We are all part of a close-knit group and everyone feels like family. We have several employees who have been with 1st Place Sports for 12 to 28 years.” What the Award Means to Them: “Receiving the award is quite exciting to the staff. Last year when we won Store of the Year with all our staff together to hear the announcement was the highlight of our year. So much excitement and pride was expressed that night and continues to this day.”
Three stores in the California Bay Area: San Francisco, Burlingame, Los Altos • www.arunnersmind.com Key Personnel: Monte Keleher, Owner; Eileen Urtz, GM; Nick Kovaleski, Director of Operations; Derek Wun, Footwear Buyer; Carlos Guerra, Neal Klein, Chance Kinney, Morgan Meade, Store Managers; Sebastian Lizard, ARM Mascot History: Founded in 2010 in Burlingame, opened in San Francisco in 2013 and in Los Altos in 2017. In Their Words: “From our youngest part-time team member to our most seasoned leader, everyone works the sales floor together, collectively striving to be the best running store in all the land. Our motto, ‘Movement is Life,’ drives everything we do and fuels our desire to be better every single day. We bring our best selves to the job, but also our most fun selves. Laughter powers us through everything we do — in the back stock rooms, on the sales floor and out on our runs. We love what we do and we bring that sense of fun to our community.” What the Award Means to Them: “We are incredibly honored to receive this award, especially since it started with being nominated by our running community. At ARM we are driven by our passion to help people move and exercise in order to live out their best lives. Running is what draws the ARM team together and providing the absolute best experience for our
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