A N OT E T O M Y Y O U N G E R S E L F
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE Sam Spears, president of Ara North America, reflects on a rewarding career filled with travel, adventure, friends, family and a ton of great shoes.
your son is born. That’s when you expand your design horizons into DEAR SAM...You’ve just graduated from the University of Tulsa. athletic apparel at Starter in New Haven, CT. The owner’s son is married You’ve served as host of the school’s TV show, president of your fraternity, to Paula Abdul at the time. Mega-stars from sports and music visit the held many offices in the Student Association and worked at Dillard’s, office! What another fabulous experience. During these years you also Harold’s Fine Apparel & Footwear and the Polo Shop throughout these welcome the birth of your daughter. Life is grand. four fantastic years. And you earned a BA in Marketing. Well done! In 1998, you say yes to a job at Ecco North America as Director of But now what? Branding. Less than a year later, you move to the company’s Denmark Well, I’m writing to tell you about what comes next, and you won’t headquarters, where you continue in marketing. Because you have believe it! It’s a wild and wonderful life ride. And the thread that ties it experience in product development, you’re tasked with developing and together? Shoes! Quite prophetic, since you’ve been saving your tennis launching the Receptor performance collection, including the now legendshoes, even ones with holes in the soles. Those kicks are prized posary Yucatan sports sandal. (If you only had a nickel for every pair sold!) sessions. Mom disagrees, telling you to toss them whenever she comes You’re asked to overhaul the Golf division across your sneaker stash. Kudos for and then to develop Ecco’s revolutionary holding firm, because your love of shoes BIOM project that allows the foot to move pays off: You will go on to a rewarding naturally within the shoes. career in the footwear industry. In 2001, with your kids now of school The journey starts, unexpectedly, after age, you move back to England. During moving to St. Louis for your first postthis time, you’re commuting weekly to college job with Junior Achievement, Denmark but the travel is worth it. Your which recruits local business leaders kids’ schools are like Hogwarts! They soak to teach basics skills to students. After up the fabulous education, quickly growrepeated calls to KangaROOS, the presiing smarter than their years. But you’re dent, Elliott Schwartz, finally agrees not done globetrotting. In January 2009, to meet you. While convincing him to you move to Portland, OR, to become teach a class, you rake up the courage Director of Advanced Concepts for Keen. and ask him for (any) job. You’re hired In late 2009, it’s on to Switzerland as as an Account Supervisor! Not long into Vice President Research, Product and your new gig, your marketing sketches are Where it all began: Sam Spears hard at work at KangaROOS. Marketing for MBT Footwear. In 2013, noticed and you’re asked to make some you return home to Tulsa to become footwear sketches. Before you know it, National Sales Manager for Ariat’s Lifestyle Division. Since 2016, you’ve you’re off to Busan, South Korea, to learn how to mass manufacture served as President of Ara Shoes North America, still residing in Tulsa. shoes and to design simple patterns to make shoemaking less complex. Oh, the places you will live and the adventures you and your family will It’s an amazing education and experience. At age 22, you fall fast in love take! The amazing people you meet are the richest chapters in a truly with the shoe biz—the product, processes, travel and people. Many of wonderful life story. those early coworkers become lifelong industry friends. A life well-lived, of course, involves learning valuable lessons along When KangaROOS is sold the following year, you move on to Pony, the way. Here’s a quick checklist: Love does conquer all. Life is what you in Rutherford, NJ, as Product Manager for cross-training, basketball put into it. And if an Italian shoemaker says, “Un piccolo problema,” and cleated footwear. Designing shoes for pro athletes is a dream job! it’s code for a REALLY HUGE PROBLEM! You even go on a working holiday to Portugal with New York Giants A few more tips: When an opportunity is presented, say YES! Never Super Bowl Champion linebacker Carl Banks. ask anyone to do something that you wouldn’t. And, most importantly, When Pony is acquired by Pentland Group in 1991, you’re asked to move you cannot do any of what you will do by yourself. The ability to make to London and named Vice President Design and Development. Another your ideas a reality depends on the input of so many talented people. amazing experience! You design athletic shoes while, on your days off, Last but not least, always remember where you come from and who visit nearly every castle in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Your you really are: a kid from Tulsa, who, but for the grace of God, excellent travel companion is your future wife, who you will marry in your favorite parents and terrific older siblings, shouldn’t be this fortunate. Living city (London) in 1992. She’s a wonderful woman from your hometown of abroad, working in an industry you adore, performing jobs that are Tulsa, OK, who you met at college. Going on 30 years of marriage, you only limited by your imagination, an amazing family…it is indeed a still feel like you’re on your honeymoon. You’re a lucky man. wonderful life. In 1995, not long after Pentland transfers you to Long Island, NY,
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