Joe Foster

Joseph William Foster is the co-founder of Reebok. The company was established in Bolton in 1958 by Joe and his late brother, Jeff, continuing the family tradition of manufacturing footwear for athletes. Indeed, Joe’s grandfather was the pioneer of the spiked running shoe. Under Joe and his brother, Reebok managed to grow from a family business in the North West to one of the most recognisable sports brands in the world. Joe is now retired. His book, Shoemaker, can be pre-ordered online, and a signed copy can be requested from www.jwfosterheritage.com

1. Please can you describe the position of Reebok when you established the company in 1958 and contrast this to its size when you retired? 

My grandfather, also named Joe, had founded J W Foster in 1900, having made his first pair of spiked running shoes when 15 in 1895. My father, James, and Uncle Bill continued his business after his death in 1933, but without the ambition of their father.

The frustration caused by this lack of ambition led Jeff and I to leave the family business and set up our own company. With very little money, renting an old building and possessing the minimum of machinery, the two of us set out to make sports footwear with some part-time family help. Growth was steady and many challenges came our way as our small, but respected, brand became visible to the giants of the sports business.

By the time I retired towards the end of 1989, Reebok had become the #1 sports brand, having a revenue of over $3.5 billion.  

2. How did the global expansion of Reebok come about?
  
Reebok’s heritage was Track & Field, but Road Running was starting to grow in the USA and I saw this as the opportunity we needed to enter a volume market. My first visit to America was in 1968 to the National Sporting Goods Show in Chicago, where I learned the only way to succeed was to set up or find a distributor in the USA. After at least six different attempts to work with various distributors, it was 1979 before I met Paul Fireman. With our new Runners World 5-Star rated Aztec shoe, Paul had a shoe in demand and set about building distribution in the USA. Three years in, with good growth in Running, Angel Martinez, a Reebok tech rep in California, saw an opportunity in the new Aerobics classes attracting women. He suggested a shoe - Freestyle - made from soft leather, which became incredibly successful and drove Reebok global. 

3. What is your proudest achievement?  

Over the years, experiencing both pain and pleasure, it is difficult to pick out one achievement, but I am drawn to designing Aztec, which achieved our first Runners World 5-Star rating, opening the door to the US market.
 
4. How did you overcome any setbacks that may have occurred during Reebok’s journey?
            
Reading my book will probably give the best answer, since there were so many obstacles to be overcome, but I always approached problems head-on by trying to figure out how we could turn them to our advantage. I achieved some remarkable results.
 
5. What do you see as the biggest developments in the sports industry at the moment? 

I have been retired from active participation in the industry for a long time, but it does appear to me that the advancement in photographic techniques to create spectator excitement is playing a big role.
 
6. What advice would you give to those looking to work in the sports industry?  

It’s a great industry to work in, but as with any choice of work, it is essential you do so because it is a passion and you must enjoy what you are doing.