Talk:Finish Line, Inc./Archives/2013

Fair use rationale for Image:Logo-finishline.gif

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BetacommandBot 01:45, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

Finish Line and Genesco merger was not concluded

I am not experienced with Wikipedia, but the information in the summary of the main article is incorrect. The Finish Line and Genesco merger was scuttled with a settlement dated March, 3rd, 2009.

I do not know what the proper protocol is in editing the main page, nor do I know what a fully public domain reference source might be regarding this information.

Contributions/209.43.1.25 (talk) 12:56, 15 June 2009 (UTC) Tad Alper, 6.15.2009

Why...

Does "Finish Line", an ordinary expression used in a number of contexts, direct to this corporation? Hakluyt bean (talk) 18:05, 8 July 2009 (UTC)

Updated/corrected company information

From Finish Line's corporate history page (http://www.finishline.com/store/corporate_info/history.jsp):

Finish Line, Inc. (NASDAQ: FINL) is the second largest athletic retailer based in the United States, with international headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company, founded in 1976 by Alan Cohen, David Klapper and John Domont, operates over 600 stores in 48 states and online at www.finishline.com under the Finish Line name.

History

Finish Line's roots began in 1976, when three friends wanted to create a store with the latest and greatest styles of athletic footwear. Alan Cohen, David Klapper and John Domont-all runners themselves-came up with a concept to bring athletic footwear to Indianapolis. However, they quickly discovered their idea already existed in the form of The Athlete's Foot (TAF). The threesome decided to purchase the franchise rights for TAF in the state of Indiana and the greater Louisville, Kentucky area. They opened the doors of TAF in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana in 1976.

In the beginning, Cohen practiced law and was involved on a part-time basis; Domont was a silent partner while Klapper ran the day to day business. By 1981, Cohen left his law practice and came into the business full-time. They had opened 12 TAF stores in Indiana and Louisville, but they wanted to continue to grow the business. However, all of TAF franchise rights had been sold by that time. Fortunately, there was no provision in their agreement as a TAF franchisee that prevented the threesome from opening a competing concept. That's how Finish Line was born.

Early in 1982, Cohen, Klapper and Domont asked two others to join them as they expanded their business. Larry Sablosky, a friend from Indianapolis with a background in retail, along with Dave Fagin, their Puma sales rep at the time, both signed on as partners. The five owners opened their first Finish Line store on July 2, 1982.

As the line between the two concepts began to blur, the franchise rights for TAF expired. In 1986, all TAF stores were converted to Finish Line stores. By 1991, the company had grown to 105 stores located primarily in Midwestern and Southeastern states with annual sales of nearly $100 million. In order to expand Finish Line's presence nationally and to eliminate some of the personal financial risk, Cohen, Klapper, Sablosky and Fagin took the company public in 1992 (Domont opted to be bought out before the public offering).

In 1996, the company had grown to 220 stores and $300 million in sales, and Finish Line made two secondary public offerings. At this time, Fagin elected to retire. While the three remaining founders continued to concentrate on store growth, they also began to focus on the online channel. In July of 1999, www.finishline.com recorded its first sales with the online business doubling each year until 2004. At the end of Fiscal Year 2004, Finish Line had over 500 stores and just under one billion dollars in sales. It would be another year before Finish Line hit the billion-dollar milestone for the first time.

Cohen, Klapper and Sablosky continued to find new ways to grow their company. In January 2005, The Finish Line, Inc. acquired Man Alive, a regional men's and women's street fashion apparel chain with 37 stores in nine states.

The Finish Line continued to grow, adding new stores across the United States in 2006, 2007 and 2008. In 2008, the company appointed Glenn Lyon, chief executive officer (CEO) and Steve Schneider as the Finish Line’s president and chief operating officer. Alan Cohen, former CEO retired from the business. Under the leadership of Lyon, Schneider and a seasoned management team, the Finish Line has continued to operate the business in the prudent manner established by the company’s founders. By 2009, the Finish Line operated more than 700 retail stores. Changing fashion preferences and adjustments to the company’s strategy also lead the Finish Line to exit the Man Alive business in 2009.

In 2010, former chairman Alan Cohen retired from Finish Line's Board of Directors. Lyon assumed the role of Chairman while maintaining his position as the company's Chief Executive Officer. Sam Sato, formerly the company’s Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer, was promoted to President and Chief Merchandising Officer. Sato, along with Schneider, began managing the company’s day-to-day operations while Lyon sharpened his focus on the long-term growth of the business. Jds23 (talk) 21:18, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

Please add to end of timeline

also from Finish Line's history page...

2010 - Glenn Lyon Appointed Chairman / Former Chairman Alan Cohen retires from Board / Sam Sato appointed President and Chief Merchandising Officer. Jds23 (talk) 22:34, 10 March 2011 (UTC)

Youth Foundation

In 1998, the founders of Finish Line formed the Finish Line Youth Foundation (FLYF). The Youth Foundation is a philanthropic outlet for Finish Line, to help build a sense of legacy for all Finish Line employees, past and present. Through the years FLYF has greatly evolved by fine tuning its mission and expanding its grant making capabilities. From camps for children with special needs to community centers for children in disadvantaged neighborhoods, the FLYF has made a real difference for young people in the communities we serve.

FLYF has initiated two major annual fund raising events to help raise funds that in turn are used to award grants to qualifying not-for-profit organizations across the country. Each year, FLYF conducts a holiday fundraising drive that takes place in all Finish Line stores and online at finishline.com. To date, this event has raised more than $7 million - a true testament to the generosity of our customers. In addition, the FLYF hosts an annual golf outing. The event, which was initiated in 2002, has helped raise more than $1 million. Through the past twelve years, FLYF has granted over $4.5 million to not-for-profit organizations that support the FLYF mission.

Historically, the FLYF board of directors has been composed of leaders of the Finish Line corporation who have all helped to guide both the fund raising efforts, as well as the Foundation's grantmaking efforts. In February 2010, FLYF elected its first two outside directors, both highly seasoned foundation executives from the central Indiana community, to the Board of Directors. The FLYF board continues to strive to provide a sense of legacy for Finish Line, and through the years, hopes to become completely self-sustained as the organization works to continue carrying out its mission. Jds23 (talk) 22:49, 10 March 2011 (UTC)