Celebrating 30 years in the community
Rob Reid used to follow his mentor Jerry Gonser out for noon-hour runs while attending the University of Western Ontario and taking a Kinesiology degree and BEd. Little did he know where this new road of running would lead him.
Rob went from zero to marathon, his first training being for the famed Boston marathon - accomplished a sub 2:50 first time out, winning Kalispell Montana and then 5 times in Calgary with times between 2:22 to 2:33. As a result, Rob gained self confidence and decided to share his newfound passion with the world. Having lost his father to a congenital heart condition, Rob was determined to share the benefits of fitness by becoming a sports’ store retailer.
He got his chance in 1982 when he joined John Forzani and they opened The Tech Shop in Calgary where Rob managed the store for 6 years.
By 1988 it was time to go West. Peter Butler, a friend and one of the top marathoners in Canada, after just opening a store in Vancouver, decided to partner with Rob. They agreed Victoria was a great location with its climate and amazing scenery runners and walkers would appreciate.
Another firendship proved fortunate at that time. Dave Gibson from Thrifty Foods guaranteed a bank loan, and with English, Seabrook and Pringle joining the consulting team as accountants, Rob had a firm base of experts. Frontrunners was born.
The original store ‘doubled’ in size in 2000 allowing room for more inventory as the goal was to offer the best selection of products in sizes from 5-16 and widths AA to 6E. Suppliers like New Balance shoes enabled Frontrunners to specialize in fittings with referrals coming from the medical to athletes who value the importance of staying active and fit. Rob and his wife mortgaged their house in order to expand inventory of shoes and to enable staff to get started in business too - Stefan Jakobsen and Norm Thibault opened a Frontrunners store in Nanaimo, and Nick Walker and Mark Nelson opened a store in Langford. Rob believes the secret to the growth is in having personable staff trained to provide the service that is the best.
Throughout the 30 years Frontrunners success in business proved to be in providing quality products for customers of any age or capability as well as serving the needs of serious athletes. They service everyone from children right up to seniors and specialize in what they call ‘sit and fit’ – tailoring the products to the needs and body of the customer.
Frontrunners staff take the time to assess every customer that comes in. They watch them walk, get them to complete some bio-mechanical tests, measure their feet for length and width and generally match the shoes to their individual specifications. That is not something that can be done in a big box store or a mainstream retailer. They belive that the feet are incredibly important to a person’s health and wellness and it’s equally important to be wearing the right shoes for one’s activity.
Currently, there are four stores, three in the Capital Region - original store at 1200 Vancouver Street, a location at 3659 Shelbourne Street and in Langford at 755 Goldstream Avenue. The fourth store was opened by long time staff Stefan and Norm in 2000 in Nanaimo at 101-1825 Bowen Road. Throughout the group the company has a staff of about 30.
Looking for a successor, Rob offered equity to Nick Walker, a well known local runner Rob sponsored when he was in his teens. “Nick does the heavy lifting of Frontrunners business.” says Rob. “He does a great job bringing the best out in our staff, and carrying on relations with suppliers. “
Nick’s involvement with the sport of running and with Frontrunners dates back nearly two decades.
“I got involved when I was about 13. Rob sponsored me as a grassroots athlete, and I stayed associated with the store as a sponsored athlete and ambassador for the store all the way through high school and into university” Walker explaines.
“In many ways I’d have to say that I grew up with Frontrunners. In 2005, a friend, Mark Nelson and I opened the third store in the group in Langford (123-755 Goldstream Avenue) with the support of Rob. That partnership eventually dissolved but I continued with Frontrunners, in time becoming Rob’s business partner.”
As a huge part of its corporate philosophy, Frontrunners is also a major sponsor of, and advocate for, community-based athletic events as well as supporter of local charitable foundations and athletic associations.
Building community has been Frontrunners mantra since its conception in 1988 and has allowed Frontrunners to work with hundreds of events and charitable organizations. The staff have taken on the role of event planning and hosting numerous events each year, including the KOOL Oak Bay Half Marathon, Bear Mountain 10k, Vancouver Island Trail Running Series, Seaside 10k & 5k, Cowichan Valley Wine Run and Keg Leg Brewery Runs. Each event Frontrunners organizes encourages participation for all ages and abilities and looks to further build the running community on Vancouver Island. Each event raises much needed funds for charities like CFAX Santa’s Anonymous, Runners of Compassion, Shoes For Youth, Women’s Sexual Assault Centre, Nature Conservancy of Canada, Nature Trail Society and many more. Frontrunners also operates running clinics and other athletic programs to introduce its clients and others to running, offering coaching and workshops that offer guidance for everyone from novice to expert.
Moved by Terry Fox’s Marathon of Hope Rob took it upon himself to see a statue of Terry Fox put up at Mile Zero on the 25th anniversary of the event.
Hiring a strong staff who believe in giving back is allowing Rob to carry on as a philanthropic business leader supporting local non-profits like Cool Aid, Every Step Counts, a local documentary about homelessness titled “Us & Them”, work on boards from the Telus Community Board and 30 years on the Victoria Marathon Society, as well as co-founding Shop Local Victoria and getting involved in a Kenyan Running Resource Centre doing outreach around education and health.
While sponsoring a running event may be an excellent way to promote its products in a practical setting, the positive local enthusiasm for sports has seen Frontrunners singled out for its community support by the Independent Running Retailers of Canada (IRRC), which awarded the group its prestigious 2017 Store of the Year Award.
Reid and Walker collected the honor during a gala presentation held last fall at the Running Event, which is the running industry’s premier annual trade show. Bringing together North America’s top sports retailers, last year’s event was held in Austin, Texas. The pair received their accolade from representatives from New Balance Boston, an industry leader in athletic footwear and sports clothing.