In 1972, on the day of the Boston Marathon, the company was bought by its current chairman Jim Davis. At the time, the company had only 6 employees producing 30 pairs every day, mostly sold through mail order and a handful of U.S. retailers. Jim and his wife Anne, who joined the company in 1978, committed themselves to uphold the brand's service to individual needs and focused on building a distinct culture for New Balance employees and customers. In Boston, the epicenter of the 70's running boom, the company prospered and rapidly expanded their product line as sales grew.