The New Balance Athletic Shoe Company (NB) entered the arena in 1972 when runner Jim Davis
purchased an old orthopedic and specialty athletic shoe company located in a Boston suburb. NB
received a real boost in 1976 when Runner’s World ranked an NB shoe number one. By late 1978,
however, that shoe had died on the market, and the company experienced a difficult six months until
a new model was launched. Sales grew to $50 million in 1982 (from $1.6 million in 1976), and the
product line broadened somewhat, both within the running line and to basketball, tennis, and leisure
shoes. NB was also a well-known supplier of authentic performance apparel.