When current Chairman Jim Davis bought New Balance for $100,000 in 1972, the company employed a total of six people and produced an average of 30 pairs of shoes per day. Though the company was founded well before other American shoe companies such as Converse and Nike, New Balance grew at a much slower place, content for more than fifty years to establish its reputation for comfortable, supportive footwear in the area immediately surrounding its Boston, Massachusetts headquarters. The company's gradual ascent to market prominence isn't surprising, considering its low-key, substance-over-style approach to shoe design. For example, New Balance began giving shoes simple model numbers instead of market-researched, cool-sounding names. Placing the emphasis on quality footwear production rather than self-promotion caused New Balance to increase its standing slowly, but once its reputation for crafting superior shoes began to spread, largely by word of mouth, the company's growth was virtually limitless.

An internationally revered brand name probably wasn't William J. Riley's ultimate goal when he founded the small arch-support manufacturing company back in 1906. Riley, an English immigrant and former waiter simply wanted to provide extra comfort and support for people who worked on their feet. The first-rate fit and comfort of these arch support inserts kept Riley in business as a shoemaker for years, though he didn't actually manufacture a running shoe until 1928. This original shoe was designed for a local running club called the Boston Brown Bag Harriers. The move from comfortable, great fitting arch supports to comfortable, supportive shoes was a success, and by 1941, New Balance was producing athletics shoes for several sports including running, boxing, tennis, and baseball. Despite the quality and popularity of these shoes, the company remained mostly small and local-- Boston's best-kept shoe secret-- continuing to mainly manufacture arch supports. In 1960, New Balance shoes began to get attention with the release of the Trackster, the first running shoe to feature a rippled outsole and to come in a variety of widths. This shoe was revolutionary in both fit and traction, and soon gained popularity with running coaches and athletics departments.

Despite these advancements, the New Balance name was still obscured outside of the Boston area, known only to the most well-informed athletes. Then, twelve years later, Davis bought the company, ironically on the day of the Boston Marathon. The company, now 66 years young, was ripe for expansion as professional and amateur running gained popularity throughout the world. Davis, aided by his wife, Anne, began to apply the company's philosophy of comfortable support and personalized fit to an expanding product line and an international market. Three years later Tom Fleming, the winner of the 1975 Boston Marathon, crossed the finish line in one of New Balance's new models, the 320.

Today, the company's headquarters remain in Boston, and New Balance is one of the only major American shoe companies still manufacturing shoes in the U.S. New Balance is one of the world's largest athletics apparel and footwear manufacturers, with products available in more than 120 countries from Mexico to Hong Kong. As Fleming, Davis, or Riley could tell you, a high-quality arch support can take you a long way.