Shows
Slingin' ShoesEpisode Eleven: TRE Tips, Diversity in Action and Our Fastest Guest To DateCo-Host Chris Farley of Pacers shares his top 5 tips for getting the most out of TRE and some of them will surprise you. Elle Cheung of Gazelle Sports, winner of a Running Industry Diversity Coalition Scholarship to TRE, discusses how her store translates DEI philosophies into action. And Stephen Pifer of Skechers reflects on his 20-year career in the running business and his goal of running a sub-four minute mile in the same race as his son Jameson.
2025-11-2546 minSlingin' ShoesEpisode Ten: Family TiesFamily connections run through Episode 10 of Slingin’ Shoes which features interviews with Genie Beaver of West Stride in Atlanta and one of the founders of Altra, Brian Beckstead who remains an ambassador for the brand. Genie has a powerful connection to the running business through her uncle John McDonnell, who coached the University of Arkansas to 40 national titles and shares the story of attending her first TRE with a six-week-old baby. She also name drops the many women who have been supportive of her as she has built her business: Barbara Gubbins, Cathy Puglsey, Lea Gallardo, and Rebecca Hohenstein....
2025-11-1158 minSlingin' ShoesEpisode Nine: Wild about Harry, Sneakers4Good and Rally ShoesHear the story of how slinging bottles of Black Velvet in 7-11 led to Harry Chandler joining the run specialty business and ascending to leadership roles at Charlotte Running Company, the Running Industry Association, and the Running Industry Diversity Coalition. Harry also talks about the Charlotte Run Hub and how it serves his store’s community. We’re also joined by Kristy Morris of Sneakers4Good, who shares information on how run stores can work with her business to support its’ efforts in 20+ countries. And Mark and Chris discuss The Rally Shoe in Seattle.
2025-10-2844 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode Eight UnderEpisode 8 Under is a special golf celebration where we discuss The Skechers World Champions Cup, an international team competition featuring senior golfers from Europe, Asia and the United States. Our guests include PGA Golfer Peter Jacobsen, sports marketing executive Charlie Besser, the founder of Intersport, and Ben Stewart, VP of Performance Footwear at Skechers. Jake Morrow of Golf magazine helps with co-hosting duties.Jacobsen talks about his career as a golfer, the lead singer of Jake Trout and the Flounders and the role he’ll play at the Skechers World Champions Cup in December. Besser discusses how the...
2025-10-2141 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode Eight: Growing the PieHow much bigger can run specialty get?We entertain two points of view. Industry analyst Matt Powell of Spurwink River caused a ruckus recently with comments on LinkedIn saying the run channel was not growing because it caters only to “elites.” Co-hosts Chris Farley and Mark Sullivan press Powell on what he really meant and discuss why the channel’s growth has slowed after a decade of robust expansion.Our sponsor guest all the way from Japan is Koichiro Kodama, CEO of ASICS America. Kodoma-san talks about his life traveling between two continents, his love of spe...
2025-10-1452 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode Seven - An Accidental Entrepreneur, a Shoe Lifer and a former teacher walk into a PodcastOn this episode, Christi Beth Adams of Fleet Feet Nashville shares her journey from employee to owner of six stores. She takes us through the tears and triumphs of her 19 years in the business and talks about what could be next for her. We are also joined by Matt Baum of Mizuno, who may manage the biggest sales region in the country. Matt pulls back the curtain on what he’s hearing as he visits stores around the country and offers his insight on what stores should expect from sales reps. And our slinger of the week, Eli Reed of...
2025-09-3054 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin’ Shoes Episode Six - Compensation, Inspiration and So Much MoreEvery run store owner will tell you how crucial their employees are to their success. That begs the question then, how do you attract good employees and retain them? Kris Hartner, owner of Naperville Running helps us attack the thorny issue of employee compensation. In a world where there is no “one size fits all” approach (just like shoes!), Hartner and co-host Chris Farley share what works for them.On the sponsor side, we sit down with Bill Sternoff of BodyGlide, the man with the smoothest pipes in the business. Bill tells the story of how he got...
2025-09-1647 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode Five - Close EncountersThe conversations on Slingin’ Shoes Episode 5 run the gamut from the deeply personal to the outer limits of Artificial Intelligence. Co-host Chris Farley shares a story of a random encounter with a shopper that resonated deeply with him. Steve DeMoss of Big Peach Running talks about how his fascination with Artificial Intelligence is being put to use in the store, and Ben Stewart , VP of Tech Performance at Skechers, pulls back the curtain on how the brand is working to become more meaningful in run specialty.
2025-09-0247 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode Four - The Best Of YouOn Episode 4, Mark and Chris analyze the annual Best Stores list: what well known stores didn’t make it, what’s the deal behind one of the Best Stores conspiracy theories and how did the list grow from 50 to 60+ stores.We also discuss the ASICS resurgence with Kevin McHale and learn how he started his career as a shoe slinger at Potomac River Running.And we spend time with an up and coming Slinger, Naim Bell of Charlotte Running Co.
2025-08-1956 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode Three - Smooth OperatorsOn Episode 3, we take a deep dive with Bob Dyer and Jennifer Henderson, who share the story of their hands-on approach to opening a run store in the competitive market of Saint Louis. The couple shares both the personal and business issues they faced and how eight years later, Running Niche is a perennial selection to The Best Running Stores List.On the brand side, Chris Brewer and Drew Magaha of Mizuno USA discuss the brand’s considered focus on the specialty channel and how their “smooth” approach to product is building momentum.
2025-08-0539 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode TwoOn Episode 2, we’re Slingin’ Shoes across the USA, starting with Jenni Peters from Varsity Sports in Baton Rouge, LA who discusses her real estate strategy and how she is rolling up her sleeves to help her community develop a trail network. Then from Fleet Feet Montclair, NJ by way of Brooklyn, we interview Axel Arroyo, shoe slinger extraordinaire, who shares how his experience and street smarts allow him to send customers home happy. And Josh Higgins of OS1st offers ideas on how to boost sock sales at run specialty by announcing a contest for stores to boost thei...
2025-07-2244 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode OneJosh Levinson, founder of CEO of Charm City Run, with 8 stores in the Baltimore area, pulls back the curtain on a topic many store owners think about but don’t always act on: succession planning. Josh discusses what steps he has taken to sell equity to top members of his team and what the future holds for him, them and Charm City.This episode also includes an interview with Joe Toth, head of sales for Altra Running. He talks about the brand’s (and its parent company’s) promise to specialty and the opportunities he see...
2025-07-0845 minSlingin' ShoesSlingin' Shoes Episode ZeroWelcome to Episode Zero of Slingin’ Shoes!Slingin’ Shoes is a new podcast that will be co-hosted by Mark Sullivan, founder of The Running Event, and Chris Farley, owner of Pacers Running. In this introductory episode, the two discuss what led them to develop the podcast and share the story of how Chris made the co-founder of Whole Foods cry during an interview. The two also elaborate on their plans for Slingin’ Shoes to offer insight, analysis, fun and community. In short, everything that makes the run channel special.Slingin’ Shoes will produce two episodes a month a...
2025-06-2415 min
Trivia With Budds10 Trivia Questions on U.S.A. Movies All of these movie answers start with U, S, or A. Fact of the Day: Jim Farley, the CEO of Ford, is the cousin of Chris Farley. THE FIRST TRIVIA QUESTION STARTS AT 01:37 SUPPORT THE SHOW MONTHLY, LISTEN AD-FREE FOR JUST $1 A MONTH: www.Patreon.com/TriviaWithBudds INSTANT DOWNLOAD DIGITAL TRIVIA GAMES ON ETSY, GRAB ONE NOW! GET A CUSTOM EPISODE FOR YOUR LOVED ONES: Email ryanbudds@gmail.com Theme song by www.soundcloud.com/Frawsty Bed Music: "Your Call" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licens...
2024-07-1208 min
Organized Chaos PodcastEpisode 11: Free Guy, What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?, Samurai Cop, House of the Rising Sun, Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer ReactionSend us a textWe discuss:Free Guy 6:45What If T'Challa was a Starlord 13:50Samurai Cop 32:15House of the Rising Sun 53:49Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Reaction 1:11:00Recorded August 26, 2021.Bobby Quarters:https://www.facebook.com/BobbyQuartersmediahttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkz8zBMjwH9WfI7Ghd4iVIQJEMS Art Studio:https://www.etsy.com/shop/JEMSArtStudioAll third-party material used for parody and criticism under fair use. No copyright infringement intended.Podcast hosted by Robert Setlock, III & Bobby Quarters...
2021-08-271h 37
Run MattersRetail Matters: Chris Farley of Pacers RunningEach episode will feature an in-depth interview of a leading run specialty retailer conducted by Running Insight Editor at large Mark Sullivan and industry data guy Neil Schwartz. Farley talks about managing his team through the pandemic, doubling down on bricks and mortar and his optimism for the future of the channel as well as his new store in Georgetown. Chris Farley is the owner and President of Pacers Running//Chief Running EnthusiastA lifelong runner, Chris has been in the running specialty industry since 1999 and is considered a subject matter expert in ru...
2020-10-1623 minRun MattersThe Mebisode, featuring Meb KeflezighiEpisode 1 of the Run Matters Podcast presented by Skechers Performance kicks off with a lively list of regular features and special guests, including a timely segment on running safety in the Run to the Finish segment featuring Social Media sensation Amanda Brooks. Hosts Mark Sullivan and Neil Schwartz then speak to our featured retailer, Chris Farley from Pacers Running in the DC area. Run Matters then spends some quality time with “The Michael Jordan of Running,” Meb Keflezighi. There is so much more to Meb than just his amazing career as a world-class runner. He is also a world-class family...
2020-10-1534 min