NIKE, Inc.

Sector: Rubber And Plastics Footwear Region: OR, United States

Exchange/Ticker: New York Stock Exchange: NKE

Company Description

NIKE, Inc. designs, develops, markets and sells high quality footwear, apparel, and equipment and accessory products. Its athletic footwear products are designed primarily for specific athletic use, although a large percentage of the products are worn for casual or leisure purposes. The company sells footwear in the categories of running, training, basketball, soccer, sport-inspired casual shoes, and kid's shoes. It markets footwear designs for baseball, cheerleading, football, golf, lacrosse, outdoor activities, skateboarding, tennis, volleyball, walking, wrestling, and other athletic and recreational uses. NIKE sells a line of performance equipment under the NIKE Brand name, including bags, socks, sport balls, eyewear, timepieces, electronic devices, bats, gloves, protective equipment, golf clubs, and other equipment designed for sports activities. It also sells small amounts of various plastic products to other manufacturers through its wholly-owned subsidiary, NIKE IHM, Inc. The company's reportable operating segments are based on its internal geographic organization. Its each NIKE Brand geography operates predominantly in one industry: the design, development, marketing and selling of athletic footwear, apparel, and equipment. Its reportable operating segments for the NIKE Brand are: North America, Western Europe, Central & Eastern Europe, Greater China, Japan, and Emerging Markets. The company's NIKE Brand Direct to Consumer operations are managed within each geographic segment. Its other business is primarily comprised of its wholly-owned affiliates which include Cole Haan, Converse, Inc., Hurley International, LLC, NIKE Golf, and Umbro, Ltd. Cole Haan designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, coats dress, casual footwear, apparel and accessories for men and women. Converse designs, markets and distributes athletic and casual footwear, apparel and accessories. Hurley International designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. Nike Golf designs and markets golf equipment, apparel, balls, footwear, bags and accessories. Umbro International designs, distributes and licenses athletic and casual footwear, apparel and equipment, primarily for the sport of football. The company was founded by William Jay Bowerman and Philip H. Knight in 1964 and is headquartered in Beaverton, OR.

Featured Media

Nike: Find Your Greatness.

Executives

Philip H Knight, Chairman

Before there was Nike, there was Blue Ribbon Sports, Inc., a partnership founded in 1964 on a handshake by Phil Knight and his former track coach at the University of Oregon, the legendary Bill Bowerman. Knight and Bowerman shared a passion for helping athletes reach their full potential—and Nike believes that if you have a body, you’re an athlete. That passion, combined with a business plan Knight hatched while earning his MBA at Stanford, planted the seed for what would become the world’s largest sports and fitness company. A certified public accountant, Knight started by selling shoes out of the back of a car at track meets. One thing led to another, and Blue Ribbon Sports grew to become Nike. The name Nike was created in 1971, and the first line of Nike shoes debuted in 1972; the company officially became known as NIKE, Inc. on December 31, 1981. As Chairman of Nike, Knight’s job is to listen to ideas, combine them with his own, and make decisions based on what’s good for shareholders and the overall company. More than 40 years after that handshake, Nike is still growing, driven by a passion for sports and a relentless focus on innovation for athletes.

Mark Parker, President and Chief Executive Officer

Long before he was named CEO of NIKE, Inc., Mark Parker was leading the company in other ways. After running competitively at Penn State University, Parker joined Nike as one of our first footwear designers back in 1979. And he’s been at the center of Nike innovation ever since. For more than 30 years, he’s brought innovative concepts and engineering expertise into such vital roles as Vice President of Consumer Product Marketing, Vice President of Global Footwear and Co-President of the Nike Brand. He’s led the way for Nike Air and a multitude of industry-breakthroughs in product design. In addition to helping lead the continued growth of the Nike brand, Parker is responsible for the growth of NIKE, Inc.'s global business portfolio, which includes Cole Haan, Converse Inc., Hurley International LLC, and Umbro Ltd.

Charlie Denson, President of the Nike Brand

As President of the Nike Brand, Charlie Denson is responsible for leading the strategy of the world’s most distinctive, authentic and connected brand in sports, including oversight of the company’s major, global categories: Action Sports, Basketball, Football (Soccer), Men’s Training, Running, Sportswear, and Women’s Training, as well as the Jordan Brand and Nike Golf. After more than three decades, Denson has developed a deep expertise of the athletic consumer products industry and been instrumental in growing Nike to become one of the world’s biggest brands. Starting as an assistant manager at Nike’s first retail store in Portland, Oregon in 1979, he learned the business from the ground up and understands the importance of creating and maintaining a strong connection with consumers. In his career, Denson ran the company’s U.S. and European operations and pioneered Nike’s expansion into China, India and Brazil. He’s been a constant innovator in developing sales and distribution strategies and driving global growth as Nike expanded into more than 160 countries. At the end of FY11, the Nike Brand reached $18.1 billion in sales.

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