Page 145 - BWA FEB 2013

February 2013 | Business World Magazine | 145
A SOLE-MATE IN
MANUFACTURING
According to the whimsical wisdom of Dr. Seuss, with brains in head and
feet within shoes, you can steer in any direction you happen to choose. And
indeed, business-minded brains and feet-in-shoes certainly figure in one
American manufacturer’s direct rise to the top in what remains a highly
specialized industry - and no pun intended, it’s a footing they’ve fostered
for more than 100 years.
During a recent city emergency, a fireman was responding to the
call of duty and precariously perched upon an extension ladder to
reach the upper heights of a building when a bad situation was made
worse. A misinterpreted command from a ground unit prompted
the push of a lever that suddenly caused the automated ladder to
detract before the fireman had time to react. His boot became en-
snared between the ladder’s rungs as thousands of pounds of pres-
sure were instantly, and forcibly, focused on crushing his foot.
In another city, at another time, a loving wife thought to sur-
prise her husband by giving him some new gear for those motorcycle
rides in which he reveled. Unsure as to exactly what to buy, she came
across a style of boots that seemed appropriate and later presented
them as a gift. Weeks later, as fate would have it, her husband was in