- 3,636
- 609
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2009
great thread
nikedealer
Banned
- 1,615
- 171
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
Hey no prob... but this thread belongs to CWK... I def would share more.. but dont want to thread jack... Both CWK and I have had similar and different experiences while in Beaverton... its always good to get all the insight you can...
Props to CWK for fielding questions.
- 1,052
- 17
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2007
Rock what division of Nike did you work for?
nikedealer
Banned
- 1,615
- 171
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
I consulted in cross categories......
I worked with Jordan, Sportswear, Football and Marketing.
I had ALOT of exposure to alot of stuff... some stuff I didn't care to have exposure to..and alot of stuff I appreciated.
I tell people all the time.. living in Beaverton and working with some of the people I did was one of my best working experiences in life.
Right now working on television and radio is great....but unmatched...
Running my own Marketing Business has flourished since that time as well.
I worked with Jordan, Sportswear, Football and Marketing.
I had ALOT of exposure to alot of stuff... some stuff I didn't care to have exposure to..and alot of stuff I appreciated.
I tell people all the time.. living in Beaverton and working with some of the people I did was one of my best working experiences in life.
Right now working on television and radio is great....but unmatched...
Running my own Marketing Business has flourished since that time as well.
- 43,535
- 27,833
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2002
What's the lowdown on sample sales. They weren't authorized by Nike right? They don't seem to exist any more or at least I haven't heard of any in years.
- 25
- 11
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2009
Yep - the Flightposit 3's were destined for him. The outsole design made panther face in his honor. Too bad.
nikedealer
Banned
- 1,615
- 171
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
There used to be sample sales ON Campus as well as regional sales offices...and when certain samples started getting out and unauthorized pics of samples got out.. Nike shut that down quick.
There is a whole new process on how sales guys acquire and turn back in their samples.. just like employees getting samples made up for the design process.
There is a whole new process on how sales guys acquire and turn back in their samples.. just like employees getting samples made up for the design process.
- 3,689
- 299
- Joined
- May 4, 2009
Wife used to work on world campus in Beaverton. Know for a fact she got me team issue Syracuse hoops shorts @ a sample sale as well as some Nike Golf stuff and some random hats. TO my knowledge everyone in her division had full knowledge of the sales and were well publicized amongst employees. Whether or not Nike "officially authorized", I can't say, but they didn't seem to be frowned upon or hush-hush. Just my very limited personal .02. Back to the meat and potatoes though. Thanks for your insight fellas.
nikedealer
Banned
- 1,615
- 171
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
Yeah.. On Campus Sales were "advertised" because they were more controlled. The Jordan one's were of epic lore lol... my man Dwayne ALWAYS took care of me....
But I do know the regional sales office sample sales had the kabash put on them...
But I do know the regional sales office sample sales had the kabash put on them...
- 265
- 13
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2010
Let me rephrase my question, to all ex-NIKE workers, do you guys receive free shoes or buy kicks with high percentages of discounts at any moment possible? Think of someone working at Foot Locker. Someone who buys Js at $150 instead of $230. Something like that.
antidope
Supporter
- 62,367
- 65,182
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2012
I siad this to my friends the other day when they were asking me about sneakers cause of all the hype around the Yeezys and the South Beaches, they assumed that since I come here I could find them a steal. Honestly to the untrained eye, there are a lot of fakes out there that look legitimate and nowadays hardly anyone buys these shoes to ball in like you said. I havent gone that route yet, but for people who are just buying them to say they have their hands on a pair why not.Originally Posted by HOVKid
Hopefully the people that make "fakes" keep getting better. That way we can just get whatever we want and not have to pay reseller prices. Most of the sneakers that are desireable aren't used for sports anyway, just fashion. Its not like they need to be able to stand up to that much wear and tear.Originally Posted by NikeDealer
I was surprised it was asked..Reebok would LOVE to create a frenzy over a release.
Do you think Nike would have pulled the Adi shoe with the chains on it? Hell no...
IDK about anyone else, but if this is true, then in my mind those arent fakes. The bolded part kinda made me feel funny about it though.
All in all a very insightful thread, props to CWK and Rock for filling us in on some stuff. I dont really have any specific questions but people are doing a good job of asking stuff that when I saw it I wanted to know the answer to it, so thanks to everyone.
- 13
- 10
- Joined
- May 23, 2012
This guy is the Prophet of Nike. Very informative
- 238
- 25
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2012
Fascinating post, thanks for sharing is always interesting to hear what goes on behind the scenes.
Rock, we're ready i think for you to do one of these........
Rock, we're ready i think for you to do one of these........
- 735
- 13
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2003
First, I personally wish that Nike would make all shoes GR. I'm really tired of pulling teeth to get shoes I like. I really don't care how many people have my shoes on; I just wouldn't want people hanging out with me at that time to have the same shoes at me.
BUT, imo that type of attitude to blame Nike for someone getting robbed or killed while buying their shoes is really backwards (no offense). Why should Nike be responsible? When does marketing cross the line? If Nike only wants to create 3000 pairs of a certain shoe, and knows 3 million people want it, why should that be illegal? Why does Nike have to meet demand? On a completely different note, should makers of guns be responsible for people killed by their guns? In the end everyone has to carry some responsibility, not just Nike.
- 2,126
- 108
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2006
Originally Posted by SerpentSun
One of the best threads I have read lurking the past 3/4 years!!! Thanks for all the information shared
- 786
- 23
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2001
And we're back.
Thanks for the questions and responses. I'll answer what I can and anyone else is welcome to jump in. Rock is one of the few other people I'm aware of who is willing to share their experience with NIKE.
WallyHopp - I always enjoy your posts - I'm a cross-trainer freak, too. I won a college dunk contest in 1991 wearing a pair of Air Trainer SC II.
I considered myself a NIKE fanatic until I arrived on campus and started working with Basketball/Brand Jordan. Then I found my people. We all knew entirely too much about the brand and the shoes. I had read Swoosh and Just Do It several times. This was around the time that SLAM KICKS #1 was published and it was like a bible. We would sit around and share stories about shoes, commercials, and athletes that had influenced us growing up.
I've shared this before on NT, so I'll try to give the condensed version. I was at a point where I was young, single, and mobile. So I decided to give myself a timeline to try and get a job on campus in Beaverton. My big risk was moving from Texas to Oregon for a second internship with no guaranteed job once the summer ended. I lived in an unfurnished studio apartment for three months - but I was doing it! Obviously, most people wouldn't consider this and that's logical. But I would highly recommend getting out of your comfort zone and living out of your hometown or state if you're ever able to.
On campus in Beaverton, as would be expected, everyone was super focused and talented. In the outside world, there wasn't the level of knowledge or passion even among most reps.
- Free shoes? On campus, I rarely paid for product because I had friends in most categories and we looked out for each other. There were advertised sample sales for employees and guests. I always stocked up on NBA and NCAA shorts for 5$ each. True story - I was doing an event at NIKETOWN Portland and I guy bought the pair of Brand Jordan SJU team issue shorts THAT I WAS WEARING for $100. (I had an extra pair with me.) Even if we couldn't find something for free, we had our discount at the Employee Store, NIKETOWN, or MLK.
- I hope there's a huge stash of Jet Flights somewhere, too. I also really liked the Air Zoom Drive and it doesn't seem to get much love. Nash wore them. (I think I could have beat him one-on-one in my prime).
- I don't remember any technology that was tested and not used.
Thanks for the questions and responses. I'll answer what I can and anyone else is welcome to jump in. Rock is one of the few other people I'm aware of who is willing to share their experience with NIKE.
WallyHopp - I always enjoy your posts - I'm a cross-trainer freak, too. I won a college dunk contest in 1991 wearing a pair of Air Trainer SC II.
I've shared this before on NT, so I'll try to give the condensed version. I was at a point where I was young, single, and mobile. So I decided to give myself a timeline to try and get a job on campus in Beaverton. My big risk was moving from Texas to Oregon for a second internship with no guaranteed job once the summer ended. I lived in an unfurnished studio apartment for three months - but I was doing it! Obviously, most people wouldn't consider this and that's logical. But I would highly recommend getting out of your comfort zone and living out of your hometown or state if you're ever able to.
On campus in Beaverton, as would be expected, everyone was super focused and talented. In the outside world, there wasn't the level of knowledge or passion even among most reps.
- Free shoes? On campus, I rarely paid for product because I had friends in most categories and we looked out for each other. There were advertised sample sales for employees and guests. I always stocked up on NBA and NCAA shorts for 5$ each. True story - I was doing an event at NIKETOWN Portland and I guy bought the pair of Brand Jordan SJU team issue shorts THAT I WAS WEARING for $100. (I had an extra pair with me.) Even if we couldn't find something for free, we had our discount at the Employee Store, NIKETOWN, or MLK.
- I hope there's a huge stash of Jet Flights somewhere, too. I also really liked the Air Zoom Drive and it doesn't seem to get much love. Nash wore them. (I think I could have beat him one-on-one in my prime).
- I don't remember any technology that was tested and not used.
- 324
- 31
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2006
In my 6 years on this site, this has got to be one of the better threads, and I am very appreciative and thankful to CWK and Rock for sharing ANY kind of information that he has. As a former and current NIKE retail employee, this information could become very useful to me in the (hopefully) near future. Thanks again. I'll continue watching
- 9,585
- 6,270
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2006
CWK - question...
I am also a teacher (8th grade socials)... do you wear nice kicks to work every day? I do, and the kids love hearing the stories behind each model that I wear, especially the basketball players I coach... I know you teach elementary, but figured I would ask...
I am also a teacher (8th grade socials)... do you wear nice kicks to work every day? I do, and the kids love hearing the stories behind each model that I wear, especially the basketball players I coach... I know you teach elementary, but figured I would ask...
- 140
- 11
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2012
this is a great thread, props to CWK for this! bump! wish i had a good question to ask but im blanking right now -_-
- 54,697
- 61,125
- Joined
- May 15, 2003
Trying to get to that 300 in one night
nikedealer
Banned
- 1,615
- 171
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
Thanks... if CWK doesn't mind I'll chime in but hell I came in here just to see how different or similar CWK's experience was to mine. Some similar lots of differences so far...
Then again.. we were there at different times.
nikedealer
Banned
- 1,615
- 171
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2011
I'll chime in a bit before my day starts as I wont be back on until late tomorrow:
I had very many great mentor's at Nike Jordan. Some even younger than me as I am always willing to learn and obtain knowledge from those who are elite in their position.
At Jordan Brand..
I met MJ thru an ex girlfriend who worked for the Wizards years ago and around that same time I met Dwayne Edwards, Tate Kuerbis and Jason Mayden when they were doing Market Travel to the DC area... I went with a buddy of mine.. many of you know him as Eyes of Hazel on here.
When many of the youngsters were asking questions like what colorways were coming out and such... myself, Kev and another NT great who I will keep nameless were asking more business and life questions.
After their panel discussion Dwayne and Jason came down and talked to Kev and I seperately letting us know they really appreciated our questions as they usually get the same ole questions on trips like that. They then showed us samples of unreleased stuff that not even folks at the symposium had seen. It was unreal.
After the event I'd sent Jay May Tate and D emails thanking them for taking the time out to talk to us and blah blah blah. About 6 months later Dwayne sends me an email letting me know he'd be in town with the crew for a market travel trip to talk to the Georgetown basketball team. That night I met more of the Jordan design team as well as newbie Micheal Ditullo who has become a great friend who also moved on to Converse Design Director and now doing MUCH bigger things.. but I digress...
That night we hung out for hours.. just talking about life and rarely even sneakers. That night they found out about me away from sneakers and that at the time I ran my own Product and Brand Marketing and Consulting Business. Dwayne asked if I were interested in doing some Consulting stuff for them.. I had NO idea what a PLM was or that I could assist in the sneaker biz since I couldn't draw a stick man.
I took a trip out to the Beav.. sat with the crew... met ALOT of folks who Im still cool with now and ventured into the world of fakes and how they were run and developed. That story has been well documented on NT.. as I ran a site called Fake Police for several years, taking down over 300 Fake sites which only kept popping back up as well as alerting Ebay en mass of Fakes being sold.
I can say thru work I've done ebay has 90% less fakes than it did 8 years ago.
I took a trip out to Vegas for the All Star game and later met Tinker, Jason Petrie, Chi McBride, Ken Link and a host of others.
As far as how to get into Nike...its ALL about drive ideas and the willingness to be a thinker on several levels. I risked sending ideas and concepts to guys who were decisions makers and some who were just regular working joes.
Just because you can draw doesn't make you Nike worthy.. just because you have an idea it doesnt make you Nike worthy.. You have to understand the bizness concept.. how to present that concept and bring it to retail with great execution while understanding MUCH will be changed from start to end.
When I first moved out there I remember meeting over 100 guys and gals and told them I'd be working with several categories. I didnt understand why folks kept telling me their shoe size... everytime I'd meet someone itd be..
"Hey.. how's it going... Im blank.. I wear a size Blank" I asked my man E at one point.. what the hell? He said.. dude.. they all work in one category.. you know and work with several categories... you will have trades going on all the time.
A week later I had gotten literally about 50 pairs of kicks. Going back a little bit I was told by a few of my boys at Jordan.. when I move out there.. dont bring all the shoes I own.. get rid of some.. I was like whaaaat? They said trust me.. Thats like saying put your kids up for adoption...lol.. But I did.. and glad I listened.
I will admit some guys on both sides are very guarded and unwilling to share knowledge. I guess they think their own knowledge is power... but I do know folks like that take your ideas and use them as their own.
I met a dude at the Cafeteria named Drew Greer and he was like.. hey come sit in on our meetings. Marketing.. literally where they decide the plan for Nike BAsketball. Drew GReer was the person who "invented" the concept of Hybrids and retro's as you know them today. Who was his running partner when they both worked in Sportswear? Gentry Humphrey.
As you know G brought the concept of Retro's to Jordan and made it what they were.
I could go on and on.. but wanted to give just a snipet...if you can call that long diatribe a snippet. lol Trust me.. I left Beaverton on a not so great situation but thats because jealous dudes trying to be apart of Nike but weren't entrenched like I had been spread some pretty crappy things...but that is a story which has been told once before. I maintained ALOT of great relationships and friendships to this day with many guys and never held what happened against anyone.
It did make me realize trust few as I probably lost a great friendship with one of the coolest guys on campus due to the BS that went on. As some of you know.. I will tell it like it is...and dont run from accusations or rumors.. it is what it was... and Im glad I had the experiences Ive had.
I cant complain. I STILL run my Marketing biz.. and Im also doing local TV and Radio in DC and signed a deal with a Major Sports Organization to do a Nationally Syndicated TV and RADIO show much like Dan Patricks which will be launching within the next year.
I cant complain at all. hard work gets you where you want.. but know who you know helps and building those relationships helps even more.
I had very many great mentor's at Nike Jordan. Some even younger than me as I am always willing to learn and obtain knowledge from those who are elite in their position.
At Jordan Brand..
I met MJ thru an ex girlfriend who worked for the Wizards years ago and around that same time I met Dwayne Edwards, Tate Kuerbis and Jason Mayden when they were doing Market Travel to the DC area... I went with a buddy of mine.. many of you know him as Eyes of Hazel on here.
When many of the youngsters were asking questions like what colorways were coming out and such... myself, Kev and another NT great who I will keep nameless were asking more business and life questions.
After their panel discussion Dwayne and Jason came down and talked to Kev and I seperately letting us know they really appreciated our questions as they usually get the same ole questions on trips like that. They then showed us samples of unreleased stuff that not even folks at the symposium had seen. It was unreal.
After the event I'd sent Jay May Tate and D emails thanking them for taking the time out to talk to us and blah blah blah. About 6 months later Dwayne sends me an email letting me know he'd be in town with the crew for a market travel trip to talk to the Georgetown basketball team. That night I met more of the Jordan design team as well as newbie Micheal Ditullo who has become a great friend who also moved on to Converse Design Director and now doing MUCH bigger things.. but I digress...
That night we hung out for hours.. just talking about life and rarely even sneakers. That night they found out about me away from sneakers and that at the time I ran my own Product and Brand Marketing and Consulting Business. Dwayne asked if I were interested in doing some Consulting stuff for them.. I had NO idea what a PLM was or that I could assist in the sneaker biz since I couldn't draw a stick man.
I took a trip out to the Beav.. sat with the crew... met ALOT of folks who Im still cool with now and ventured into the world of fakes and how they were run and developed. That story has been well documented on NT.. as I ran a site called Fake Police for several years, taking down over 300 Fake sites which only kept popping back up as well as alerting Ebay en mass of Fakes being sold.
I can say thru work I've done ebay has 90% less fakes than it did 8 years ago.
I took a trip out to Vegas for the All Star game and later met Tinker, Jason Petrie, Chi McBride, Ken Link and a host of others.
As far as how to get into Nike...its ALL about drive ideas and the willingness to be a thinker on several levels. I risked sending ideas and concepts to guys who were decisions makers and some who were just regular working joes.
Just because you can draw doesn't make you Nike worthy.. just because you have an idea it doesnt make you Nike worthy.. You have to understand the bizness concept.. how to present that concept and bring it to retail with great execution while understanding MUCH will be changed from start to end.
When I first moved out there I remember meeting over 100 guys and gals and told them I'd be working with several categories. I didnt understand why folks kept telling me their shoe size... everytime I'd meet someone itd be..
"Hey.. how's it going... Im blank.. I wear a size Blank" I asked my man E at one point.. what the hell? He said.. dude.. they all work in one category.. you know and work with several categories... you will have trades going on all the time.
A week later I had gotten literally about 50 pairs of kicks. Going back a little bit I was told by a few of my boys at Jordan.. when I move out there.. dont bring all the shoes I own.. get rid of some.. I was like whaaaat? They said trust me.. Thats like saying put your kids up for adoption...lol.. But I did.. and glad I listened.
I will admit some guys on both sides are very guarded and unwilling to share knowledge. I guess they think their own knowledge is power... but I do know folks like that take your ideas and use them as their own.
I met a dude at the Cafeteria named Drew Greer and he was like.. hey come sit in on our meetings. Marketing.. literally where they decide the plan for Nike BAsketball. Drew GReer was the person who "invented" the concept of Hybrids and retro's as you know them today. Who was his running partner when they both worked in Sportswear? Gentry Humphrey.
As you know G brought the concept of Retro's to Jordan and made it what they were.
I could go on and on.. but wanted to give just a snipet...if you can call that long diatribe a snippet. lol Trust me.. I left Beaverton on a not so great situation but thats because jealous dudes trying to be apart of Nike but weren't entrenched like I had been spread some pretty crappy things...but that is a story which has been told once before. I maintained ALOT of great relationships and friendships to this day with many guys and never held what happened against anyone.
It did make me realize trust few as I probably lost a great friendship with one of the coolest guys on campus due to the BS that went on. As some of you know.. I will tell it like it is...and dont run from accusations or rumors.. it is what it was... and Im glad I had the experiences Ive had.
I cant complain. I STILL run my Marketing biz.. and Im also doing local TV and Radio in DC and signed a deal with a Major Sports Organization to do a Nationally Syndicated TV and RADIO show much like Dan Patricks which will be launching within the next year.
I cant complain at all. hard work gets you where you want.. but know who you know helps and building those relationships helps even more.
- 142
- 10
- Joined
- May 20, 2002
When did you guys decide to stop marketing VC and end his sig line? What ws the decision process for that? always curious
- 3,058
- 868
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2008
- 31,708
- 18,261
- Joined
- May 10, 2009
Absolutely loving this thread!!! Thanks guys for all the questions and to CWK and NikeDealer for some wonderful insight
