Centralight

Alumni News the pace Setting With every Runners customer, Bill Thompson ensures he and his employees are making his grandmother Lula Bell Thompson proud. She gave Thompson, '98, one directive when he opened his first performance footwear and apparel store in Bay City. "She said, 'I don't like going to shoe stores because I can't put my own shoes on, and there's nobody around to help me. Make sure you take care of people and give them service,'" he recalls. "I always had noticed there was not one shoe store in our area that would sit you down for a proper fitting. I decided to fill that niche." Following her advice has made sound business sense for Thompson, who this summer opened his fourth Runners store in 10 years. In addition to selling quality shoes and related apparel for running and walking, Runners works with customers and offers a gait analysis to determine how their feet come in contact with the ground to provide a custom fit. This gait analysis and personal interaction help customers to better understand which shoe best meets their individual needs as well as why it will assist in injury prevention and rehabilitation. "You have to focus on your feet because they're your foundation for everything you do, yet they're often the most neglected part of your body," Thompson says. "We need to educate about why footwear for your feet is just as important as glasses for your eyes." At CMU Thompson majored in sports studies and kinesiology and was a 400- and 800-meter runner on the men's track team with his then- roommate Willie Randolph, who now is CMU's head track and field coach. Thompson says his CMU experiences helped him to thoroughly understand the anatomy of a foot and the biomechanics of running and walking. This led him to realize the importance of proper footwear. Bill Thompson, back row right, is pictured with his team on the 1996-97 men's track and field and cross country media guide cover. "Classes at CMU educated me on how the body functions, and being a track athlete I learned to be in tune with my body and how the foot functions in training and running," says Thompson, who often returns to campus to speak to athletic training classes taught by his former professors such as Rene Shingles. "I've used a lot of what I learned in college and athletics to mold my business." As an athlete Thompson says he has the mindset of a competitor, which has helped him develop his business strategies to stay aggressive during the good times and maintain momentum through the challenges. "When the economy shifted down, I gave my employees a raise," Thompson says. "It wasn't a big one, but I wanted to reassure them that we're not going anywhere." A staunch commitment to service and opening a fourth store in less than a decade also demonstrates that Runners – which has stores in Bay City, Mount Pleasant, Saginaw and it newest location in Midland – is in it for the long haul. • alumni.cmich.edu/centralight for more centralight fall '11 37

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