Brooks Sports
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for clobbered parameters|check|nested=1|template=Infobox company|cat=Template:Main other|name; company_name|logo; company_logo|logo_alt; alt|trade_name; trading_name|former_names; former_name|type; company_type|predecessors; predecessor|successors; successor|foundation; founded|founders; founder|defunct; dissolved|hq_location; location|hq_location_city; location_city|hq_location_country; location_country|num_locations; locations|areas_served; area_served|net_income; profit|net_income_year; profit_year|owners; owner |homepage; website }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox company with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | ignoreblank=y | alt | area_served | areas_served | assets | assets_year | aum | brands | company_logo | company_name | company_type | defunct | dissolved | divisions | embed | equity | equity_year | fate | footnotes | headquarters | former_name | former_names | foundation | founded | founder | founders | genre | homepage | hq_location | hq_location_city | hq_location_country | incorporated | image | image_alt | image_caption | image_size | image_upright | income_year | industry | ISIN | key_people | location | location_city | location_country | locations | logo | logo_alt | logo_caption | logo_class | logo_size | logo_upright | members | members_year | module | name | native_name | native_name_lang | net_income | net_income_year | num_employees | num_employees_year | num_locations | num_locations_year | operating_income | owner | owners | parent | predecessor | predecessors | production | production_year | products | profit | profit_year | rating | ratio | revenue | revenue_year | romanized_name | services | subsid | subsidiaries | successor | successors | traded_as | trade_name | trading_name | type | website| qid | fetchwikidata | suppressfields | noicon | nocat | demo | categories }} Brooks Sports, Inc., also known as Brooks Running, is an American sports equipment company that designs and markets high-performance men's and women's sneakers, clothing, and accessories. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, Brooks products are available in 60 countries worldwide. It is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.<ref name="Inc Reinvented">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="CNBC">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Brooks, founded in 1914, originally manufactured shoes for a broad range of sports. Popular in the mid-1970s, the company faltered in the latter part of the decade, and filed for bankruptcy protection in 1981.<ref name="Inc Reinvented" /><ref name="Seattle Times 100">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2001, the product line was cut by more than 50% to focus the brand solely on running, and its concentration on performance technology was increased. Brooks Running became the top selling brand in the specialty running shoe market in 2011,<ref name="Footwear News 2015">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt headquarters">Template:Cite news</ref> and remained so through 2017 with a 25% market share.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
History
Early history: Founding, Bruxshu Gymnasium Shoes, Carmen Manufacturing
Brooks Sports, Inc. was founded in 1914 by John Brooks Goldenberg, following his purchase of the Quaker Shoe Company, a manufacturer of bathing shoes and ballet slippers.<ref name="Milestones">Template:Cite news</ref> Based in Philadelphia, it operated as a partnership between John Goldenberg and his brothers, Michael and Frank. By 1920, Quaker Shoes had been renamed Brooks Shoe Manufacturing Co., Inc., and its shoes were sold under the brand name Bruxshu. In addition to bathing shoes and ballet slippers, it sold a gymnasium shoe, Ironclad Gyms.<ref name="1920 ad">Template:Cite news</ref> The company's innovations included the 1938 introduction of orthopedic shoes for children, Pedicraft,Template:Efn and rubber brakes for roller skates (then known as "quick stops"), patented in 1944.<ref name="patent for roller skates">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1938, the Goldenbergs bought the Carmen Shoe Manufacturing Company in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Until 1957 a better grade leather was purchased, cut, stitched and fit in Philadelphia, while the same procedure in Hanover used lower grade materials. Both shoes were sold in Philadelphia under the Brooks name, and ranged from inexpensive to high-priced.<ref name="Union Law Suit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
In 1956, after a series of operational changes, John notified his brother that he would not renew their partnership agreement, and Michael discussed expanding Carmen with his nephew, Frank's son Barton. In 1957, following the dissolution of the partnership, the existence of Brooks Shoe Manufacturing Company was terminated, and Michael and Barton each acquired 50% of Carmen. In 1958, Michael purchased Barton's interest in the company, and as the sole owner, he renamed Carmen the Brooks Manufacturing Company.<ref name="Union Law Suit" /> Template:Notelist
1970s: Introduction of EVA, the Vantage, the Vanguard
In 1975, under then CEO Jerome A. Turner, Brooks worked with elite runners, including Marty Liquori, a former Olympian, to design a running shoe. The collaboration produced the Villanova, Brooks's first high-performance running shoe.<ref name="Run Happy">Template:Cite journal</ref> It was the first running shoe to use EVA, an air-infused foam that was later adopted by other athletic brands. Brooks followed the Villanova with the Vantage, a running shoe constructed with a wedge to address overpronation. In 1977, based on newly developed measurements of cushioning, flexibility, and durability.<ref name="EVA runners world">Template:Cite news</ref> The Vanguard was also introduced in the 1970s. Towards the end of the decade Brooks was among the top three selling brands in the US.<ref name="move to seattle 1991">Template:Cite news</ref>
1980s: Bankruptcy, the Chariot, Brooks for Women
In 1980, as a result of production issues with Brooks's manufacturing facility in Puerto Rico, defective shoes began to arrive at sporting goods stores. Nearly 30 percent of the shoes were returned, and Brooks scrapped 50,000 pairs. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and was purchased at auction by footwear manufacturer Wolverine World Wide in 1981.<ref name="Seattle Times 100" /><ref name="move to seattle 1991"/>
In 1982 Brooks introduced the Chariot, a medial post shoe that featured an angled wedge of harder-density foam in the midsole. It was thicker on the inside of the shoe and tapered toward the outside.<ref name="EVA runners world" /> In 1987 Brooks launched an anatomically adjusted line of shoes designed for women.<ref name="Milestones" />
1990s: The Beast, Adrenaline, ownership changes, apparel, Run Happy
In 1992, Brooks launched the Beast, a motion control shoe that integrated diagonal rollbar technology. In 1994, the Adrenaline GTS—an abbreviation for go-to shoe—was released. The Adrenaline GTS was built on a semi-curve, an accommodation for runners with a high arch and wide forefoot. The Beast became a best seller, and the Adrenaline GTS went on to become one of the best-selling running shoes of all time.<ref name="Footwear News 2015" /><ref name="Wayback wonders adrenaline">Template:Cite news</ref>
Wolverine moved Brooks away from the niche running market to a generalist athletic brand. The "class to mass" strategy was unsuccessful, and Brooks was sold to Norwegian private equity company The Rokke Group for $21 million in 1993. Brooks moved to Rokke's Seattle location following its acquisition. In 1998, Rokke sold a majority interest in Brooks to J.H. Whitney & Co., a Connecticut private equity firm.<ref name="Buffett boook">Template:Cite book</ref>
Brooks introduced a full-line of technical running and fitness apparel for women and men in the spring of 1997. It also expanded into the walking category with the introduction of performance walking shoes.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
Brooks's Run Happy tag line first appeared in print advertising in 1999.<ref name="Seattle Times 100" /> Rather than depicting running as a grueling pursuit, as competitive brands did, Run Happy was based on the idea that runners love running, and suggested that Brooks products allowed "runners to have the running experience they were looking for".<ref name="NYT Transcend">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Run Happy" />
2000s: Jim Weber, Berkshire Hathaway, BioMoGo
In 2001, Jim Weber, a former Brooks board member, was named president and CEO of the company. At the time, the company's market share was low, and bankruptcy had again become a concern. Weber cut lower-priced footwear from the Brooks product line, added an on-site lab and staff engineers, and focused the company on technical-performance running shoes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As the brand was rebuilt, its annual revenue fell to $20 million. Three years later, it was $69 million.<ref name="Buffett boook" />
Brooks was acquired by Russell Athletic in 2004. In 2006, Russell was purchased by Fruit of the Loom and Brooks became a subsidiary of Fruit of the Loom's parent company, Berkshire Hathaway. It became an independent subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway in 2011.<ref name="Buffett boook" />
In the mid-2000s, Brooks introduced High Performance Green Rubber, a material it developed for outsoles that used sand rather than petroleum.<ref name="urbanmeisters">Template:Cite news</ref> It subsequently developed BioMoGo, a biodegradable mid-sole for running shoes.<ref name="Fast Co Green Silence">Template:Cite news</ref> Brooks estimated that it would cut more than 30 million pounds of landfill waste over a 20-year period. The BioMoGo technology was open source.<ref name="alt consumer green">Template:Cite news</ref>
2010s: DNA, $500 million milestone, Brooks Heritage
Template:Multiple image Brooks DNA (and later Super DNA) was released in 2013. It adapted to the user's gender, weight and pace. It was engineered from non-Newtonian liquid.<ref name="Complex DNA">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2011, Brooks became the leading running shoe in the specialty market with revenue of $500 million.<ref name="Buffett boook" /><ref name="Inc Reinvented" /><ref name="CNBC" />
The Brooks Heritage Collection was launched in 2016, returning the Vanguard, the Chariot, and the Beast to the market. Only the technology was updated; the details of the original shoes, including the colorways, were replicated.<ref name="Esquire heritage">Template:Cite news</ref>
In 2017, Brooks shoes were named Best Running Shoe (The Glycerine and the Launch, Sports Illustrated);<ref name="SI Best">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Editor's Top Choice (The Adrenaline GTS 18, Runner's World).
Sponsorships
Brooks sponsors the Brooks Beast Track Club and Hansons-Brooks Distance Project. Notable past or present sponsors include two-time Olympic Medalist Josh Kerr,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Olympic runner Dathan Ritzenhein,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> two-time Olympian Kara Goucher,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Olympic runner Jess McClain,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and three-time Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>.
In June 2025 they became the main shirt sponsor for EFL League Two side Cambridge United.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
References
External links
Template:Berkshire Hathaway Template:Sports equipment brands Template:Running Shoe Brands Template:Queens Park Rangers F.C. shirt sponsors