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FitSystem® Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2003
PHIL OREN
Develops New Advanced Fore Foot And Rear Foot
Modification Technique:
Oren
Director/Founder of the FitSystem by Phil Oren®
has developed an Advanced Modification System
for modifying footwear for people that have badly
deformed feet. He developed this system as a result
of his own badly deformed feet.
The FitSystem by Phil
Oren® just trained personnel from Alpine Shop, St
Louis, MO; Travel Country, Altamonte Springs; FL,
Summit Hut, Tucson, AZ; Whistle Workwear, Tacoma,
WA; Lowa Rep in Southern CA; Montrail Rep in
Southern CA; Kirham’s, Salt Lake City, UT; and
Foot of the Bighorns, Sheridan, WY
Oren has been working
on the System for 3 years and feels it will be
launched in Spring of 2004 with more dealers.
The dealers will be
trained on how to cast customer’s feet with a pair
of STS polyester resin impregnated socks, the resin
is activated with water and sets up within 3-5
minutes. With special scissors it is then cut off
and sent to the FitSystem®. They pour a special hard
type urethane catalytic material that sets up hard
making a perfect replica of their feet. The dealer
then heats up the footwear and with a hydraulic pump
pushes the mold into the footwear to match the
deformed feet and then heats up the footwear to
remold the materials to the form of the customer’s
feet. This System works on all types of footwear:
hiking, working, golf, running, dress, etc, etc.
If the person needs the footwear to be modified
Roberto La Rosa (FootWerks) will be able to use the
molds to adapt the boots for the customer. The
response from people that have had it done to their
footwear has been great.
The FitSystem®
modification technique is still in it embryonic
state. The costs will be set at a later date,
however Oren wants dealers to start making molds for
their customers to see what a great job the cast do.
This is a program that is being implemented by the
above dealers. The program will be expanded as more
dealers are trained in the future.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 14, 2003
FITSYSTEM BY PHIL OREN® EXPANDS ADDS THREE NEW
SPONSORS
PRESCOTT, AZ- Bite Footwear, Mountain Hardwear, and
Zamberlan Boot Mfg., have signed on for three years
to support and promote the FitSystem®.
Mountain Hardwear, Richmond, CA is quite unique;
they are sponsoring the FitSystem® and do not even
sell footwear. Jack Gilbert the President, said
”The FitSystem® is helping the specialty retailers
be more professional, which in turn helps us a
manufacture. Also the consumers have a better
experience in the outdoors and become happier
customers”.
John Connelly a supporter of the FitSystem® is the
new Brand Manager of Zamberlan USA, based in
Bozeman, MT. We are glad to have John back in our
industry.
Bite Footwear has developed a sandal that will
accommodate a Trim to Fit, Custom footbed or
corrective orthotics. The sandal caught the eye of
Doug Stone with Travel Country, Altamonte Springs,
FL and he showed it to Phil Oren. This is a unique
new sandal in the market place.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 8TH, 2002
FITSYSTEM® ADDS DOUG STONE
FUTURE DIRECTOR
The FitSystem by Phil Oren® is proud to announce the
addition of Doug Stone as an instructor and excited
with plans for Doug’s three-year transition to being
Director by 2005, says Phil Oren, Founder/Director.
Currently, Doug is with Travel Country Outdoors, Altamonte
Springs, Florida, and will continue working there as
well as being involved with the FitSystem®. Doug
brings with him diverse expertise in retail and the
Internet. Since joining Travel Country Outdoors in
1995, his experience includes sales; management,
shipping and receiving; buying footwear and
hardgoods; and management Internet. His grasp of the
purpose of the FitSystem® as related to the store
and consumer make him one of a kind and have
propelled the footwear department.
His responsibilities and broad range of duties include
implementing, managing, clinicing, and testing
programs for employees, developing relationships
with manufacturers, buying footwear and hardgoods,
improving sales techniques, training staff on
FitSystem® and maintaining the store website. His
successes, accomplishments, hands on and
implementation of systems will be a great asset for
expansion of the FitSystem®.
Doug will continue to focus within the outdoor industry on
FitSystem® training of retailers (to properly fit
their customer’s feet in hiking and walking
footwear) and consumer events. Oren looks forward to
the eventual role of consultant.
The FitSystem® continues to have on staff instructors,
Roberto LaRosa, John Andrew, and Michael Harman and
plan to expand with regional associates for retail
training and consumer events. With additional staff
they plan to reach out to other footwear markets
such as running, hunting and work.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 3, 2000
THE FITSYSTEM BY PHIL OREN® EXPANDS TO CONSUMER EVENTS WITH BACKPACKER MAGAZINE
PRESCOTT, AZ
The FitSystem by Phil Oren® is proud to announce the addition of the following companies helping to promote proper and more professional fitting of footwear. The Backpacker Magazine has joined with Superfeet, Wigwam Mills and W.L. Gore as Founders of the FitSystem®. New Sponsors are Outlast Technologies, Inc., Scarpa/Black Diamond and Tecnica USA joining for the good of the Outdoor Industry.
The Backpacker Magazine, in conjunction with the FitSystem by Phil Oren®, will be conducting seven consumer events. Backpacker’s Get Fit Clinics will be held in the following cities: Madison, WI; Louisville, KY; Damascus, VA; St. Louis, MO; San Diego, CA; Tucson, AZ; and Iowa City, IA. The FitSystem® will conduct the Workshops with Backpacker promoting the events.
In the year 2001 Backpacker Magazine and the FitSystem® will conduct 12 Get Fit Clinics in North America. The events will consist of a talk by the staff of the FitSystem by Phil Oren® the evening prior on what to do to get a proper fit with your footwear and what to expect the next day at Backpacker’s Get Fit Clinic. Consumers will register in advance to participate in a day long event, proceeding through the System®, to enhance their foot comfort and hopefully their quality of life. The System® includes inspecting their feet bottom to top (noting areas on their feet that create problems for the fitter of their footwear), determining the volume of the feet, selecting proper socks, measuring and evaluating the need for stabilizing with footbeds, choosing the correct footwear and modifying the footwear as needed.
Manufactures will have displays and answer questions regarding their products. This type of event has been conducted by the FitSystem by Phil Oren® in parts of the USA and the United Kingdom. With Backpacker helping promote the Get Fit Clinics in various issues of Backpacker Magazine, direct mail, and in store promotions, it is going to be an even greater event for the footwear industry.
Backpacker Magazine and Phil Oren are going to prepare a 16 page brochure on proper fitting of footwear which will be included in the April or June issue.
Workshop Founders North America:
Backpacker Magazine, Superfeet® Footbeds, Wigwam Mills Inc. Ultimax®, W.L. Gore and Associates Inc.
Workshop Sponsors North America:
AKU Boots, Asolo USA, Brannock Device® Company, Danner Shoe Company, Garmont USA Inc, Heat® Factory, Leki USA Inc, Lowa USA, Merrell Footwear, Montrail, NEOS Performance Overshoes, Nikwax USA, Outdoor Retailer, Outlast Technologies Inc., Salomon USA, Scarpa/Black Diamond, Tecnica USA, Vasque, Vibram® (Quabaug).
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 23, 1998
The FitSystem by Phil Oren®
FIRST YEAR IS A BIG SUCCESS
PRESCOTT, AZ-- Phil Oren, Director of the FitSystem by Phil Oren®, Nancy Oren and Bob Rose conducted the following events in 1998:
- 17 Intermediate Workshops
- 3 Advanced Workshops
- 2 One day Workshops
- 1 Consumer day at Gore Outdoor in Maryland
- 1 Consumer day in the United Kingdom
- 5 Consumer day at the Summit Hut in Tucson, Arizona1 Consumer day at Adventure- 16 in San Diego, California
- 1 Consumer day at Active Endeavors in Iowa City, Iowa
- 2 Consumer day for Galyan's Trading Company in Schaumburg, Illinois and Indianapolis Indiana
- 2 training days Merrell Tech Reps
- 1 day training Salomon Representatives
- 1 day training Danner Boot U.S.A. Representatives
- 1-1/2 days training Summit Hut Staff in Tucson, Arizona
- 1-1/2 days training Erehwon Staff in Chicago
- 4 evening presentations to consumers
- 2-Summit Hut Tucson, Arizona Adventure-16 San Diego, California Active Endeavors Iowa City, Iowa
- 2 Presentations to Representatives at the Outdoor Show Garmont U.S.A. Lifelink International Morning clinic to the Staff of the Scott & White Podiatry Department (DR Preston Goforth)
- 5 days consulting on Bootfit
The FitSystem® conducted a TGO Boot Camp this year in the United Kingdom with 60 consumers attending; the event was a great success. The consumers were very appreciative of the talks and the hands on fitting of their footwear with our bootfitters.
The consumer event is very important to get the word out that proper fit is available. The consumer will be the driving force for dealers to become more professional in fitting footwear which will benefit all-- the consumer, retailer, magazines and manufactures. The dealers are really excited about the opportunity to participate in this type of event. The dealers and manufactures involved were very happy too. The Consumer Days were very rewarding, increased sales and happy customers.
We are conducting 6 Boot Camps during 1999: 2 Scotland, 2 Lakes District and 2 London area. We will be expanding this Consumer Program in the future.
The staff for the FitSystem® has been increased to meet the demand of Workshops and more consumer days.
Michael Harmon brings current on floor FitSystem® retail experience for 8 years at Adventure-16, plus a Masters of Traditional Oriental Medicine.
John Andrew from Midwest Mountaineering is going to assist doing Workshops for 1999. John has a degree in Sports and Exercise Science (exercise physiology and bio-mechanics). John also has been implementing the FitSystem® at the retail level for the past 9 years.
Bob Rose is completing his training for a license to be a certified Pedorthist, in addition to his incredible boot making and repair skills. Bob also is in his third year at University of Colorado and seeking his Bachelor degree in Kinesiology.
There will be an advertisement in the BackPacker listing all of the dealers that have attended a FitSystem Workshop® in the past 5 years and have incorporated Phase 1 of the FitSystem® to become an Expert Footwear Fitting Shop. Phase #1 consists of the following: fit card, Brannock Device men's and women's, boot fit bench, 20 degree incline board, rock board, rubbing bar, 5 iron neoprene slip sole material, boot tongue foam depressor, Superfeet Trim to Fit Blue and Green.
Phil Oren is preparing a 7,000 to 8,000 word supplement in booklet form with illustrations, "Basics of Fitting Feet". This will be on the art, science and common sense of fitting people's feet properly. This is to be the first of a series of 3 to 4 supplement booklets on all aspects of fitting footwear.
We will not be conducting any Workshops in 1999 in Canada. We are doing Workshops close to the border to assist the Canadian dealers that want to attend. We will be working towards year 2000 to go back to Canada. We will do Workshops in: Buffalo, New York; Toledo, Ohio; and Burlington, Vermont.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 5, 1997
PHIL OREN ENDS CAREER AS SALES REP
TO BUILD HIS BOOT-FITTING BUSINESS
PRESCOTT, AZ - Phil Oren, owner of BST Sports and probably one of the outdoor industry’s best-known manufacturer’s representatives, is ending his 25-year career as a rep to focus his time and energy on building his growing boot-fitting business, effective Feb. 2, 1998.
Oren established BST Sports in September, 1973. In February, he will turn the business over to his associates, Bob Nagy and John Rush, who joined Oren and his wife, Nancy, as sales reps in 1980 and ’83, respectively.
Currently, Oren represents Mountain Hardware, Asolo, Wigwam, Heat Factory, Nikwax, Croakies/Life-Link and Harborside Graphics. Over the past 25 years, his accounts have also included Lowa and Galibier hiking boots, Royal Robbins and The North Face. Previous to his career as a sales rep, Oren worked for 15 years in sporting goods retailing, primarily for Neal’s Sporting Goods in Orange County, Calif.
He received the Outdoor Industry and Leadership Excellence Award in 1996 in recognition of his leadership, expertise and commitment to excellence in educating, training and servicing his retail customers.
His boot-fitting business, Phil Oren FitSystem®, will initially continue to focus within the outdoor industry, training retailers to properly fit their customers’ feet in hiking and walking footwear. The second phase will include running and in-line skating. Oren began developing these clinics in 1987, an outgrowth of his own search for boots to fit his badly deformed feet. After a lifetime of athletic endeavors in footwear that did not fit, he developed severe foot problems, plus knee and lower-back complications.
Since 1994 alone, he has offered 289 clinics to over 731 retailers nationwide, plus six clinics in the United Kingdom. "I want to revolutionize the way footwear fits people’s feet," Oren explains, "not just so that their feet are comfortable, but for their whole well being - their feet, knees and back, all of which are affected by how their feet are fit into footwear." Phil Oren FitSystem® trains retail staff to identify specific foot configurations and needs, find the appropriate boot and make modifications, as needed, to accommodate them. He will be joined by associate Bob Rose, and his wife, Nancy. Founders of the business include SuperFeet, W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., and Wigwam. "The outdoor industry has been a great family to work in these last 25 years," he reflects. "I’ve learned so much from so many people. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the exposure I’ve had from various management teams and the opportunities I’ve had in retail and as a rep. All of these experiences have taught me how to approach situations from different angles. My experience in retail gave me the foundation to understand retailers’ needs and help them to the best of my ability as their sales rep."
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