Fleet Feet, Incorporated, the nation’s leading franchisor of running specialty stores, held its 2003 National Franchise Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, from July 13-16. The conference, which was held at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel, brought together franchise owners and managers representing almost 50 Fleet Feet stores, as well as senior management from Adidas, Asics, Brooks, Mizuno, New Balance, Nike, Saucony, and Reebok for their annual gathering.

Fleet Feet presented the following awards at its opening session on Sunday, July 13, and it’s annual awards dinner on Monday, July 14:

Fleet Feet Brand Builder Award

This award recognizes a Fleet Feet franchisee for excellence in establishing and promoting the Fleet Feet brand in their community, and for contributions to the national Fleet Feet network. The award was presented to Ed & Ellen Griffin of Fleet Feet Syracuse, New York.

Fleet Feet Rookie of the Year
This award recognizes an outstanding Fleet Feet franchise that has been open less than 3 years. The award was presented to Susan Frankel & Jeremy Perlin of Fleet Feet Cincinnati, Ohio

Fleet Feet Footwear Vendor of the Year

This award recognizes a footwear manufacturer for providing excellent product and support to Fleet Feet stores. The award was presented to Brooks Sports, Inc, which was also the recipient of the previous year’s award.

Fleet Feet Lifetime Commitment to Running Award

This award recognizes an industry leader who has shown career-long dedication to the business and sport of running. The award was presented to George Hirsch of Runner’s World magazine.

Fleet Feet also presented nine Jane Ketchin Bryl Memorial Scholarships. The scholarships were established in 1999 in memory of Jane Bryl of Fleet Feet Albuquerque, New Mexico. In offering these scholarships, Fleet Feet hopes to enable young people associated with Fleet Feet to pursue their educational goals. The scholarships were presented to Tom Dannan of Fleet Feet Syracuse, NY; Justin Denton of Fleet Feet Davis, CA; Dawn Gimbel of Fleet Feet Pleasanton, CA; Jake Goldsborough of Fleet Feet St. Louis, MO; Gabriel Gonzalez of Fleet Feet Chicago, IL; Ryan Schweet of Fleet Feet Cincinnati, OH; Nicole Steele of Fleet Feet, Incorporated; and Hugh Thompson and Matt Verdin of Fleet Feet Greenville, SC.