New Balance President and CEO Rob DeMartini has been named the country's Most Playful CEO in a nationwide search for inventive leaders who incorporate play and innovation into the work environment to encourage collaboration and teamwork. The award is sponsored by Playworks, a national nonprofit organization that supports learning and a positive school climate by providing healthy, inclusive play and physical activity.


DeMartini joined New Balance as CEO in 2007, moving to the company from Tyson Foods, where he oversaw all aspects of the company's $6 billion consumer products business. Prior to Tyson's, he was with Procter & Gamble for 18 years. 


At New Balance, the only athletic shoe manufacturer still making shoes in the United States, he has a reputation for leading by example, according to Playworks. The statement said, “DeMartini is personally involved in the company's commitment to get people moving, and a clear supporter of New Balance's community service initiatives. He is a runner, cyclist, skier and community advocate, and from road races to company bike builds, actively participates in New Balance's events around play, sport, community service and physical activity. He also serves as vice chair on board of directors for KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit organization that empowers communities to build playgrounds.”


Playworks' Board Chair Randy Drake, Senior Vice President of Fitness for 24 Hour Fitness and head of the 2011 selection committee, stated, “New Balance has a longstanding commitment to getting folks active and playing. Rob DeMartini exemplifies the power of play in the workplace and is personally connected to ensuring that his employees get out and play in their communities. He genuinely values the role of play and sees it as a tool to keep the organization from becoming too complacent about the quality of their products.”


“Playworks is about providing adult role models who get out and play in their schools and communities,” explains Playworks Executive Director, David Rothenberg. “But play has value far beyond the playground. Leaders who bring play into the workplace can create more collaborative and innovative environments that benefit companies, consumers and communities. These are the role models we like to honor.”

Meanwhile, New Balance ranked first in the athletic footwear category in the 2011 Harris Poll EquiTrend Value Retail Brand of the Year study. New Balance was followed in the athletic footwear category by Sperry Top Sider, Nike, Asics, Dexter Shoes, Adidas, and Reebok.

New Balance earned a rating of 67.7; Sperry Top Sider, 66.2; Nike, 65.5; Asics, 65.0; Dexter Shoes, 64.6; Adidas, 63.1; and Reebok, 60.9. The industry average was 60.2. The rankings are based on consumer surveys.

Other brands scored were Airwalk, Converse Athletic Footwear, K-Swiss Athletic Footwear, Keds, Puma Athletic Footwear, Saucony, Skechers Stride Rite,

In the statement, Jeni Lee Chapman, Executive Vice President of Brand and Communications Consulting at Harris Interactive, noted that despite the massive advertising budgets of Nike and Adidas, smaller brands such as New Balance and Asics were being recognized by consumers.

“As consumers search for value across segments, smaller brands are taking advantage of this and emerging on top,” said Chapman.
“New Balance is delivering on consumer desire for well made products at a reasonable cost for the everyday athlete.”

In the value retail category, Target came out on top, followed by Walmart. Only four retailers were scored in the study. It also included Sears and Kmart.

The EquiTrend study evaluates measures including: Equity, Consumer Connection, Commitment, Brand Behavior, Brand Advocacy, and Trust. The keystone to the program is Equity, which provides an understanding of a brand's overall strength and is determined by a calculation of Familiarity, Quality, and Purchase Consideration.

This year's Harris Poll EquiTrend study was conducted online among 25,099 U.S. consumers ages 15 and over between January 11 and 27, 2011. A total of 1,273 brands were rated in 53 separate categories. Each respondent was asked to rate a total of 60 randomly selected brands. Each brand received approximately 1,000 ratings.

Data were weighted to be representative of the entire U.S. population of consumers ages 15 and over on the basis of age sex, education, race/ethnicity, region, and income, and data from respondents ages 18 and over were also weighted for their propensity to be online.