Special Guest

This week at NB we welcomed a very special guest to our headquarters here in Boston and Lawrence. Jennifer Barringer from the University of Colorado came to see if New Balance might be a good fit for her promising professional career.

Already a standout at the NCAA and national level, Barringer has her sights set on being one of the top runners on the world stage leading into the London Olympics in 2012. There have been very few athletes coming out of college with the talent and versatility of Jenny. An American Record holder in the 3000m steeplechase, which she set this past summer at the World Championships in Berlin, Barringer also holds numerous NCAA records both indoors and out. She has made it clear that she may be one of the world's best in the steeplechase, but also has the ability to be competitive at the top level on the flat track as well.

Because of her success through out her college career, there has obviously been a great deal of interest both inside the industry and among her fans who Jenny will choose to represent in her professional debut. New Balance was just one of several brands Barringer will visit over a ten day period in an effort to determine where she feels most at home. With intense competition from many other brands, the team here at NB worked extremely hard to show that we could help catapult her to the front of the pack both on and off the track.

Despite her grueling travel schedule, I think everyone here was impressed at how gracious, down-t0-earth, and energetic Barringer was on her visit and that elevated the excitement of her presence that much more. From the factory floor in Lawrence to the executive floor in Boston, she made quite an impression where ever she went. Beyond her athletic prowess, its her charisma, positive energy, and moral character that we felt made her such a strong fit for this brand. Our Team NB athletes are an amazing group to be able to work with on a regular basis and I can tell right away that she would be an outstanding addition.

I can say for sure that Jenny has numerous new fans at the NB office and we were extremely excited to have her in this past week. We hope she'll be wearing the flying NB in her professional debut, but we'll all be cheering for her even if she isn't!