PRESS RELEASES
LawnGrips LLC is First Company to Make Footwear Specifically Designed for Lawn/Garden Work
Why Should Gardeners Wear an Old Pair of Sneakers?
”People wear special shoes when they run, walk, play tennis, play basketball, hunt, fish, ski or even skateboard, but most people will simply put on a pair of old sneakers when they mow the lawn or work in the garden,” says Russ Stark.
Not anymore.
Four years ago Stark decided to leverage his 22 years experience in the shoe industry to start LawnGrips, LLC, the first company to make footwear specifically designed for landscapers and gardeners.
He does not regret his decision since the young company has surpassed all expectations. It started producing a single LawnGrips slip-on shoe for men and now markets three other men’s models, a slip-on shoe for women and a totally new line of GardenGrips clogs for women.
LawnGrips LLC is succeeding because Russ Stark knows about business and knows about shoes -- having spent 10 years selling heels and soles to shoe manufacturers for Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company and another 13 years as a consultant to shoe manufacturers on all component materials of shoe construction.
Stark also has the strong management support of family, with his wife, his two sisters and their husbands becoming officers of the company. His wife of 22 years, Beth, is Vice President of Customer Service; sister Marti is Corporate Secretary; her husband George is Chief Operating Officer; sister Teddi is Vice President of Marketing, and her husband Joe is Vice President of Manufacturing.
Although he is a native of Akron, Ohio, and earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio Wesleyan University, Stark moved with Beth and their two teenage daughters to Oregon and opened the company’s headquarters in Lake Oswego, Oregon because he knew the shoe industry was centered around the Portland area. The rest of the management team stayed in place. Marti and George, who is a retired chemical engineer, live in Houston, Texas, and Teddi and Joe, who is an optometrist, live in San Diego, Calif.
“Before starting the company we conducted a considerable amount of research and discovered there is a very strong market for the product,” recalls the 49-year-old entrepreneur. “We found that most landscapers, groundskeepers and other professional lawn/garden workers wear construction-type shoes that are really designed for indoor work and do not have the best traction for working on grass or in a garden. We also learned from insurance company statistics that there are more than 70,000 emergency room visits each year by homeowners who are injured while running their lawnmower.”
Considerable research also went into the shoes’ design, including an extensive survey of professional and home gardeners. “We wanted to get it right when designing a shoe that offers specific features and benefits to people who spend a considerable amount of time on a wide range of gardening chores,” Stark concludes.
A deciding factor, he points out, was an exclusive arrangement made with British inventor Tony Evans to equip all his LawnGrips and GardenGrips footwear with the patented Grip-N-Go™ outsole that is based on a soccer shoe design for maximum forward and lateral traction, even on wet grass.
After a year-and-a-half of extensive research, development and testing, the first pair of LawnGrips – the single slip-on model for men -- was sold in June 2005. Today, there are eight SKUs, including six- and eight-inch laced boots for men in whole and half sizes 7 through 11½ plus 12 and 13; a women’s slip-on in whole and half sizes 7 through 10½ plus 11 and 12; and the new GardenGrips clogs for women, available in three colors -- moss, indigo and slate – and in women's sizes 6 through 12.
For further information, to find a dealer in your area or to order online, visit the website at www.lawngrips.com or call toll-free 1-877-4GRIPS1.
Contact: Russell Stark, CEO of LawnGrips, 219-617-1522 or email contactus@lawngrips.com