Running Shoe Company On Opens U.S. HQ Doors

Swiss running shoe company On has officially opened its first U.S. headquarters, in Portland, OR. Since the brand launched in the U.S. in 2011, a small local team had been operating out of Florida.

“Portland has a real talent pool of experienced shoe industry professionals to draw from as we continue to grow,” said co-founder Caspar Coppetti. “The city has a real European feel that will be a good environment to adopt our corporate culture.”

The company said that it saw the urgency to open a formal U.S. office at The Running Event held in Austin in early December 2012. At the time, On had expanded to around 140 specialty run accounts in the U.S. The company now has eight full-time employees in the Portland office as well as another five independent reps.

Overall, On has landed in about 700 doors globally since being launched three years ago. It has particularly developed a strong foothold in Central Europe, Scandinavia and Australia and is currently launching in Japan, Taiwan and Korea.

The On office is located in the Pearl District at 308 NW 11th Street, Suite #201, Portland, OR 97209. Ted Goodlake, director of sales for North America, heads up the U.S. office.

The On sole features the patented CloudTec system, comprised of three-dimensional elements or “clouds,” made of highly flexible tubular pieces of rubber. With this design, the sole absorbs both vertical and horizontal forces to ensure a soft landing, the company said.

“Once the foot is on the ground, the clouds lock firm, providing a solid foundation for a powerful push-off,” it explained. “The On shoe thus combines what conventional running shoes have so far failed to unite: a cushioned landing and a barefoot takeoff. It’s like stepping down on sand and pushing off on a running track!”