#337 - Don Brown

The Nine Club With Chris Roberts

Don Brown discusses being at Sole Tech for 33 years, Pierre-André started Etnies in the late 1980s, Sole Tech helped make the first DC Shoes, Nike's strategic plan to take over the skate shoe market, the Sole Tech sale to The Nidecker group, companies now a days have F.O.G.O.B. fear of going out of business, being diagnosed with prostate cancer, getting sober and much more!

Timestamps

00:00:00 Don Brown

00:01:22 intro

00:02:30 Been at Sole Tech for 33 years. Recently sold to Nidecker Group

00:06:35 Skating blowing up in the 1980s

00:07:08 Seeing the 10-year cycle

00:09:52 Pierre-André started Etnies in the late 1980s

00:14:38 All the core skate shoe brands were friends in the mid-90s

00:16:42 Sole Tech helped make the first DC Shoes

00:22:43 Olympics is a big money grab - 35 commercials during finals

00:25:54 Do skaters even know about skater-owned things anymore?

00:32:16 Nike's strategic plan to take over the skate shoe market

00:40:05 Opening up Zumiez & PacSun

00:41:58 Nike came into surfing, then pulled out and screwed the whole industry

00:50:50 Brands keeping up with trends

00:55:31 Why they created Sheep Shoes

00:57:29 Vegan shoes most searched thing on their websites

01:05:15 Nidecker sale

01:18:55 F.O.G.O.B. - fear of going out of business

01:21:30 How's Pierre-André doing after the sale?

01:25:55 Diagnosed with prostate cancer

01:33:08 Withdrawals from tough guy shots

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