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“There are all kinds of achievements we can work toward in running — and life — and this group embraced and celebrated them all.” That’s Allie Schaich, one of 120 women across the United States who made up Nike’s Project Dreamweaver, a program created to help athletes chase their dreams of qualifying for the most competitive U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials ever assembled. Nike listened as everyday marathoners questioned if the new Women’s Olympic Trials Qualification (OTQ) of 2:37 — a drop of eight minutes from the 2020 Trials — could be done. The Nike team quickly pulled together the resources, expertise and community to help them. Similar to Nike’s unparalleled support of its elite athlete roster, Project Dreamweaver offered program participants the holistic resources and help needed, from coaching and nutrition to sport psychology and physiology guidance and more. The partnership supported the athletes both in the renowned Nike Sport Research Lab and the roads where they trained and raced across the U.S over the last two years. That support included creating a community of women who rallied each other forward, says Schaich, who works at Nike as a Manager in Strategy and Connected Membership. While Project Dreamweaver runners varied in skill levels, background and hometowns, they were united by a common belief: a dream worth pursuing is worth chasing together.
Welcome to the next era of Nike Air: the Nike Air Max Dn It's different than any Nike Air creation you’ve ever seen. And thanks to Dynamic Air, it feels different too. The Nike Air Max Dn's new dual-pressure Air unit allows air to respond to pressure from each step, delivering a smooth sensation that isn’t just comfortable — it’s interactive. Leave it to the team at Nike to reinvent Air for a new generation. “Dynamic Air raises our benchmark for what Nike Air feels like,” says Kathy Gomez, Nike VP, NXT Footwear. “We’re always raising our expectations of what we can deliver for athletes. We’re using every tool at our disposal and every bit of our expertise to create new sensations with Air, while doing it more precisely. That expertise is where our teammates were so important in creating the Dn. Everyone from our researchers to our engineers to our material developers at Nike played a role is raising our standard for what’s possible with Air.”
Need a fresh cut? Our teammates can swing by the Air Salon for a trim, touch-up or makeover from a team of pro stylists. Donal Smith has worked at Nike’s on-site salon for more than 30 years (That’s her giving the stellar manicure in the gallery below). She’s watched plenty of teammates put down their roots in the company and make their professional dreams a reality, their conversations flowing from the comfort of the styling chair. “In more than three decades as a stylist here, I’ve seen our employees grow, evolve and become leaders,” Donal says. “Come in for a session, and our team will take inspiration from your individual style as well as Nike’s sport heritage to address your needs.”
Tyler Faligowski has worked at Nike for more than 27 years. He’s held seven different titles in Air Manufacturing Innovation (Air MI), which creates the next generation of Air units for Nike shoes. He’s worked four different production floor shifts and worked in many different locations, including Nike’s World Headquarters (WHQ) in Beaverton, Ore. He always knew what his ultimate goal was from the minute he was hired in ‘95: to be a supervisor on the production floor at Air MI. Today, he's the leader he dreamed of becoming. “It was back in ’99 when I was working in Nike Team Sports at WHQ, when one day, an old manager of mine at Air MI called me up,” says Tyler. “There was a weekend supervisor role at AIR Sole – that was the name of Air MI at the time. I applied for it and got it, so I went back to manufacturing. Having my former leader reach out to me was extremely rewarding. He saw potential in me, but more importantly, we had a genuine relationship that continued even after I left the team.” Tyler was promoted to Production Manager in 2010 and then Director of Production Operations in 2017, leading different production platforms at Air MI. Today, he finds ways to pay it forward and advocate for his team like his former managers did for him. He helps lead a program at Air MI that empowers workers to share their voice with leadership and create positive change they want to see.
At NIKE, Inc., we understand the individual responsibility for shaping our collective future. Here, teammates are grounded in the strength of purpose. We put ethics into action, leveling the playing field, protecting our collective playground, and expanding access to sport for everyone.
The Boston Celtics play the Denver Nuggets tomorrow in a battle of East against West. Even from the view on your couch, you’ll likely spot those distinct foam pods on the sides of Jayson Tatum’s second signature shoe with Jordan Brand, the Tatum 2. The shoe’s design is rooted in a philosophy that powers Jordan Brand’s approach to performance footwear: get at the motion and emotion behind Tatum’s game, and distill those qualities through every facet of the shoe. For Kelsey “Shme” Amy, Expert Color Designer of Performance Footwear at Jordan Brand, color is her tool to tell Jayson’s story. She started working alongside the All-Star forward in 2019 with the Air Jordan XXXIV. Since then, they’ve worked on six different models together, brainstormed more than 100 colorways, and most important, have forged one solid relationship. It’s not uncommon for Amy to get a text from Jayson, day or night, about a wild new colorway idea. What does she think? Can the team make it happen? For Amy, professional trust from athletes like Jayson might be the single most important factor of her job — and one that she loves. “Those big ideas come to life for me through color," says Kelsey. "Jayson has an open line of communication with us at any time, because we all want to make his ideas a reality. When you get an entire group who’s committed to growing that same level of trust with Jayson, you get a really special team, and a really special shoe.”
We observe January 15 as a National Day of Service, closing our U.S.-based Nike, Jordan and Converse offices, distribution centers and Air MI facilities. As Nike athletes, we know the intersection of civil rights and social justice isn’t passive, but participatory. This year, Nike is also celebrating its four-year milestone of the Black Community Commitment (BCC). Launched in 2020, Nike committed $40 million over four years, and Jordan Brand and Michael Jordan committed $100 million over 10 years, together investing in and supporting organizations focused on economic empowerment, education innovation and social justice to address racial inequality for the Black Community in the United States. The BCC Task Force visited Memphis last fall to tour the National Civil Rights Museum, which Nike has supported since 1996, and Nike’s North America Logistics Campus (You can watch some footage of their visit below). The Task Force took the opportunity to speak directly with local Nike teammates and some of the local community organizations that have received BCC grants so far. This is how the success of the BCC must be measured, says Willie Gregory, Nike Sr. Director of Community Relations, Mid-South — by the health of these local organizations who are committed over the long haul to advance racial equity for Black Americans. “If you’re a company, you owe your community the best you can give it,” says Gregory, who's also a BCC Task Force Member.
We believe an active next generation means a better, more equitable future. That’s why every year, through our Nike Community Impact Fund (NCIF), we invest in nonprofits that are improving access to play and sport for all kids in the areas where we live and work. And our employees play a leading role in the grant selection process, sharing their local insights to help determine what organizations receive funding. Since 2009, NCIF has awarded nearly $13.5 million through close to 1,400 grants, expanded to serve 15 communities around the world, and engaged more than 2,500 employees. This year, we’ll continue to drive local impact with more than $1.5 million in grants to support local programs in 13 key cities and employee backyards across the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. “I feel lucky to work for a company that allows its employees to decide how funds are distributed to these different community nonprofits,” says Cathy Swearengenduncan, an area manager at the Nike Distribution Center in Memphis who was part of her local NCIF Employee Grant Selection Committee last year and helped select 13 organizations to receive funding. Help us spread the word to changemakers in your community: 2024 NCIF applications are open now through Feb. 15, 2024 for eligible organizations and schools.
When Nike Merchandising Operations Director Kaitlyn Peale ran her first marathon in 2018, she was hooked. A lifelong runner, her love of the sport took her from middle school track to collegiate cross country, and eventually to the 26.2 mile distance. Peale’s marathon story has been written with the Alphafly, the most dominant marathon shoe in history. As part of her role at Nike and as a member of the Bowerman Track Club Elite team, she began product-testing the line in conjunction with training for her first of five marathons. Big workouts, grueling distances — she’s done them all wearing the Alphafly (That's her in the photo wearing a pair in Berlin in 2022). And along the way, she’s qualified for two U.S. Marathon Trials in different iterations of the shoe. In her mind, the new Alphafly 3 is the best version yet. She’s used prototypes of the latest iteration of Nike’s pinnacle marathon shoe throughout her training for the upcoming 2024 trials in Orlando. The feeling that comes to mind when she thinks about testing Nike’s super shoe as part of her day job: Passionate. “I loved the chance to test the shoe,” she says. “Only at a place like Nike could I contribute to making our athletes better at all levels of competition. I get to see the energy, science and expertise that goes into making this system of speed that will benefit all athletes chasing a personal best in the marathon. I’ve experienced what it’s like to cross the tape feeling like you have no limitations."
As we wrap each year, the Converse Lovejoy Market is an opportunity for our teammates to showcase their creativity and how they #CreateNext by sharing and selling their personal creations at Lovejoy, Converse’s global headquarters.
