Word: krafsur
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Like many other successful small companies, Spira started by accident. In 1999 David Krafsur, an aerospace engineer living in Knoxville, Tenn., was thinking of ways to cushion his treadmill when he saw compact wave springs featured in a trade magazine. He figured the tiny springs could fit in shoes instead. Krafsur ordered some wave springs, and he picked up a $10 pair of skippies at Wal-Mart. As his wife rolled her eyes, Krafsur filleted the sole of each sneaker like a fresh trout, stuck springs in the heel and the forefoot and duct-taped them back together...
...athletic market, which gives a sneaker stature, Spira is still near the starting blocks. Runners won't sprint to pay $130, the cost of a high-tech Spira, for a brand they have never heard of. Plus, the sneakers aren't dashing. "They're ugly," says Andy Krafsur. Spiras are in 700 retail shops, but they didn't test well at Foot Locker, the 4,000-store giant. "We need to establish ourselves in the small stores where people explain the technology," says Krafsur. "That's where Nike started." The company can't compete with Nike if the USA Track...
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