In February, the coronavirus, which had wreaked so much havoc overseas, started taking hold in the United States. Kittredge has always tried to grow the company wisely, keeping in mind a lesson he learned early that cash flow is king for businesses like his. Before the coronavirus pandemic, he said, ISlide grew between 15 and 70 percent each year. Kittredge has an unusual hiring process: He targets the best people he can find and figures out afterward how they will fit the company work-wise. ISlide values creativity and positive energy. Olynyk said the experience of visiting the headquarters “helps make it really special.” Twice a year, ISlide runs an event during which customers can sit down with a designer and control the creative process to build sandals they want. He hasn’t made it there yet, but ISlide’s newest building in Hyde Park has a half court inside it. One of his goals has been to put a full basketball court into his company’s work space. He turned down an offer on the show, but kept working.Įmployees say Kittredge almost never clocks out. In 2016, Kittredge appeared on “Shark Tank” - alongside NFL receiver Antonio Brown - to pitch his company. ISlide kept growing, partnering with professional sports leagues to deliver licensed products. Over time, he added more interns and they eventually became full-time employees. Like, I had never even done it before.”Įarly, Kittredge said he figured he could either run back to Reebok “with my tail between my legs” or figure it out. “And I realized it was really freaking hard. “And then I started to do it,” Kittredge said. Researching the competition, Kittredge saw the opportunity for a custom slides company that could produce comfortable footwear quickly, one pair at a time. At first, the entire staff included just Kittredge and a single intern. After growing disgruntled as the head of the basketball division at Reebok in 2012, when the company was shifting away from the sport, he turned his sights toward creating ISlide. The Celtics connection, which helped ISlide gain footing in the industry, emerged again as an asset when the company – like so many others these days – encountered tough times. Once laid off - ultimately, temporarily - from a previous job at Reebok, Kittredge vowed never to push anyone into the same fate. It’s a promise he kept until the COVID-19 pandemic forced him to shift into survival mode in an attempt to right a business that had never wobbled like this before. The former Celtics players marveled at Kittredge’s work ethic and spirit, believing that his energy – as much as the unique concept – served as the foundation for his business’s success. Olynyk continued to show love from his new professional home in Miami. Turner and Crowder joined the company as investors. Until recently, ISlide thrived, capitalizing on its unique vision and quality slides. Visitors at his house can see his many pairs of sandals. As ISlide continued to expand, Olynyk emerged as one of the key supporters, hawking the products at every turn. He supplied a different design to all of the instructors at his summer basketball camp. Among his favorites were a pair with a silhouette of him in a snapback hat with his hair flowing through. Olynyk, drawn to Kittredge’s enthusiasm, visited the company’s Hyde Park headquarters several times and developed relationships with a number of people throughout the business. The Celtics were rising, business was booming and ISlide was carving out a place in the market. The players were eager to flash their footwear through social media and other channels, Olynyk believes, because the sandals revealed a part of them. Jae Crowder wore a pair that read “99 problems,” a play on Crowder’s number and the Jay-Z song by that name. Isaiah Thomas owned a slew of different pairs, including one stamped with his nickname: The King in the Fourth. Evan Turner proudly showed off his slides with the famous bicycle logo from the film “E.T.” superimposed on a basketball. Since then, several players have supported the company in their own ways. That was near the start of the Celtics’ infatuation with ISlide. From everybody’s reaction, Olynyk knew he had smacked a home run. Avery Bradley’s shouted out his hometown, Tacoma, Wash. Jonas Jerebko’s featured the logo of the eSports team he owned. Marcus Smart’s highlighted the guard’s haircut at the time – a dyed mohawk. Through ISlide, Olynyk designed a pair for each of his teammates. NBA players could get just about anything by themselves, but they couldn’t personalize such comfortable sandals elsewhere. Olynyk even memorized the motto: Stand in what you stand for. He appreciated everything about the business, from the people who worked there to the idea for the customizable footwear. After meeting Justin Kittredge, the owner of ISlide, Olynyk fell in love with the company’s customized sandals.
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