There's an old bromide that says if life gives you lemons, turn them into lemonade. Robert J. Shay, founder and CEO of Park City-based Surefoot LC, took that advice to heart and turned a love for skiing and a pair of feet that were difficult to fit into a company with 15 retail stores that sell specialty ski boots and orthotics.
Shay, 41, was bitten early by the entrepreneur bug when, at age 20, he bought his first investment property, a single-family home, the first of several residential properties he purchased in the Salt Lake Valley.An expert skier, Shay eventually founded Rightfit Sports, the nation's first ski boot specialty store. In 1989 he patented Winter Heat, the first transferable ski boot heater that has found itself in the boots of such luminaries as Picabo Street and Alberto Tomba.
In 1991, he acquired and expanded active wear retailer Hobie Sports stores in California.
Due to a falling out with one of his Rightfit investors - a scenario familiar to many entrepreneurs - Shay left Rightfit in late 1994. Due to a two-year noncompete agreement in the United States, Shay pledged all of his assets and personal savings to launch a new company, called Surefoot, in Canada and later in Australia.
When Rightfit Sports went into liquidation in June 1996, six months ahead of the termination of the non-compete agreement, Shay was able to acquire a group of similar stores in the United States that his brother, Russel J. Shay, had started when he also left Rightfit. Over the past three years, the chain has been expanded to 15.
The company's current expansion plans are directed at the top tier of ski resorts in the United States, Canada and Australia, a potential 30 additional stores in these areas. After that, there are some 50 winter resorts throughout Europe that Shay believes need a Surefoot store.