Former Aggie on top of the footwear world
Look at your shoes.
If your footwear was made by the Nike brand, then it has some of Utah State University inside.
Charlie Denson, a 1978 graduate of USU has advanced to become the president of Nike. Denson’s arrival at USU was a little unexpected, however.
“I wasn’t that familiar with Utah State prior to playing junior college,” Denson, a football player, said.
After playing football at an Oregon junior college, his coach, Terry Shea, got a job coaching at USU with new head coach Bruce Snyder. While some football players found their future career successes in the National Football League, Denson found his in the business world.
His journey to the top of Nike started with his major in marketing and his minor in economics.
“We had some great professors, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I really had a good time in the business school there while I was attending,” he said.
After graduating from USU, Denson started working at a Nike retail store. But he wasn’t aware of the meteoric rise he was about to take in the company.
“An opportunity presented itself to come and work for them,” he said. “At the time, I didn’t see it as a career – it was just an extension of my own personal interest around the world of sports.”
The Corvallis, Ore. native said he heard of the position through some acquaintances and people he knew back home. When he first started at Nike, the company was small, he said.
“When I started, the company was very small, $75-million worth of revenue worldwide, today it’s in excess of $10 billion,” he said.
Denson said he enjoyed the opportunity to work for Nike because of his passion for sports. After initially expecting to work for the company for three to five years, Denson said he has found a career that has become a second family to him.
“It’s a place that I’ve grown up in,” he said. “I’ve spent as much time here as I have growing up with my own family.”
Denson has traveled throughout the world in his various positions, including four years he lived in Europe, where he ran the business in that continent.
Now that he is the president of the company, he said he loves his job as much as ever.
“It’s been great for me because I still have a passion for sports,” he said. “I get to stay involved in both the activity and business aspect of sports.”
Denson said he doesn’t have plans to advance in the company.
“There is only one job left and that’s the chairman. He owns the company, so I don’t really anticipate that,” he said.
Denson said the most important thing a business major can do is follow a path they have a personal passion for.
“I think if you’re just going out to try to make the most money, it won’t be fulfilling if you are successful. But for most people, you won’t be successful,” he said.
“All the people I know that have been very successful in their careers both from a financial standpoint and from a status or fame standpoint are all driven people,” he said. “They’re people who are driven by not making money or by not making fame, but by a passion for what they do.”
Denson said people should just do something they really enjoy.
When walking down the street, Denson said he looks at other people’s shoes.
“I’m interested in what other people are wearing and in trying to understand why,” he said. “That’s the business we’re in.”
He said most of the time he is trying to figure out how to get individuals to buy another pair of Nike shoes. Part of that process is advancing the product technologies.
“I think you’ll see a lot more new technology. There are a lot of things that we’re working on right now in the lab, and I think for us, innovation is one of the cornerstones of our brand,” he said. “I think you’ll continue to see new and different ways to improve athletic performance through footwear, apparel and equipment.”
“We’re not just a footwear business anymore,” he said.
With Nike’s involvement in athletics apparel, Denson has had the opportunity to meet many sports figures and stars in various sports.
He said he doesn’t cheer for teams as much as he cheers for individual athletes. Some of his favorite athletes are Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Lance Armstrong.
“I’ve had a chance to meet them and spend a little bit of time with them,” he said. “Lance Armstrong is an incredible individual.”
Aside from athletes, Denson said he enjoyed being around basketball coaches like Lute Olsen (Arizona) and Mike Montgomery (Stanford).
“They’re a lot of fun to be around,” he said.
Just like the passion the athletes and coaches have for their sports, Denson said anyone interested in going into business should do what they love to do.
And of course – “Just Do It.”