Nike president gives students advice
President of Nike, Charlie Denson, spoke to Utah State University business students Friday encouraging them to pursue their passions when looking for a career.
“If you’re doing something you enjoy, you’ll be more successful at it,” Denson said. Denson, a 1978 graduate of USU in marketing, reiterated this idea throughout his speech.
“Denson stated that Nike is about the power of human spirit,” Tyson Green, a senior in business administration, said.
It was this power of human spirit that helped Nike succeed from its humble beginnings, Denson said. Nike began in 1962 when Bill Bowerman, a track coach at University of Oregon, and Phil Knight, one of his former runners, began selling athletic shoes imported from Japan out of the trunk of Knight’s car.
They were able to sell their initial investment of $8,000 and decided to continue this venture. Since this time, the company has grown by leaps and bounds with its current sales measured in the billions of dollars. Denson attributes this success to the company’s mission.
“It’s all about sports, it’s all about passion for sports and it’s about connecting with the consumer, not just through the products we make, but also emotionally – that’s part of the brand we’ve become,” Denson said.
Joining the company in 1979, Denson began working with Nike in its first retail store. Since that time, he has held about 15 different jobs until finally becoming co-president in 2001.
“It’s an incredible interactive, dynamic – and I think it’s an incredibly exciting environment to work in,” Denson said.
When asked about his average work day, Denson was at a loss for words because there is no such thing as an average day for him.
“If there was something going on, you always had a chance to work on something else other than what your job title was,” Denson said.
This variety and a passion for sports have kept Denson actively involved in his work. “I’m a sports nut and whenever you get a chance to follow your passion, your work will obviously benefit by it,” Denson said.
“What impressed me most was that he was a down-to-earth individual,” Thad Lemon, a senior majoring in accounting, said.
-albaugh@cc.usu.edu