Many competitive footers around the world know the name John Price.  He's a member of the Australian Barefoot Federation and an integral part of Australia's barefooting infrastructure.  John has been part of the Australian barefoot scene for countless years. He's a quiet and unassuming type of guy that would prefer to be in the background supporting others as they learn and advance up through the sport.  Most people know John as the husband of the world famous female footer Gizy Halasz.  Some people don't even know John and Giz are married due to the different last names.  But they've been married for quite some time and John has been Gizy's coach, driver, husband, friend, motivator, and driving force behind making sure Giz is able to foot at the level she does.

The reason I'm nominating John as a BFC Footer of the Month has nothing to do with what he's done to support Gizy.  But it has everything to do with what he's done to support us and the sport in Australia. 

Back in early 2006, we visited Australia for the first time.  During our week long stay in Brisbane, we stayed at John and Gizy's place.  About halfway through the week, John started asking me questions about BarefootCentral.com and whether I thought it would work in Australia.  He liked what we were doing on the US side and thought it would be good to have a similar support structure in Australia.  It wasn't the first time I'd been asked to expand into other countries.  I get questioned every now and then about setting up sites outside the US, but it usually ends right after I start telling the other person about all the work that's involved. Financial responsibilities of bringing inventory into a country, reports, websites, travel, competition, and having to market and sell product at a premium due to currency exchange rates all while the local competition is selling cheep China made product is enough to scare off anyone. 

Despite all my trying to talk John out of it, he went on to explain how he thought BFC would be a good fit in Australia.  He believed in the company and what we were doing, and he was willing to invest his time and personal money into making a go of it.  So over the few days and months, we worked together to establish an Australian website, bank accounts, inventory ordering process, etc... Soon after returning from Australia, we had www.Barefootcentral.com.au up and running.

Whenever we bring on someone new, whether that be a new employee, dealer, promo skier, etc.., there's always a worry that they'll end up being more headache than help.  It's rare you find someone that can just take the ball and run with it.  Someone that understands the market and what it'll take to grow.  John has been just that.  Over the last 3 years, he's quietly built Barefoot Central Australia into a recognizable and accepted part of the Australian barefoot culture.  He's done it by doing all those hard things like clocking countless hours driving across country to barefoot events.  He's helped organize barefoot endurance relays in Australia.  He's helped coach countless skiers how to foot.  He's supported the national team and governing body of barefooting in Australia.  He's sponsored young footers.  He's lugged gear to events only to sell a few items.  He's done all this while keeping us up-to-date with finances, shipment status, and trends in their market.  He's been consistent, unassuming, self managing, and above all else, Trustworthy and true to his word. 

For all those reasons, I'm nominating John Price as May 2009, Footer of the Month.  Thanks John!

Chuck Gleason
BarefootCentral.com - USA

Check out the other Footer's Of the Month