At SFI, our claim to fame is simply being the very best at finding niche markets and developing footwear programs that are created specifically for these markets. We do not compete in the retail market and it is not our intention to attempt to compete in the “low price” marketplace. We create footwear programs for people that need special features in the footwear that they buy.  SFI is the foremost designer of “specialty” shoes in the country.  We do not make or sell shoes which you would find in the normal retail channels. Our products are designed specifically for use in markets where the regular “off the shelf” brands and styles are just not good enough.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT TELLS THE STORY OF WHO WE ARE, WHAT WE DO, AND HOW OUR PRODUCTS FIT INTO THE CONSUMER MARKETPLACE.

The reason for the creation of our company was because our president and CEO spent over 37 years working trade shows and conventions and suffered foot and back pain caused by the long hard hours of standing in place as an exhibitor and walking many miles each day as an attendee at each and every trade show.

Al Melillo was the director of sales and marketing for a Fortune 500 company for 18 years and worked about 10 trade shows a year.  From there he started his own manufacturers sales agency and worked 8 to 10 national shows and 10 to 15 local and regional trade shows each year.  Foot pain was part of every show.  Solving the foot pain problem became an obsession for Melillo.

SOME BACKGROUND ON FOOT PAIN

The foot and back pain Melillo suffered at hundreds of trade shows convinced him that someone needed to create footwear that could eliminate foot pain for  consumers who attend trade shows.

He also knew that there were millions of trade show foot pain sufferers who would love to find shoes that could eliminate the foot pain which is simply a part of all trade shows and conventions.  In general, well over half of the population of the USA experiences some foot pain on a regular basis. Some consumers, because of their occupations and the demands of their workplace, suffer foot pain on an almost constant basis. 

A high percentage (75%) of the consumers that exhibit or attend trade shows, experience some degree of foot pain and approximately 40% also experience back pain.  The exhibitors who stand in place at their booths tend to develop foot pain faster, and a higher degree of back discomfort, but overall, most of the consumers at a trade show experience some degree of foot and back pain, no matter if they are buying or selling.

Because Melillo put pedometers on his salesmen at one of the big, international industry trade shows, to gage how much walking his group actually did, Melillo became the talk of that trade show (APAA 1978) when the trade press found out about the pedometer experiment. When he was interviewed and told the trade press that his group “walked about 1000 miles at that trade show” Melillo became  “the man that walks a million miles to do business at the APAA Show”. That has stuck over the years. 

Some of the trade press has also followed Melillo’s attempts to find shoes that could elevate the foot pain problem. “I tried every kind of comfort shoe I could find over the years, but there just are not any comfortable dress shoes to be purchased.  I finally had some very high-end  ($400/pair) running shoes made up for my sales agents in black leather, which made them look less like running shoes, but they did not look so great with a sport coat and slacks so we used them for only one year.   The bottom line is that I never could find shoes that could relieve the foot pain caused by the long, hard, on your feet hours, which are just plain normal days at a trade show or convention”.

When Melillo sold his company (2001) he decided to take advantage of a connection with some relatives in Italy who had been in the footwear business for three generations. He wanted to see if it would be possible to create shoes for trade show attendees and exhibitors that could actually eliminate the traditional foot pain.  To give them the needed background, Melillo brought some of the Italians over to the USA and had them work a couple of trade shows with him. They found out first hand about the kind of foot pain, which was generated by a trade show and had a good idea of what could be done to build a shoe that could truly eliminate foot pain. 

Once the Italians worked the trade shows, they knew what it would take to eliminate foot pain, but even armed with first hand information, it took three years to find the components needed to create a shoe that could do the job.  The shoes would require four important design features, which would have the ability to truly eliminate foot pain. There were four key components needed.

• The 1st  step was to be able to create an outsole that had the ability to eliminate a high percentage of the “heel strike”, (this is the contact between the heel of the foot and the floor which creates most of the foot discomfort), from every step and still allow perfect balance when standing in place.  After a lot of trial and error, they found an outsole manufacturer who was experimenting with some new materials never before used in footwear.  They played with multiple layers of this special material and after more trial and error they came up with an outsole that can eliminate over 90% of the heel strike between the heel of the foot and the actual floor.  The best part was that these outsoles would work for any foot size and any body weight.  This outsole is so unique that it has been patented by SFI.  We call it the “virtual floor”. It is a very difficult and extremely expensive component to manufacture, but it works perfectly 100% of the time, and does not detract from the over all style of the footwear.

• The 2nd step was the need for a special pocket to house the foot inside of the shoe.  The objective here was to create a pocket that could conform to the exact dimensions of any foot after just a short amount of time. To form this pocket they created a special duplex of leathers that have the ability to actually “form fit” to the foot after about an hour of wear and create a pocket much like a cocoon. This allows the foot to rest in an ultra soft pocket of the finest leather, which is the exact size and shape of the outer dimensions of the foot. This has become the “comfort pocket”.  No one in the business has used this duplex system before. Again it is expensive and difficult to manufacture, but the result is outstanding. We like to say that placing your foot into one of our shoes usually produces that OMG comment from the wearer.  (Oh My God)

• The 3rd component that was a must was the need to find an insert that could tie the first two features together. Another U.S manufacturer who makes special inserts in Italy already patented the insert that was ultimately used for the Trade show shoe.  We now have exclusive rights to our version of this insert, which we call the “body posture insert.” This insert makes it possible for the wearer to stand all day on heavy carpet without loosing balance, which is the natural, but unwanted result of standing on heavy carpet and usually produces back pain.   This insert also tends to help the wearer to stand more upright, which causes the feet and legs to endure less stress, resulting in less pressure on the back.

• In order to insure that the perfect fit could be maintained even when the feet swell and contract, a very special closure system was created.  This closure system allows there to be a small amount of “stretch” in each of the other components and also creates a closure system that brings all of the components together from the sole upward which allows the frontal opening to be laced with all of the pressure of the components forced back to the base of the shoe. This custom closure can be adjusted by the wearer for those times when the feet may swell or contract a half size or more.  In addition, the custom closure system can self adjust to small changes in the feet.  Every component of the custom closure system is unique in design and some of the materials used to create this component are proprietary.

These four components come together to make the most comfortable dress shoe ever designed. Right now we are offering Trade Show Shoes™ but a slightly tweaked version of these shoes, for general consumer consumption, are in R&D right now.  These shoes are the “mother” of all comfort footwear. Additional configuration of this special shoe will be made available in 2010 in “one style fits both men and women, for professionals like Doctors, Nurses, Beauticians, and Teachers.

The retail footwear industry deals in style and fashion.  Comfort is really not in their vocabulary.  They do not intentionally try to make uncomfortable shoes, but comfort is not at the top of the list. Style and Fashion are the buzzwords for the successful retailing of  footwear. Style and fashion is what sells footwear.  Look in any female’s closet, and many men, and you will see style and fashion.  All of us have shoes we have purchased because they looked great, but are so uncomfortable that we never wear them. Our shoes on the other hand must eliminate foot pain first and then and only then did we attempt to make them look good.

Our shoes, for both men and women, are good looking and look especially great with business casual and formal business attire. This will please the running shoe crowd at trade shows that have been catching some grief from their own company executives and also from show management regarding the “down scale” look that they are bringing to the shows since their introduction of sneakers and running shoes. Business to business trade shows are still where professionals meet with other professionals and the exhibitors and attendees needed to look professional in their business casual attire. 

TESTED BY THE PROS

We tested these shoes in two trade shows in 2008.  The testers were professional trade show management people and staffers from the trade associations that own and operate the shows.  The results of the tests were extremely positive. We have glowing testimonials from all of the testers.

SFI SOON REALIZED THAT THIS FOOTWEAR, WHICH HAD BEEN CREATED TO RELIEVE TRADE SHOW FOOT PAIN, HAD MUCH BROADER APPLICATION THAN JUST TRADE SHOWS

It became obvious that this foot wear would satisfy the needs of many other consumers who’s occupation and work place caused the need for shoes that could eliminate the foot pain created by their working environment.  This becomes a long list of people whose occupations places them on their feet for a good part of each workday.
Among the most obvious but not a complete list:

• Medical Professionals – doctors, dentists, vets, nurses, hospital workers
• Retail Sale People – anyone working in the retail market place
• Salon Professionals - Beauticians, barbers, salon workers, cosmetologists
• Restaurant Waite/Staff – waters, waitresses, buss people
• Security and Police Groups – law enforcement and security personnel
• Flight Attendants – all flight attendants, all airlines
• Bank Tellers
• Floor traders
• Business men and women who are on their feet all day every day
• Teachers and professors

And many other occupations – We figure that close to half of the people in the USA encounter some degree of foot pain at some point in their lives, so there is no end to the applications for our shoes.

In short, any consumer that makes their living standing or walking on their feet for the majority of their workday would benefit from wearing the shoes from Specialty Footwear International.

THE NEXT GENERATION  -  Casino Dealer Shoes, the most comfortable dress shoes in the world.

To accommodate all of these consumers, some tweaking has been completed and the Casino Dealer Shoes are available NOW. These are being advertised as “the most comfortable dress shoes in the word”.

While our footwear was developed specifically for consumers who work trade shows, these shoes will perform for virtually anyone that has need for footwear to eliminate the foot pain that comes from standing in place or walking for the better part of their work day.  These shoes do not require any break in period.  Simply lace them up snugly and double knot them for the first few hours. The components, including the laces, will adjust to the wearer’s feet quickly and permanently.  Once the shoes have been worn for two to three hours, the fit will be as close to as perfect as is possible.

Our footwear will not eliminate foot deformities or solve foot ailments.  Our shoes will eliminate most foot pain and some back discomfort in generally normal and generally healthy feet, caused by the long hard hours of walking or standing on hard surfaces, that some occupations require.

With the above disclaimer, we unconditionally guarantee our footwear to the consumer.  Our guarantee is packed inside of every pair.  If the consumer is not completely satisfied, simply return the shoes for a full refund.

If these are not the most comfortable shoes that you have ever placed on your feet, simply follow the guarantee directions and return them for a full refund.