Retail and Consumer Products – Winner
Since his childhood, teamwork has played an important role in the life of The Finish Line Inc.’s chairman and CEO, Glenn Lyon. Growing up from humble beginnings in Brooklyn, N.Y., Lyon sought opportunities to join teams and lead them, whether playing Little League Baseball or serving as president of his high school class.
Now at The Finish Line, a retailer of athletic shoes, apparel and accessories, he has continued his focus on team building. When he became CEO in 2009, he issued a challenge to his vice president of human resources: Make The Finish Line the best place to work in Indianapolis. The company realized that goal this year when the Indianapolis Star selected it as one of the Top Workplaces for 2012.
Lyon helped achieve this distinction by putting a focus on pay-for-performance culture where results are prized and people are rewarded accordingly. His team has been behind upgrades in many benefit plans while keeping costs in line or under industry norms.
Lyon’s team has also put in place a new strategically driven corporate social responsibility program. This year it launched a multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment to the Special Olympics through the company’s Finish Line Youth Foundation. The foundation has raised millions for children’s organizations, including a record $1.78 million in its 2011 holiday campaign alone.
In the future, Lyon plans to continue his focus on omni-channel retailing, a concept that calls for a consistent and seamless customer experience across multiple platforms — stores, digital, mobile, social and catalogs. It requires a total transformation of The Finish Line’s core technology systems, stores, marketing and operations.
How to reach: The Finish Line Inc., www.finishline.com
