Playmakers proves team culture triumphs

If a retail store had genetic material, Playmakers would have the bloodlines of an athletic champion.

Founded by a collegiate All-Big Ten and pro football player, then carried on by a team of intensely athletic staff, Playmakers knows how to win. With a history grounded in athletic performance, Playmakers is now winning in the business world.

Beginning in 1976 with a store in Milwaukee, Northwestern University standout and Dallas Cowboy Maurie Daigneau opened 10 athletic footwear stores across the Midwest before the mid-’80s economic crunch whittled them down to three.

Curt Munson, a cross country runner for Augustana College in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was the manager of a Playmakers in South Bend, Indiana, when he and his best friend from college teamed up to try to buy the Okemos store.

“My friend Mike Buer was a farmer in Minnesota at the time we were discussing this business venture,” said Munson. “With a little money, half a tractor and 10,000 bushels of corn as collateral, we went from bank to bank for a business loan. Eventually, we got lucky and bought the store in March of 1981.”

Munson and Buer had only been running the Okemos store for a short time when the rest of the stores closed, leaving them as the owners of the only Playmakers. While commitments to the family farm drew Buer back to Minnesota, Munson was committed to continuing the growth of Playmakers as a respected performance-footwear store. Shortly after Buer left, Munson’s wife, Judy, left her teaching career at Michigan State University to join the Playmakers team as Curt’s partner in ownership.

The Munsons’ plans for their retail business blossomed as Playmakers enjoyed 20 years of success in the Meridian Mall. But when the opportunity arose in the fall of 2001 to move into a space three times the size just down the road, Curt and Judy were excited.

“We were intrigued by the challenge,” said Munson. “The new location has been great. Our sidewalk sale, which is our biggest promotion, ran for a shorter time than last year and our sales numbers were still up.”

In addition to added sales floor (15,747 square feet total), the new Playmakers has meeting areas, conference rooms, a kitchen and other amenities for employees and those involved with Playmakers’ many events.

“If groups want to have a meeting to plan a walk for fighting Leukemia or a Fitness Council discussion or seminar, they can have it right here. It’s something really different we can offer with all this additional space.”

With the new building and all its added features, a lot about Playmakers is new right now. What isn’t new, however, is its commitment to community involvement.

“We have had an opportunity to partner with the Honor Roll Track and Field Championships in Lansing, The Greater Lansing Cross Country Championship and the Spartan Invitational at MSU,” said Brian Jones, manager. “It’s a lot of fun and a great way to be involved with the community.

“It has been a real positive situation in that the more we give to these events, the more we get back. The Team of the Week with WLNS-TV 6 and the WILX-TV 10 Playmakers Play of the Day have been a natural partnership because our store philosophy is based on team.”

The professional “Footwear Matters” seminars that Playmakers put on are another way they get involved in the community.

“We have found so many people with foot, knee or back trouble that results from them having the wrong pair of shoes. We have been able to have a reasonable impact on the industry and community through these seminars,” said Jones.

Community involvement on a school level through sponsorship of events, and on a professional level with seminars on footwear as a key to body wellness, has further engrained Playmakers as an informed authority on athletic footwear. However, that doesn’t stop competition from coming into town. Munson knows that to continue to grow, Playmakers cannot rest on past successes.

“The margin of error has definitely decreased with all of the competition out there, but I have always felt that our greatest competition has been ourselves. As long as we can execute and understand our niche, there is no question in my mind that we will continue to succeed,” said Munson.

“We have a passion for this business. We understand athletic footwear and the role it plays in helping performance and preventing injury. I feel very comfortable going into the future with this business because of the technical background of our staff and our dedication to not just selling shoes, but matching a running enthusiast with the right shoe, and if need be, educating the runner about the way footwear affects the entire body.”

Munson is proud of the fact that Playmakers has never put sales numbers above customer service. He also has seen that the best way to ensure good customer service is to employ only the best staff and then give them the tools and training to do the job right.

“Our mission statement is: Let Playmakers be enjoyable and productive for our staff, customers, vendors and community. Attitude, teamwork and communication will make it happen,” said Munson.

Munson believes that a key to the store’s success has been employing people who have a passion for the industry and helping customers achieve better health. Playmakers currently employs 15 full-time and 28 part-time staff members.

“If you are doing all that you can to keep great people, the rest will fall into place,” said Munson. “Playmakers wouldn’t be where it is today without our dedicated and talented staff. They make my life easier everyday. With our people we feel we have a lot to help us compete in the market.”

Curt and Judy Munson have been able to run Playmakers as smoothly as a Carl Lewis 100-yard dash, and they do it by maintaining an attitude and culture that is all about team.

“In developing Playmakers, things we have never compromised on are people, product and store environment,” said Munson. “We feel we have been able to succeed by maintaining this balance over the years. Some stores live on just price, others on just a cool environment…but they don’t last. Just like a well-trained athlete has balance, so should your store.”

This article was written by Michigan Retailer staff writer Brendan M. Dwyer

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