NordicTrack

NordicTrack

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Type	Private
Genre	Exercise equipment
Founded	1975
Founder	Edward Pauls
Headquarters	Logan, Utah, U.S.
Area served	Global
Owner	Icon Health & Fitness
Website	www.nordictrack.com

Nordic Track is a manufacturer of exercise equipment, best known for its classic Nordic ski machine and Incline Trainers.

History Nordic Track was founded by Edward and Florence Pauls in 1975, when Ed invented the original Nordic Track ski machine in his garage in VIctoria, Minnesota, in an effort to train for the local VJC cross country ski race. Ed was an engineer and usually got home after dark and was motivated to beat his Swede friend in the race. At the time Ed and Flo were making the Flip Ski (a crutch ski used by leg handicapped down hill skiers) as a part time mail order business in their basement. Several of the very first machines were branded Nordic Jock as the original market was anticipated to be collage ski racers. A cardiologist contacted the Pauls and told them that this machine was the best cardio exerciser he had ever seen. The name was changed to Nordic Track and when the garage, basement and living room filled with parts and machines Flo said "out!". The company was moved to Chaska MN in the Jonathan industrial park where it first rented, then later built a number of buildings for manufacturing, mail / phone sales and warehousing. The sales concept was mail-order. Ads were placed in high end intellectual magazines, ie the Smithsonian, National Geographic, New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal. The ads were different in that they were mostly script explaining the benefits of cardiovascular exercise and usually a small picture of the machine being used. In 1975 exercise was not "in" yet and a large amount of effort to sell the machines was explaining why you needed one and how your life could be longer and better with regular exercise. So much writing was done in these ads that it became the largest single promotion of the sport of cross-country skiing itself and actually had a great deal to do with cross-country's popularity to this day. The company was built and operated on the cash and carry basis and no money was ever borrowed during the Pauls ownership from 1975 to 1986. In the new era of out-sourcing manufacturing (1980's), the Pauls family having a mechanical background chose to manufacture the machines in house. From the start machines were built one at a time on special benches. As time went on we moved to an assembly line that could put out several thousand units a day. From the start the wood working, varnishing, welding, machining, sewing, assembly, packaging, advertising, mailing and sales were all done in house mostly by local Chaska residents that were trained by Nordic Track for their specific jobs. As sales grew, more specialized automated procedures were brought in. A UV- varnish conveyor line, full powder coat paint line, robotic welders, two level assembly line, and a full printing operation and bulk mailing facility was added. The use of the new VHS video technology was pioneered as a way to show the new buyer during the 30 day trial period how to use this somewhat difficult machine they had just un-boxed in their house. A Nordic Track ski machine takes the average person some time to learn, like a bicycle it takes balance and coordination to operate thus making it a very effective exercise. The advent of disposable VHS tapes helped to teach and prove to the new owner that this thing worked. This is why the ski machine has never sold well in stores, people are embarrassed to fumble out in public where as at home with the video they would master it in short order. The 30 day returns dropped drastically after the video addition. The Nordic Track was shipped in two boxes and was designed to just squeak under the 40# UPS weight limit. In 1975 UPS changed from a limited destination to a full national and international shipping company and both companies grew and benefited from the daily truck loads of exercisers rolling out the back. Around 1984 Ed and Flo decided that it was time to move on as they were getting older and managing a new start up takes a whole different personalty than managing a name brand multi national corporation. In 1986 Nordic Track was sold to CML corporation who moved operations out of Chaska, opened retail stores nationally, went heavily into the new marketing medium of infomercials, began making and selling almost every other type of exerciser they had advertised against and even started a short lived restaurant chain all to take advantage of the huge name recognition. After a number of years of retail over head, very expensive marketing, market confusion from the variety of machines now all sold as the best, CML's Nordic Track now an over bloated multi national couldn't stay ahead of it's spending and closed it's 300+ retail stores and flied bankruptcy in 1998. CML had bought up a number of successful Mom/Pop start up companies during the 80's and most didn't last much into the 90's. Ed and Flo moved to Alta UT to ski. Their son Glenn, who built and designed the production facilities in Chaska along with their daughter Terri who wrote advertisements in the early days along with nationally competing in cross country skiing are carrying on the family fitness lifestyle in Durango CO by building a community development based on mountain biking, hiking, skiing, river sports and organic gardens named Twin Buttes of Durango.

Acquisition

In 1998, Icon Health & Fitness acquired NordicTrack. Since the acquisition by ICON, NordicTrack has thrived and the company continues to manufacture their classic skier, but this model is declining in popularity. NordicTrack treadmills are the top selling brand worldwide. They also carry a full line of elliptical trainers and exercise bikes. In 2009, NordicTrack pioneered the incline trainer, a specialty treadmill that can reach an incline of up to 40%. These are some of their most popular machines today.

Awards

Two NordicTrack products received the Consumer Reports Recommended Buy awards and two NordicTrack treadmills received Best Buy awards in 2016.

• Recommended Buy
  • NordicTrack Commercial 1750
  • NordicTrack C1650
• Best Buy
  • NordicTrack Elite9700 Pro
  • NordicTrack 790 Pro

See also

• Icon Health and Fitness

External links

• NordicTrack.com