Dig into Joy Allen-Altimare’s professional background and it would seem Saucony’s new global chief marketing officer is a running outsider, a foreign entrant into a fast-spinning universe.

Since graduating from Boston University in 1999 with a degree in communication, Allen-Altimare has held various positions in corporate America, from spots with prominent public relations and advertising firms like Publicis to media entities like Havas to healthcare operations like Kindbody. 

Yet, beneath the surface, nowhere on LinkedIn or any Google search, sits something quite unexpected – and quite valuable for her new role. 

During her early teen years, Allen-Altimare worked at Athletic Attic (now Fast Break Athletics) in her hometown of Chattanooga, TN, where she handled shoe boxes and other assorted tasks at a running shop founded in 1977 by local running legend Dick Dillard.

“I suspect we might have been breaking some child labor laws back then,” jokes Allen-Altimare, whose father, an accomplished local triathlete, was good pals with Dillard.

So, while it’s been a hot minute – okay, three decades – since her Athletic Attic days, Allen-Altimare isn’t stepping into totally unfamiliar territory.

“Even back then, it was clear that run specialty was the place you went when you wanted the best tools in your toolkit,” Allen-Altimare says.

Now, it falls to Allen-Altimare to lead the global marketing efforts at Saucony, a 126-year-old brand well established in the performance running landscape yet eager to gain market share from longtime rivals and upstart challengers alike in the nation’s running stores. 

A month after joining Saucony, Allen-Altimare sat down with Running Insight senior writer Danny Smith to talk about opportunities and challenges for Saucony and how run specialty fits into the brand’s future.

On what’s atop her whiteboard right now …

“I’ve been doing a lot of listening, really trying to learn about what’s happened at the brand over the last five, seven, 10 years. I know my priority is to make sure we’re consumer obsessed, that we’re thinking about how we engage all customers, particularly new buyers, so they feel something personalized, heard and inspired.” 

On how being a professional “outsider” will help inform her work at Saucony …

“I love learning, discovering and consumer behavior, particularly how brands put the consumer at the center of their efforts. Good marketing asks the question: What can we do for the consumer? That’s a question I’ve been asking throughout my professional life. I believe I can take the experiences I’ve had and the expertise I’ve developed to build on the momentum running is having and help people fall in love with Saucony.”

On the opportunities she sees for Saucony …

“As a marketer, I can’t ask for a better situation on the product side than what I’ve walked into at Saucony. We don’t have a loyalty problem. Those who know us, love us. The greatest opportunity is to make more people aware of us, to strengthen partnerships we have with our retailers, to get our Shadow reps more involved in their local communities. The opportunity is to tell stories of those who love the brand as well as those who are just discovering the brand, so we’re complementing the excellent product we have.”

On the biggest challenge Saucony faces …

“I grew up a competitive swimmer and there’s a saying in the pool: stay focused on the line. At Saucony, we know what we do best and we’re going to stay focused on our game plan. The brand has equity and heritage in running and the absolute plan is to maintain that legacy and build on it. Running footwear has great momentum right now and it’s time for Saucony to seize that.”

On what she finds most compelling about run specialty retail …

“What I love about run specialty is the high level of expertise and education it offers at the retail level. Whenever I’d walk into Fleet Feet on the Upper West Side [in New York City], I’d hear conversations about when and where people ran and the goals they had. It’s an engaging environment and really more inclusive than it was back in the day when the running store was more competition focused. At Saucony, we say ‘everybody runs’ and that is something run specialty embraces so well today.”

On how she sees run specialty retail fitting into Saucony’s growth …

“Brick-and-mortar specialty is a huge part of our business. It’s where we get momentum, exposure and feedback. The channel will continue to be a part of our strategy and I want to turn up the dial on how we can expand that, have more impact and pull our specialty retail partners into our feedback loop so they feel needed, wanted and supported.”