Solving the foot woes of soccer players and stiletto wearers is what keeps ProFoot, Inc. running. This family-owned start up, founded in 1987 by chiropractor Dr. Leonard Feldman, offers a range of foot care devices (like inserts) and topical treatments designed to keep consumers feeling their best.
 
This Brooklyn-based company currently has distribution in 20 countries and it recently signed a deal with Major League Soccer Club’s New York City FC (NYCFC) to support the team’s inaugural season.
 
The alliance puts the ProFoot name in good company. NYCFC, which is the first MLS Club located within the five boroughs of New York City, has some rather high profile owners in the soccer realm, including Manchester City FC, Melbourne City FC and Yokohama F. Marinos. Plus, their home pitch is Yankee Stadium, which is home to New York Yankees, which has a minority stake in the soccer club too.
 
In July, ProFoot held a World Cup viewing party with the NYCFC midfielder Tommy McNamara, and this month, the company will host a match day pop up, where it will offer fans NYCFC and ProFoot giveaways.
 
“ProFoot is passionate about offering products that promote an active lifestyle—from the feet, up—so supporting soccer, a sport where feet are everything, is a natural fit,” said Daniel Feldman, who is the son’s founder and now serves as company president.
 
The ProFoot portfolio includes orthotics, insoles shoe stretchers and the like, but several topical treatments too that marry on-trend natural ingredients and high-tech personal care. For example, the company touts Heel Rescue Foot Cream, a moisturizing foot cream formulated with argan oil, as well as Callus Blaster, a triple gel callus remover that is said to penetrate deeply with nanospheres, remove calluses with gentle dermabrasion beads and exfoliate without irritation via an acid-free formula. The firm also sells anti-fungal treatments that are applied by brush or pen dispensers and a “pedirock” that officials claim has three times thesurface area of leading brands.
 
And for those stiletto wearers, there are products such as the Toe-Kini, which cushions and protects the balls of the feet, making it easier to wear great heels without the discomfort.
 
“There really isn’t an area of consumer foot health that we don’t work in,” said Feldman.
 
According to Feldman, ProFoot is moving beyond mass market, which had been its main distribution channel.
 
“Presently, we’re experiencing a significant period of growth, both in our core market, the mass-market retailers, as well as some new channels like mid-market department stores and discounters,” Feldman told Happi.
 
“These new markets have been a real boon to our product development team as we’ve been able to find fun new areas to bring innovative design—I think delving into these new incremental areas has led to some really interesting new thinking into our core market, he continued. “Trying to solve the challenge of making a 4” stiletto more tolerable can sometimes lead to a breakthrough in adding comfort to a work-boot. I guess sometimes the best way to “think outside the box” is to get the heck out of the box.”