Press Release
TUCSON, ARIZ. (Nov. 22, 2022) – The National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA) honored Troy Dempsey as its 2022 Retailer of the Year during NSRA's Leadership Conference held Nov. 9-10, 2022, in Tucson, Ariz.
Troy Dempsey is the owner of The Heel Shoe Fitters in Green Bay, Wis. He joined the business in 2009 and partnered with then-owner Bob Sanderson to run the store. As a Board Certified Pedorthist, his training allowed the store to start focusing on foot health and carrying higher quality brands. In 2012, he acquired full ownership of the business when Sanderson retired. Between 2012 and 2016, Dempsey added 13 people to his staff, including a full-time shoe cobbler. In 2016 he relocated the store to a 23,000 sq-ft. building that houses over 60,000 pairs of shoes, plus clothing and accessories.
“The Heel” takes a step-by-step approach to serving customers. The non-commissioned staff takes the time to listen to customers’ needs and teaches them about their foot health in the process. They take a zero-pressure approach to sales and help customers make the best decisions. Dempsey most likely can be found on the sales floor doing what he loves the most, working with customers.
In 2020 the store was down only by 6% after several weeks of closure due to COVID. In 2021, “The Heel” increased total sales by 70% while maintaining a 51.5% gross profit margin. “This not only exhibits grit and resilience, but it’s an example of exemplary leadership through what many may say is the most challenging years they ever faced in business,” said NSRA Vice Chair Jill Snyder (Snyder’s Shoes, Ludington, Mich.).
In presenting the award, Snyder stated, “If you know Troy, he is a man with a great heart for service and genuine compassion for people. Troy humbly uses the platform he has built as an opportunity to give back to the community that supports his business. It is not unusual for Troy to supply shoes to a running club for underprivileged kids or to donate shoes to a local homeless shelter, just to name a few things. It is with great honor that I present Troy Dempsey as NSRA Retailer of the Year.”
Accepting the award, Dempsey said, “Wow, this is incredibly humbling. This organization and the people in this industry have embraced me and our business so much and I am so fortunate for that. One of my favorite phrases is ‘the harder you work the luckier you get’. Our team works incredibly hard every day on our mission to give the best customer service experience our customers ever had. I’m lucky to have an incredible team at ‘The Heel.’”
“The competition for this award is incredibly fierce. There are so many amazing retailers here that I believe deserve it far more than we do. My goal is to have the best shoe store on the planet, and getting a chance to learn what companies I admire do in their business. I feel I need to work a lot harder because some of these people just blow me away. Again, I assure you I am humbled by this award and so thankful for everybody here.”
Troy joined NSRA as a retail member in 2016, and was elected to NSRA Board of Directors in 2019.
About NSRA
NSRA was founded in 1912 to represent independent shoe retailers and provide their companies with business services, education program and information resources that help them remain profitable and on the leading edge of retail. For more information, please visit www.nsra.org.