There is no end in sight for officials at The Finish Line as they stride toward customer experience excellence. Whether it’s through The Winners Circle
loyalty program or an enlightened customer shopping experience, The Finish Line always has CRM, experiential marketing, and customer engagement in its strategic forefront.
With that in mind, The Finish Line on Tuesday named Samuel M. Sato, formerly President, Finish Line Brand, as the company’s new President. The Board of Directors also elected him to the board, filling the Class II director position previously held by Bill Kirkendall.
“In the role of president, Sam will be more involved in all facets of Finish Line as we look toward our future,” Glenn Lyon, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Finish Line, said in a release. “Sam has a keen sense of the retail business and his acumen will further guide Finish Line’s premium initiatives. He will direct our company’s vision and mission with his much valued retail knowledge, dedicated spirit, passion, and character.”
Sato joined Finish Line in March 2007 as Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer. He was then named President and Chief Merchandising Officer in August 2010 before assuming the role as President of the Finish Line Brand in October 2012. He has served an integral role in creating, sustaining, and elevating the Finish Line brand through vendor partnerships, marketing and digital initiatives, and store operations. Sato started his executive retail career at Nordstrom in 1985 prior to joining Finish Line.
“Our Board respects Sam’s ability to build and strengthen partnerships with our brands, our customers, and our shareholders,” Lyon added. “As Finish Line continues to grow, his voice and experience will drive us to stay laser-focused on serving our customers and exceeding their expectations in this 
rapidly-changing omnichannel retail environment.”
The Finish Line, Inc. is a premium retailer of athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Finish Line has about 1,030 Finish Line branded locations primarily in U.S. malls and shops inside Macy’s department stores and employs more than 14,000 sneakerologists who help customers every day connect with their sport, their life and their style.
Finish Line also operates the Running Specialty Group. This includes 59 specialty running stores in 13 states and the District of Columbia under The Running Company, Run On!, Blue Mile, Boulder Running Company, Roncker’s Running Spot, Running Fit, VA Runner banners and CapitalRunWalk banners.