Rollerblade Explained

Rollerblade is a brand of inline skates owned by Nordica, part of the Tecnica Group of Giavera del Montello, Treviso, Italy.^{[5] [6]}

The company started as Ole's Innovative Sports, created by Scott Olson in Minneapolis, and operated in his family basement and employed his brothers, chiefly Brennan Olson. The company eventually became Rollerblade, Inc.^{[7] [8] [9] [10]} The company changed hands over time between Nordica, Benetton Group and Tecnica.^[11]

Inline-skates had been used for many years by ice speed skaters before they became mainstream. For the first few years after Rollerblade was developed, Rollerblade, Inc. were the only manufacturer of in-line skates that had worldwide distribution. This allowed the company to capitalize and grab a huge percentage of the world market share and almost total dominance of the North American market with aggressive advertising campaigns and sponsored in-line-only sporting events.^[12] The term "rollerblades" has become a generic trademark for inline skates in general.

Rollerblade, Inc. manufactures different types of skates, such as those for aggressive skating (aimed at jumps, tricks, and use at skate parks), fitness, or recreational use with removable "walkable" liners, as well as adjustable skates for younger users.^[13]

External links

• Rollerblade official web site

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rollerblade USA Corp. Company Profile . Yahoo . 6 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141218205412/http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/42/42850.html . 18 December 2014 . dead .
2. News: Rollerblade brand skates over to Tecnica - Hardlines - Brief Article . DSN Retailing Today . 2013.
3. Book: https://archive.org/details/100greatbusiness0000ross/page/151/mode/1up. 100 Great Businesses and the Minds Behind Them. Rollerblade - Live your product. 151–155. Naperville, Illinois. Sourcebooks, Inc.. 2006. 978-1402206313. 2024-12-20. Emily. Ross. Angus. Holland.
4. Book: International Directory of Company Histories. 34. 2000. Rollerblade, Inc.. 388–392. Detroit. St. James Press. Kathleen. Peippo. Nelson. Rhodes. 2024-12-23.
5. Web site: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Trademark Applications and Registrations Retrieval. July 15, 1984. 2007-02-25.
6. News: Rollerblade: Good things come to those who skate. 18 July 2005. Philadelphia Inquirer. C11. 24 January 2012.
7. Web site: Lemelson-MIT. Inventor of the Week Archive:Jake golden & Scott & Brennan Olson (spelling corrected per rowbike.com). MIT School of Engineering. August 1997. https://web.archive.org/web/20030302044906/http://web.mit.edu/invent/iow/Inline.html. dead. 2003-03-02. 2007-02-25.
8. Book: https://archive.org/details/morefrozenmemori0000ross/page/184/mode/1up?view=theater. More... Frozen Memories: Celebrating a Century of Minnesota Hockey. In-Line Hockey In Minnesota. 184–185. Minneapolis, Minn.. Nodin Press. 2007. 978-1932472493. 2024-12-24. Ross. Bernstein.
9. Paula Schroeder (host) . 1995-07-31 . Voices of Minnesota: Interview with Scott Olson (Part 1 of 3) . audio . en . 2024-12-25 . Transcript 1/3 in PDF . https://codytranscripts.apmcdn.org/production/9896941368e0d360b5826476023d7373.pdf . Minnesota . Minnesota Public Radio.
10. Paula Schroeder (host) . 1995-07-31 . Voices of Minnesota: Interview with Scott Olson (Part 2 of 3) . audio . en . 2024-12-25 . Transcript 2/3 in PDF . https://codytranscripts.apmcdn.org/production/e8d38a90a9e6a9040b7960a9b73ec172.pdf . Minnesota . Minnesota Public Radio.
11. Web site: Skate Log . Benetton Confirms Selling Rollerblade . February 5, 2003 . 2007-02-25. and News: DSN Retailing Today via Find Articles . Rollerblade brand skates over to Tecnica . March 24, 2003 . 2007-02-25 . DSN Retailing Today.
12. Web site: Rollerblade - About Us - en - International. 6 June 2016.
13. Web site: Skates. Rollerblade. Tecnica Group S.p.A. 26 September 2014.