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Founded by Doug Dickison, Destination Athlete® is a premier one-stop destination for sports enthusiasts, offering a comprehensive range of equipment, apparel, fundraising solutions, and performance products and services. Since the franchised inception in 2008, Destination Athlete® has been empowering athletic teams to exceed their goals by thoroughly and completely addressing their every need. Doug is a visionary industry professional, with a remarkable 35+ year career in business leadership. His journey includes two decades as a senior executive with a Fortune 50 organization, where he excelled in sales & marketing management, business development, and commercial business model innovation. Following that, he transitioned into entrepreneurship, where he has spent over fifteen years building multiple successful companies. Doug’s impressive career is marked by a consistent drive for growth and innovation, by pioneering experiences and remarkable achievements.
The Idea Behind the Inception of Destination Athlete®
Destination Athlete® began its journey in 2008 with an exciting founding story. Doug recognized the need to focus on not only athletes but also on the athletic community within the team market space. Drawing from his experience in designing, building, and developing innovative business models, he was inspired to create a unique company within the fast-growing youth, high school and collegiate sports industry. “My passion for the sports community and the desire to help athletes thrive was the inspiration for Destination Athlete®, the nation’s most comprehensive athlete-focused team dealer,” emphasizes Doug.
Major Obstacles Along the Way
When Destination Athlete® was founded in 2008 during a recession, it faced major market obstacles. However, Doug Dickison remained steadfast and focused on the novel business model, deeply believing in the potential of his vision. Despite being new to the industry, he persevered during the recession and successfully secured the first few vendors and partners, laying the foundation for what would later become a thriving business.
The Evolution of the Franchising Industry
Throughout his journey, Doug has learned that the team sports industry is remarkably recession-resistant and resilient, even during health pandemics. This resilience has opened several significant opportunities within the industry. Despite facing numerous challenges, Doug and his team at Destination Athlete® have successfully weathered the storms over their 16-year journey, proving the strength and adaptability of their business model.
Tackling the Major Difficulties of the Franchising Industry
According to Doug Dickison, one of the biggest challenges in today’s world is acquiring, adopting, and training in rapidly evolving technologies. Robust platforms exist for communication and project management. At Destination Athlete®, Doug and his team work to maintain the balance of being customer centric while relying on technology and staying up to date with its advancements, such as self-checkout, customer service chat, and artificial intelligence platforms. “True to our commitment to valued customers, we continue to blend “old school” business service with new school business technology, providing a personal touch and connecting on a deeper level,” Doug shares.
Purpose-driven Mission and Core Value
Destination Athlete’s® mission is to build better communities through athletes. Doug believes that sports can bring people together and teams can achieve winning outcomes when all involved have the confidence that they have everything they need to succeed.
The organization’s core values, Everything Team, Everything Better®, reflect its commitment to providing the most comprehensive offering of equipment, apparel, fundraising solutions, and performance products and services of any team dealer in the country. The organization takes pride in offering the best products, services, and resources for youth, high school, and college athletes and is fully committed to ensuring their customers are 100% satisfied. Additionally, it aims to provide sports families with the peace of mind of superior customer service and a convenient online and or in person experience.
Keeping Franchisees Aligned with Destination Athlete’s Purpose
Doug ensures the new franchisees align with the purpose-Building Better Communities Through Athletes®-through a rigorous vetting process and awards a limited number of opportunities each year. It’s important to have a prospect both financially rewarded and emotionally rewarded. It’s an essential pillar of the company to be invested in the athletic communities and give back in various ways.
Notable Growth from Day One
Destination Athlete® offers numerous resources and tools to franchisees, along with its headquarters support system, enabling a strong focus on development. “Consistent education of management principles at a high level with frequent communication loops offering feedback from franchisees allows us to keep in front of the market,” reveals Doug.
