Ray Margiano started Foot Solutions in August of 2000 with three employees. Today, Foot Solutions has grown into the world’s largest international health and wellness franchise organization focused exclusively on better health through your feet using attractive footwear and inserts to improve your body alignment, performance and wellbeing. Foot Solutions has over 120 franchise retail locations in 13 countries, and a corporate staff of more than 40 people.
Using medical technology in a retail footwear store, Ray has redefined a new market niche between comfort shoe stores and orthopedic facilities. Foot Solutions is a self-supporting company with no outside funding or investors that uses innovative methods to solve common business problems. To combat rising overseas costs, Foot Solutions set up its own lab in the United States to reduce costs and improve service, eliminated all middle distribution and went direct to the manufacturer to receive exclusive products and reduce sales costs by 5 to 20 percent. Foot Solutions is in a unique market niche at the beginning of its life cycle – industry’s experts projections are very attractive for the future.
In 1984 Ray left the corporate world where he held executive level positions at Sikorsky Aircraft, United Technologies, Sybron Corporate and the Bostitch Auto-Soler Division of Textron Inc., to become an entrepreneur. He started Heel Quik, a shoe repair and personal services franchise that he grew to over 700 locations in 34 countries by the mid-1990s. His first Heel Quick stores are still operating in Atlanta’s Cumberland Mall and Lenox Square, 30 years later.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of New Haven, a Master’s degree in Business and Computer Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Ph.D. in International Business from Canbourne University. Ray also studied Pedorthics at Temple University.
Ray is a frequent speaker on International Franchising, the Footwear industry and Pedorthics, and has worked with a number of franchising companies in an advisory role. Deeply committed to community service, he also served on the American Diabetes Association’s advisory board, is on the Board of Governors at University of New Haven, and the Board of Directors for the National Shoe Retailers Association.
