2005 Nike Annual Report
There was a lot of change for Nike in 2005. Phil Knight retired. Lance Armstrong raced his last Tour. And Oregon's only Fortune 500 company hired a new CEO. Somehow Nike needed to explain all this change to its shareholders. In collaboration with a few talented Nike designers and co-writer Dennie Wendt, we interviewed Phil, Bill and co-presidents Mark Parker and Charlie Denson to create Nike’s Annual Report based on the theme—Evolve Immediately.


Sample Copy:
As 26-year veterans with the company, Nike Brand Co-Presidents Mark Parker and Charlie Denson know how to run a successful business, overseeing nearly 90% of Nike, Inc.’s total revenue. In nearly three decades, they’ve not only seen Nike, Inc.’s annual revenues grow from $149 million to nearly $14 billion, they’ve witnessed many pivotal events in sports history. So we asked them to describe one moment that embodies everything we do in business. One moment that represents our inspiration, our obsession with sport, and why we continue to evolve as a company.

It was the 15th stage of the 2003 Tour de France. I was in the US Postal car, following the riders, with the team coach, Johan Bruyneel. It was hot. Lance was fighting a virus and he had already avoided a fatal crash that knocked out one of the pre-race favorites. And, suddenly, at one of the steepest climbs of the Alps, Lance went down. But he got up, proceeded to dig in and managed to gain strength to not only win the stage, but the Tour. To be able to see him pull away—with tenacity, focus, and the drive to do everything he could to win—was amazing.

Mark Parker, President, Nike Brand.

Like Lance, Nike is able to turn adversity, pressure and competition into energy and opportunity. It is a strength for any athlete, team or business. We are in a competitive market. There are always people trying to get pieces of what we do and do it better. And the ability to turn that pressure and competition into the impetus to do our best, as individuals and as a team, is a huge part of Nike. We dig in, we come together, adapt and change to be more competitive . . . always focused on serving the athlete. It’s when we are at our best.

Charlie Denson, President, Nike Brand.