Featured Alumnus

 

 

Ray Margiano
’69 B.S., Business Administration

Tell Ray Margiano an idea won’t work, and he’ll keep going at it until it does. Now an optimistic entrepreneur, as a young man Margiano planned to work in his father’s garage as his career. College was less than a passing thought.  

Then he took a class in UNH’s evening program some years ago.

“In one year, I was hooked and going to school full-time,” he says. “Like many, I had to work full time while going to school, but it was all worth it.”

He now holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration 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, and is the founder of Foot Solutions Inc., an international franchise with more than 250 locations headquartered in Marietta, Ga.

He has become an expert in the field of pedorthics, a growing field that focuses on helping patients with foot problems. In just six years, Margiano has taken his company from its founding to more than $100 million in sales. His secret: bridging the gap between retailers who sold shoes that looked good and did little else, and orthopedic shoes that would accommodate specific injuries, special needs and hard-to-fit feet. Serving an aging and demanding Baby Boomer segment that wants attractive shoes that also accommodate medical issues, his business is booming.

Margiano has also become a member of the University of New Haven’s Board of Governors, and will be hosting a reception for all UNH Georgia alumni at The Georgian Club in Atlanta February 24. He was also a recipient of the University of New Haven’s 1995 Distinguished Alumni Award, and was twice a Bartels Fellow, in 1995 and 2008.

The reasons for his UNH involvement are straightforward: “UNH was my key to the corporate world,” he says. “There I succeeded, but I still wanted to start my own business. Wanting to do something is only a small part, though. To succeed, you need education. This is the foundation you can build on.”

He has used his education in any number of ways. Before Foot Solutions, he held executive management positions at Sikorsky Aircraft, United Technologies, Sybron Corporate and the Bostitch Auto-Soler Division of Textron Inc. before starting Heel Quik, an international franchise business in 1983. The franchise grew to more than 700 stores in 34 countries. He became an author, writing a book, “Balance Walking – Changing Your Life in Just 15 Minutes a Day.” He also became a popular speaker on international franchising, the footwear industry and pedorthics, and has worked with a number of franchising companies as an advisor. He has won several industry awards and is an active member of a number of boards and associations.

All this, from a guy who initially expected to work for his father in the family garage.

“I really owe where I am today to UNH,” he says. “Thank you, UNH!”