Originally published in Shoe Retailing Today, Nov/Dec 2025 issue. Written by Mary Ruoff.
PowerStep has been America’s “No. 1 Podiatrist Recommended” insole since 2004, but the brand isn’t relying only on medical professionals to get its products into the shoes of consumers. In a win-win move, “Made in the USA” PowerStep is helping its independent shoe store partners drive sales by educating customers about the over-the-counter insoles. Since adopting the strategy a few years ago, the brand’s retail sales have grown at a double-digit pace.
“We’ve put a stronger focus on training and working with our retailers. Most retailers knew us only through our podiatry referrals,” explains Kevin Massey, West Coast Business Development Manager (BDM), or regional sales representative, for parent company Foundation Wellness of suburban Akron, Ohio. Formerly a sales representative for New Balance athletic footwear and Aetrex shoes, orthotics and digital foot analysis technology, he suggested the new sales approach after being hired in 2022 and soon had his marching orders: “You understand retail. Do what you need to do to drive this. We’ve done so well through medical, but this is basically an untapped area for us.”
PowerStep Insoles Reduce Pain Fast
According to the brand, “90 percent of PowerStep users had less foot, knee and back pain within just two weeks.” Mostly sold through retailers and medical providers, including some pharmacies, the insoles are not in big box stores but are available on Amazon and direct-to-consumer (DTC) at PowerStep.com. Pinnacle, the leading line, has about 10 styles. Some target conditions like plantar fasciitis, back/knee/hip pain or sore arches. Others are designed for activities (hiking, work, etc.) or shoe type (athletic, dress, etc.). Offerings include Wide Fit (size 3E-6E) and women’s ¾-length SlenderFit. The Pulse line is for runners and athletes. To help shoe stores curate a selection or try out the brand, ordering policies were relaxed. BDMs regularly visit retailers.
“I like spending time on the sales floor with associates, discussing our products and looking at fitting options,” says Massey, who shares retail strategies with other BDMs, including some who previously marketed only to the medical field. “Customers will ask questions regarding foot health and fitting issues, and knowing the PowerStep line well helps associates feel comfortable giving answers.”
PowerStep Is a Great Fit for NSRA Members
While training staff at NSRA member Joy-Per’s Shoes in Salinas, Calif., which sells men’s, women’s and children’s footwear, Massey helped a customer who had an injured ankle. “My feet have not felt this good in years,” said the man, grabbing the sales representative with his “massive arm” after replacing the four sets of gel insoles (not PowerStep) stacked in his motorcycle boots with one PowerStep pair. Says Joy-Per’s Manager Andrew Steinbach on adding PowerStep three years ago: “It’s truly been one of the best decisions we’ve made.” Customers love having a choice of low, medium and high arch options and are big on the Maxx style, whose angled heel post helps “control the rear foot and provides stability for those who overpronate.”
SHOES-n-FEET in Bellevue, Wash., started carrying CURREX – America’s best-selling running insole – a few years before Foundation Wellness acquired the brand in 2023. Not long after, the NSRA member replaced its in-house insole line with PowerStep. Together the sister brands are the top-sellers (CURREX is No. 1) among the Seattle retailer’s 15 insole brands, boosting total store sales by three percent. “You put (the insoles) under someone’s foot who has a foot problem, and they feel the difference, they feel comfort,” says owner Chris Bentvelzen. Insole sales, he stresses, aren’t “add-ons.” They’re integral to the health-focused customer service that draws customers to SHOES-n-FEET’s side-by-side storefronts, which respectively sell running shoes and men’s and women’s footwear.
Since Foundation Wellness doesn’t set aside products for DTC sales, shoe stores have full access to inventory. Both PowerStep and CURREX use Minimum Advertised Pricing and have store locators on their websites. Since 2022, the parent company’s sales force has been expanded to include 17 BDMs, who are based in the regions they serve. Prior to that the sales team was smaller and mostly worked by phone and email from headquarters (a few account managers still do).
“A Custom Feel … Without a Prescription”
After years of making similar custom orthotics, Podiatrist Dr. Les Appel started PowerStep in 1991, determined to create “affordable orthotics with a custom feel that you can get without a prescription,” notes the website’s “About” page. “Bringing pain relief and prevention to everyone who needs it, we make it our goal to help people prevent pain from common foot conditions and lead active, healthy lifestyles.” After trying the insoles, which have “plush foam cushioning” and a supportive “firm yet flexible” shell, customers often buy multiple pairs and recommend the brand to family and friends.
In 2010, PowerStep was sold to its manufacturing partner, Remington Products. Opened in 1934, the company was renamed Foundation Wellness in 2020 to avoid confusion with Remington firearms and shavers (it was never connected to either brand). In 2024, private equity firm Bansk Group bought Foundation Wellness, which also includes Foot Petals women’s cushion and partial shoe inserts; FLAT SOCKS odor-reducing shoe pads; and all-natural Doctor Hoy’s Pain Relief gel and roll-on. Along with insoles, brand family top-seller PowerStep has several other products, like compression socks, splints, and orthotic sandals and slippers.
Proudly Made in America
Almost all PowerStep insoles are made at Foundation Wellness’ manufacturing plant, as “Proudly made in Wadsworth, Ohio” labels attest. About 60 of the company’s 250 employees work at the facility, which shares a building with headquarters and won a national manufacturing award last year. As independent retailers urged, PowerStep rolled out a point-of-purchase display with slat wall hooks and “Made in the USA” signage, which strongly resonates with shoppers. Indeed, the equipment is one part of a retailer-inspired marketing campaign with this theme.
David Moorhead, Foundation Wellness Director of Sales – West, praised Massey for tapping his deep retail knowledge to help PowerStep’s independent partners: “Associate trainings, reviewing inventory/product assortments, and speaking their language (margins/turns) has helped us to better meet their needs and grow the accounts.” PowerStep is more active in NSRA because of the recalibrated sales approach. “NSRA has given us a bigger platform among retailers,” notes Massey, who’s based in California’s Bay Area. “We have a great relationship.”
Association members Joy-Per’s and SHOES-n-FEET, in turn, praised the brand’s independent-friendly business approach. Bentvelzen describes the sales team as “awesome to work with” and committed to helping stores find the “right” product mix. Adds Steinbach: “PowerStep supports independent retailers with fair policies and a generous 30-day satisfaction guarantee, which gives our customers the confidence to try the product risk-free.”