Year in Review: How New Balance Navigated Disruption and Transformation in 2025

Tariffs dominated headlines. AI moved from pilot to production. Automation got real. But what did 2025 actually look like for operators on the ground? New Balance COO Dave Wheeler joins Lauren Acoba, VP, Research Advisory Services at Zero100, to reflect on a year of “unpredictable disruption” – and reveal why the companies that thrived weren't chasing efficiency at all costs. From 806,000 square feet of robotic warehousing to the irreplaceable value of human craftsmanship, this is the 2025 year in review you need to hear.

• 2025 in two words: “Unpredictable disruption” (00:54)
• Made in USA for 75 years – validation or new challenges? (1:41)
• Private ownership's long-term advantage in a quarterly-obsessed world (3:19)
• AI moves from pilots to real wins in supplier complexity and sourcing (05:49)
• Staying the course on sustainability as the pendulum swings (07:51)
• Robots, AVs, and 100K units per day: Inside New Balance’s new Salt Lake City DC (10:35)
• What New Balance will never automate: the craftsmanship that defines the brand (13:06)
• The skills gap reality check (14:38)
• The 2026 defining move? Breaking out of operations’ four walls (20:00)