"I'm Jim Adams...and This is Retail!"

If you've never heard of Baltimorean Jim Adams, the National Retail Federation is hoping you will soon, thanks to a promotional campaign by the trade group.

Adams owns Falls Road Running Store on Falls Road. A full page advertisement featuring a photo of Adams with running shoes draped around his neck appears today in Politico in print and in electronic newsletters as part of a five day-campaign of full-page ads featuring stories of shop owners across the country.

"I'm Jim Adams ... and This is Retail," says the ad, part of a larger campaign by the retail trade association to promote retail as a career and show the types of career choices available.

Adams was selected as one of five national finalists in the NRF's "This is Retail" video contest. The top 20 winners were selected after a week of public voting in April in which more than 245,000 votes were cast. Additional voting whittled down the videos to top five, then three.

The NRF says it launched the "Retail Means Jobs" video contest to emphasize the economic importance of retail, which the group says supports one in four U.S. jobs, and encourage policy makers to take steps to boost economic growth and create jobs.

Ellen Davis, a senior vice president of NRF, says the Adams video was the most all encompassing in terms of showing retail's effect on the economy.

"It really demonstrates how retail is at the hub of everything," Davis said. "The general goal is to demonstrate to the policy makers and others who read influential Washington publications that retail is everywhere. We provide jobs to millions of Americans and power the economy."

Appearing in his store and with his employees on a video that was produced by his son, Adams talks about reinvesting in his own independent specialty running store, replenishing inventory from manufacturers, paying employees and creating jobs for truck drivers and farmers.

"Once my employees receive their paychecks, which comes from the sale of shoes in the store, they spend that money in a variety of places," he says.

"I'm going to buy new clothes!" one employee says.

"Sixty bucks, 30 Natty Bohs," says another.

And, Adams continues on the video, shoe sales power the economy indirectly too, as the delivery truck driver goes to a restaurant and leaves a tip for a waiter who goes to the movies and buy snacks made in factories from produce that comes from farms.

"The farmer may have a sore back and visit a doctor," Adams says in his wrap up. "Then, the doctor will say, 'If you had a good pair of shoes, your back wouldn't hurt so much.'"

Though the video didn't make the top three, it's up for a special judges choice award, to be given this week during the NRF's leadership conference in Washington.

Here's a link to the video:

http://www.retailmeansjobs.com/ThisIsRetail/JimAdams_profile

This article was originally published in The Baltimore Sun. It was written by Lorraine Mirabella, and can't be found here: Baltimore running store owner stars in national retail campaign

Falls Road Running Wins Judge's Choice Award

One Baltimore retailer is garnering national attention for powering America’s economy.

Jim Adams, founder of Falls Road Running Store, is the Judge’s Choice Award winner for the National Retail Federation’s “This is Retail” video contest. This is the first year of the NRF’s video contest, which asked retailers to create short videos about the role their businesses play in the economy.

Adams’ son, Andrew Adams, 25, is a filmmaker in Los Angeles. When the younger Adams found out about the contest, he called his dad to encourage him to enter, offering to put together the video.

He called and asked “Would you invest in a round trip ticket to see you and mom for the weekend?” Jim Adams said.

The two worked together on the video concept and the entire process of filming and editing took four days, Jim Adams said. But working with a professional had its unique challenges.

“It was a lot more complicated than I thought it was going to be. He made me do it over and over again,” Jim Adams said, noting the various humors and more serious takes they filmed.

The NRF received about 100 video submissions and narrowed that list down to 40. Six judges from outside of the NRF, including John S. Rogers, general manager of e-commerce for Baltimore-based Under Armour, scored the top 40, said Ellen Davis, senior vice president of the NRF.

The 20 highest scoring videos moved on to public voting. Adams received the top score from the judges.

“In that span of two minutes, Jim did an incredible job demonstrating how retail powers the rest of the U.S. economy, demonstrating when someone buys a product in his store, what happens next,” Davis said.

Though he doesn’t think the publicity has brought in more customers, “it never hurts to have your name out there,” Adams said.

Adams made it into the top five, but did not advance to the top three. The NRF announced the top three winners earlier this month and will announce the rankings Wednesday at its annual Washington Leadership conference.

This article was written by Maria Zilberman and originally posted in The Daily Record. It can be accessed here: Falls Road Running Store sprints its way to Judge's Choice award in video contest.

Falls Road Running featured in Baltimore Business Journal

Jim Adams is retail’s newest cover boy.

The owner of Falls Road Running Store is one of five entrepreneurs — and the only Marylander — being featured in a multimillion campaign designed to promote retail’s importance to the nation’s economy.

Adams submitted a video detailing his retail story “I’m Jim Adams and This is Retail” to the National Retail Federation’s video contest. The organization whittled 100 videos down to 40 before a panel of judges got the list down to 20. Public voting yielded five winners, including Adams. He was the first Monday to be featured in ads. The group is advertising in Politico and other Washington, D.C.,-centered media.

Ellen Davis, the federation’s vice president, said the group is trying to reach D.C. decision-makers.

“Retail is really at the hub of everything,” she said, explaining the campaign’s thrust.

Adams’ video explains how his store powers America’s economy. He gives viewers a glimpse of his store, customers and rows and rows of shoes. With lights flickering in the background, he even shows what happens if he didn’t pay the utility bills. And in a move that probably wowed judges and the public, he shows his very enthusiastic staff — and how they spend the money they earn in his store. Cash in hand, one woman proudly says she’s going shopping.

- Joanna Sullivan, Editor, Baltimore Business Journal

The original article can be found here: Falls Road Running owner Jim Adams featured in national retail ad