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Spotlight…Pete Navis

If you wear Russian Pointes, you can be pretty sure that your shoes have passed through the hands of Pete Navis, and you can be glad that they did. Manager of the Russian Pointe warehouse since March 2007, Pete has set his mind to refining the ordering, stocking, packing and shipping processes, with wonderful results. Pete grew up in Grand Rapids, MI, and moved to Chicago in 1995 to attend Moody Bible Institute, graduating with a degree in applied linguistics. After a small part in “Sound of Music” in high school, he was active as an actor and director during college, and remained in Chicago after graduation to pursue his interest in theater.

Russian Pointe What is the theater scene like in Chicago?
Pete Navis It's a great place for somebody who is really interested in acting and wants to be learning continually. There's lots going on, and always a new company getting started. In New York, you might get paid more, but there's more opportunity in Chicago. I've been able to work with a variety of people and have learned some really interesting new things. It's a professional quality of theater.

RP Tell me more about your theater work.
PN I usually do a couple of shows and then take some time off – being in a show really fills up your schedule. One of my favorites was "The Skin of Our Teeth" by Thornton Wilder. It was the sort of play that seems completely impossible when you read the script, but everyone was completely committed. There were over 30 people involved, and they were all very dedicated, and working really hard.

RP What sorts of roles do you usually take?
PN I look for parts that will push me beyond what I've done before. Typically, I'm cast as either an extremely rational, intellectual character, or as a quirky supporting character. I'm fairly sure that's based as much on being a tall skinny guy as on anything in my acting ability.

RP What brought you to your job at Russian Pointe?
PN I had worked for five years as the stock manager for a high-end men's shoe store, then briefly done a similar job for a large, chain furniture company. I came to Russian Pointe because I was looking for a company that was smaller, newer and more open to input from employees, with real potential for growth.

RP What are some of the changes in the warehouse since you took the job?
PN Shipping and receiving probably take half the time they used to. Our stock is now based on average sales history – we anticipate customers' needs two months ahead so that we can usually have merchandise before it is needed. We accept that we can't always have everything in stock, but I'm shooting for 95% of what customers need, and to be able to get the rest very quickly.

RP Do you have any advice for retailers when they are putting their Russian Pointe orders together?
PN They should realize that 60% of our sales are medium or softer shanks. We cut way back on the Boutique stock, after seeing what was most popular. Now, we have the most popular vamp (vamp 2) and shank (Medium Flexible) on the shelf in every model, size and width. If someone wants a different vamp or shank, we take them from the warehouse [in the basement of the same historic building as the Boutique]. Of course, most Russian Pointe retailers can't just go downstairs to get a new pair of shoes, but they can stock the most popular specifications and order what an individual customer needs, usually getting delivery very quickly. New retailers should also keep in mind that although the Jewels Collection shoes are incredibly popular, they only represent about a third of our sales. I would recommend that retailers split their stock between Jewels and the earlier models – that's what our longtime retailers do. It's important to note that a lot of the popularity of Jewels shoes has been based on dancers who are switching from other makers, not necessarily from other Russian Pointe models.

RP You seem like a detail-oriented perfectionist – would that be an accurate description?
PN The people I work with would certainly say it was! I do like detail-oriented work, and was attracted to my major – applied linguistics – when I took a phonetics class and found out how technical and interesting linguistics was.