Vermont’s own Hinda Miller received a Lifetime Achievement Award last night in Glasgow, Scotland, at the Sports Business Innovation Awards 2015, for invention of the “Jogbra,” a sports bra for women she co-invented in 1977. The Sports Business Innovation Awards highlight innovation and achievement in sports related businesses in Scotland. Hinda’s involvement in the development of the sports bra for women, and subsequent business success story, were inspirational to guests attending the Glittering Awards Ceremony and to other award winners such as DiaryDoll and Findra.
She told her business story to a spellbound audience - from the initial problems she and her business partner Lisa had when they started exercising by jogging, with no appropriate underwear to keep everything in place – to working out how something appropriate could be made using 2 jockstraps sewn together. The subsequent design ensured no seams to rub against skin, and proper support of a deep strap around the chest, with cross straps over the back. The Jogbra was developed into a destination product sold in those days through a string of small boutique sports shops which were springing up across the USA.
Hinda stayed on to direct the business when Jogbra was bought by Playtex and then by Sara Lee Corporation, and played an important role in her community at that time too, as a State Senator in Vermont.
Hinda Miller speaking at the award ceremony. Photos courtesy TheBusiness Public Relations, Edinburgh.
“This is an unexpected but wonderful award to receive,” says Hinda. “Jogbra is now a generic term, but I’m delighted that there is still so much interest in the original garment and how it grew to become an international brand. The award comes at the same time that that the American History Museum, part of the Smithsonian Museum, has accepted the Jogbra archives into its sports history division, and I’m thrilled that these two honours have coincided.”
David Sherman, Events and Marketing Executive at Sporting Chance Initiative, who nominated Hinda for this special award said: “We are delighted that Hinda Miller travelled all the way to Scotland to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award at the first Sports Business Innovation Awards. Her exemplary work is an inspiration to sports entrepreneurs both here in Scotland and beyond.
“By seeing a gap in the market and successfully fulfilling that need, Hinda’s co-invention has unquestionably helped to make sport safer and more enjoyable for millions of women. We hope that some of the small businesses we have helped over the last four years here at Sporting Chance Initiative will be inspired by Hinda’s story and go on to achieve similar greatness.”
Hinda says that being located in the small state of Vermont was very fortunate for them. “There were very few large businesses based here, so there was better support for smaller organisations, and an appetite from the Government to support small business development at the time. I don’t think we would have had the same success if we had been based in New York City.Interest rates were 22 per cent in those days, so getting funding to develop an idea was crucial.”
Once the pair had developed their product, the first 600 brasthey produced were sold out fast and demand grew quickly with sales in year one topping $500,000 USD.They went on to sell the firm to Playtex Apparel in 1990. “The business needed an infrastructure to take it to the next level, and we couldn’t do that on our own,” explains Hinda.“We started as a high ticket item and it was on its way to becoming a commodity.”
She left the company in 1998 to pursue other interests including politics andteaching business in the University of Vermont. Since 1999 she has been a board member of the Keurig Green Mountain (coffee company) and is chair of the Sustainability Committee. She also chairs the board of the Sustainable Entrepreneurship MBA (SEMBA) at the University of Vermont.
A sports bra is a bra that provides additional support to female breasts during physical exercise. Sturdier than typical bras, they minimize breast movement, alleviate discomfort, and reduce potential damage to chest ligaments. Many women wear sports bras to reduce pain, and physical discomfort caused by breast movement during exercise. Some sports bras are designed to be worn as outerwear during exercise such as jogging. Larger breasted women may be prevented from taking part in sports or exercise when their breasts move excessively.
Sporting Chance Initiative
This organisation consists of a small team based in Stirling University Innovation Park, in Central Scotland, whose mission is to drive innovation in to sports businesses across Scotland, increasing jobs and helping the economy. Sporting Chance Initiative does this by networking and match making sports related businesses with other organisations which will help them grow. In its first three years the team supported 561 small to medium sized enterprises, creating/safeguarding an estimated 518 jobs and adding a predicted £5.94m to their turnovers.
The sports industry is significant and growing in Scotland. It is estimated to be worth £1,840m to the Scottish economy. SCI has provided valuable access to academic research in the Scottish universities to help develop innovation in sports related businesses, as well as signposting businesses to other sources of economic help.
Source: Sporting Chance Initiative. 3.11.2015. www.sportingchanceinitiative.
VERY TOP PHOTO: RIGHT TO LEFT, Paul Moultrie, from Golphin for Kids –which makes shorter clubs for children learning to take up golf for the first time; Brian McCann – whose project is Aberdeen Youth Games –persuading youngsters into sport; Carol Smillie –whose award winning company is DiaryDoll which makes period pants for women; HInda Miller from Vermont; Alex Feechan –who won Sports Entrepreneur of the Year for her business FINDRA which makes fashion led mountain biking apparel for women; The team from FirstPOINT USA – who help Scots youngsters to study sport and academics at universities in the USA.