TriSports

Seton circa 1999

It was the summer of 1999 and Seton Claggett was on a long training ride in the deserts of Tucson, AZ.  In training for his first Ironman, he had a hard time finding a local source for triathlon equipment.  After several hours of baking in the Arizona heat, Seton came up with a grand idea - start an online triathlon store.  After all, if he couldn't find all the necessities locally then there had to be others with the same predicament.  This was quite a bold thought at the time, as it was the start of the dot-com bust and Seton didn't exactly have the retail experience to run an online store (he was working on his MS in Hydrology at the time).  After completing his Ironman he took that extra 20-hours a week he was putting into training and started working on the foundation of what is now TriSports.com.  In April of 2000, backed with a strong business plan, TriSports.com launched out of two bedrooms in the Claggett's house. 

Developing a superior customer service ethic, thanks mainly to Debbie Claggett (who was working full time to support the Claggetts and providing "after-hours" customer support), the store gained lots of traction quickly.  Both Debbie and Seton understood what it took to make this work: with Seton's background in triathlon and his understanding of the urgency in which triathletes need their gear, coupled with Debbie's understanding of providing a great customer experience, they created the ultimate shop for triathletes.

Occupying a 22,000 sq ft facility housing a state-of-the-art retail store, warehouse, and corporate headquarters, TriSports.com is now supported by 40+ staff members.

Seton, Billy (Buyer), and Sarah (Marketing Director) at BAM '07

Our Culture

Opening a store on the internet is easy, creating a sustainable business model isn't as easy. Here at TriSports.com we focus on our customers, our staff, our suppliers and the environment - all of which have defined who we are.  All four of these are interconnected and require each of the others to be successful. 

One interesting facet of being online is that we are a global company and we feel it is our responsibility to support the "local" triathlon communities that support us.  We sponsor 80 athletes from around the world, help support/sponsor over 60 events around the world, and donate to several charities, including the Challenged Athletes Foundation.  In all, TriSports.com has put over $650,000 back into the sport over the last 3-years.  Our goal is not to simply sell the products people need in order to compete in the sport, but to actually help the sport grow.  By supporting the clubs, teams, individuals, races and charities, we are able to see the fruit of our efforts in this goal.

Our Staff - If you own a business, or have ever worked for one, you know that the company can only be as good as its worst employee.  TriSports.com has been extremely fortunate and has an incredible group of people working here.  From day one our founders have set out to provide the type of employment experience they would want from a company.  Benefits in the triathlon/bike/run/swim industry are minimal, especially amongst the retail sector.  TriSports.com has an incredible benefits package for our employees, including: 401k, profit sharing, medical/dental insurance, massage, annual demo bike, and many more.  As you can imagine, most of the employees working at TriSports.com are involved in triathlon, cycling, running, swimming, or some other related sport.  Between their desire to work in this industry and the founders' desire to provide a great work environment, TriSports.com has attracted a very diverse group of people - from students to doctors to former business owners to architects to scientists to engineers.  Everyone working at TriSports.com is family and with our open door policy everyone has the opportunity to share their ideas and visions for growth.

Commuter Program - We offer a commuter program for our staff that rewards them for commuting to work.  We have showers and lockers for them to use and provide a place for them to securely park their bicycle.  We currently have over 60% of our staff on our commuter program, 80% of which commute to work more than twice a week. 

Building Construction -
When we built our new building were able to budget for several key environmental features.  Here are some examples: compact fluorescent lighting throughout most of the building; provided natural light in all workplace areas; purchased furniture that was made from recycled materials and/or able to be recycled after use; installed recycled carpet; installed super low-e glass throughout our storefront; multiple zone air conditioning so areas of the building that aren't in use can be turned off; dual light controls in office areas to minimize light usage.

Recycling - Our recycle bin is four times larger than our garbage dumpster. We reduce, reuse and recycle as much shipping and office material as possible.  Recycling is great; however, reusing is even better.  We reuse the vast majority of our in-bound packing material and, with our Green Box Program, our customers are able to opt for a used box for their shipment.  We also make sure to use both sides of our non-confidential office paper.  Some other recycling efforts include:

• CD/DVD Recycling
• Bicycle Part Recycling (old parts are sent to Resource Revival to have a new life as artwork)
• Run Shoe Donations (we have partnered with Soles for Souls to donate customers' old run shoes)

While these programs take time and money to maintain, we know it is our responsibility to continue with these efforts. 

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about our company.  See you in the water, roads, and trails!!!