Traister also said the facility will further solidify the company’s placement in the United States.
“We are serving a wider global market and our business has been growing,” she said. “Some of our manufacturing done overseas will be moving back to the United States.”
Amfit doesn’t foresee any new jobs resulting from the warehouse purchase right away, but some projects currently in the works may call for increased hiring in the future.
The company employs about 50 people, serving international markets such as Dubai, Australia and New Zealand, just to name a few.
“All of the equipment we send around the world is built right here in our Vancouver facility,” she added.
Amfit’s products go to sports teams and medical professionals in the United States too, including local businesses like When the Shoe Fits.
“We just had a visit from a physical therapist on the East Coast whose patient is an Olympic marathoner sponsored by Nike,” Traister recalled.
“She wears Amfit insoles in her shoes.”
Amfit was founded in 1977 in Silicon Valley. According to Traister, the company moved to Southwest Washington about a decade ago when operations in California became too expensive.
“Vancouver had the best combination of what the company needed,” she said. “It has a great quality of life, and many employees moved up from California with the company.”
Amfit’s move to the 68th Street warehouse will come on the heels of their newest product launch in February – off-the-shelf inserts called Amfit Precise Insoles. These pre-made inserts will add a new dimension to their current lineup of custom-made insoles and diagnostic equipment.