1979
Mark Parker joins Nike as a footwear designer and product tester.
1980 Revenue $270 Million
1980
Nike goes public. B shares set at $22, close at $23.
1981
Parker moves from the R&D facility in New Hampshire to Oregon HQ as director of design concepts and engineering.
Parker designs the Odyssey, a running shoe focused on stability.
1982
Parker's Pegasus hits the market. The line, including 2009's Air Pegasus 26+, is still Nike's most popular running shoe.
1986
Parker and Tinker Hatfield work on the first cross-training shoe. John McEnroe tries a prototype and wears the cross-trainer for the rest of his career.
1987
The Visible Air technology, patented in Parker's name, debuts. More than 600,000 pairs of the Air Max alone are sold.
1988
Parker becomes VP of R&D. The first Visible Air shoe in the Michael Jordan line is released.
1990 Revenue $2.2 Billion
Mid-1990s
Parker begins commissioning artists, such as Futura 2000, Mr Cartoon, and Os Gêmeos, to create limited-edition sneakers.
1996
Parker, now VP of consumer product marketing, helps sign Tiger Woods to a 20-year, $40 mil-lion endorsement deal.
1998
As general manager of global footwear, Parker drives Nike's purchase of Cole Haan, the first in a series of acquisitions that includes Hurley and Converse.
1999
Parker green-lights the Presto, an ultralight running shoe at less than 20 ounces.
2000 Revenue $9 Billion
2001
Parker and Charlie Denson become copresidents of the Nike brand.
Parker helps recruit marathoner Paula Radcliffe.
2002
HTM, an exclusive line of shoes designed by Parker, Tinker Hatfield, and Hiroshi Fujiwara, launches.
2003
Parker okays work on Nike Free, which simulates barefoot running.
Parker's third year as copresident is marked by multimillion-dollar endorsement deals with LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Serena Williams.
2004
Parker oversees creation of the yellow Livestrong band for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
2006
Parker becomes CEO. He launches Nike+iPod and designs the first Nike+ shoe.
2010 Revenue $19 Billion
2010
Nike stock closes at a record high in April.
A version of this article appeared in the September 2010 issue of Fast Company magazine.
