Armour

Sports highlights blared from the big-screen television to the tune of hip-hop beats at the Inner Harbor's ESPN Zone yesterday morning. But the 100 or so men and women watching from leather lounge chairs, seats at the bar and restaurant tables were there for the annual shareholders' meeting of Under Armour - not to catch up on the night-before scores. Baltimore-based Under Armour has done what few thought possible, carving a niche in the crowded sportswear market with its gear that wicks sweat from the body to control temperature.

Sports apparel company Under Armour named its first chief operating officer yesterday -- another step in its transformation from a startup that began in the basement of founder Kevin Plank's grandmother's house to a fast-growing company with aspirations to be a major player. The company announced that Wayne Marino, who had been chief financial officer, is assuming the COO title with responsibility for leading operational, financial, administrative and strategic planning functions. Brad Dickerson was promoted from vice president of accounting and finance to chief financial officer.

As if on an autumn Sunday, the investors made their way through the dark, dank bowels of M&T Bank Stadium, concrete walls all around them. They wore the team uniform: button-down shirts and khaki pants or dark suits. Waiting in the locker room was Under Armour Chief Executive Officer Kevin A. Plank and his team of executives, welcoming the investors into the world of the athlete. "When you walked in you noticed the authentic smell," Plank told the 90 people in attendance yesterday at the Baltimore company's first Investor Day, as the investors tapped on computers and scribbled notes rather than going over football plays.

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank quickly built a sports apparel empire that went public in less than a decade. But when the Baltimore business mogul launched cross-training and running shoe lines a few years ago, he hit a speed bump. The shoes flopped with some consumers and ended up on clearance racks across the country. Now Plank's company is hoping to make a footwear comeback after what he called a "reset" period. Under Armour spent months cleaning house. The company replaced the footwear team, redesigned shoes and switched marketing strategies.

The Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation will honor Muhammad Ali and Under Armour at its annual Aspire Gala on Feb. 22, 2013 at the Waterfront Marriott, the group announced Monday. Ali and his wife, Lonnie, will be presented with the Aspire Award. Founder and CEO Kevin Plank will accept the same award on behalf of Under Armour. Robbie Callaway, former chairman of the Ripken board, will receive the Cal Sr. Award. All are being honored for their dedication to community service. Ali's humanitarian efforts are -- or should be -- well known to just about every sports fan. A news release from the foundation lauds his and Lonnie's work with soup kitchens, hospitals, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Special Olympics.

Sports apparel company Under Armour Inc. said yesterday that 2007 sales growth is likely to slow compared with last year's increase, but it expects demand for its moisture-wicking apparel to remain sound as it introduces new products and expands an already aggressive marketing campaign. Baltimore-based Under Armour reported fourth-quarter earnings yesterday that were 69 percent higher than a year earlier but came in slightly lower than expected. Wall Street punished the company's stock, sending it down 7.15 percent, or $3.63, to close at $46.17.

Under Armour shares soared nearly 11 percent yesterday to reach an all-time high after the company raised its financial outlook for the year. The stock rose as high as $64.75 during the day before it finally settled to close at $61.24. The company said its improved forecast, which it announced during a scheduled release of second quarter earnings, came after a better-than-expected first half of the year as sales increased across the business in the women's, men's and youth categories.

Athletic wear company Under Armour Inc. submitted an application to the New York Stock Exchange yesterday and expects to begin trading on what is considered the world's most prominent bourse next month. The Baltimore company hopes to make the jump to the NYSE not long after having become a public company. Under Armour has traded on the Nasdaq stock market since Nov. 18 last year. Shares have risen 85 percent from the closing price of $25.30 on the first day of trading. It closed yesterday at $46.25, down 60 cents.

Debra Joplin of Huntsville, Ark., would not be able to work if her employer, Armour Swift-Eckrich, hadn't opened an on-site community child-care center last June.Joplin, 33, whose children are 9 and 6 years old, was a full-time homemaker. Her husband, Jerry, worked in oil fields in Texas, commuting back and forth to the Ozarks."I needed a job for the extra income, but who would take care of the children?" said Joplin, whose rural hometown of 1,400 people had only one day-care center with a long waiting list.

Detectives in the HBO crime series The Wire go after bad guys in Baltimore wearing shirts and tactical gear made by Under Armour. The thugs in the television show wear hats and hoodie sweat shirts manufactured by the sportswear company. Golf characters in a Tiger Woods Golf video game play longer and better in hot weather when they put on an Under Armour polo-style shirt. And in the movie Gridiron Gang, the team of troubled youths and their coach, played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, hit the field in Under Armour uniforms.