Samuel Bistrian, founder and CEO of America’s favorite rain boot brand, ROMA Boots.

“Early on, I simply wanted to help those less fortunate, I still do. But as I’ve grown and understood that a business like ROMA Boots must be able to sustain our non-profit ROMA Foundation through the donation of boots. So, I got more comfortable with being CEO, albeit reluctantly.”

DALLAS (PRWEB) April 13, 2021

During the past year, business owners have been forced to shift strategy to stay afloat. Samuel Bistrian, founder and CEO of America’s favorite rain boot brand, ROMA Boots, has stayed true to his passion and the commitment he made 11 years ago, leading a company with a philanthropic mission at the forefront.

This month, ROMA Boots celebrates it’s 11th anniversary marking their most successful year to date in terms of sales, customer service, and most importantly, to “Give Poverty the Boot”. The company’s business model merges for-profit fashion with a strong 1-for-1 philanthropic give back mission. The brand gives back to charities daily through its “Product With Purpose” initiative and the ROMA Foundation. Bistrian identifies as philanthropist first, and businessman second.

“I never thought of myself as a businessman or an entrepreneur. For years I struggled with being known as the CEO of ROMA Boots. Early on, I simply wanted to help those less fortunate, I still do. But as I’ve grown and understood that a business like ROMA Boots must be able to sustain our non-profit ROMA Foundation through the donation of boots. So, I got more comfortable with being CEO, albeit reluctantly,” explained Bistrian when asked about the importance of his give back model.

The ROMA Foundation brings children and families hope, love, and lasting change by donating a brand new pair of vegan rain boots, investing in their education, and creating jobs in their communities. Also partnering with Convoy of Hope, the brand donated 40,000 boots in 2020 alone. The mission for 2021 and beyond is to increase the momentum and keep helping people, especially children.

According to Bistrian, it was imperative for the company to keep excellence as the central mission and stay true to its values during the hardships created by COVID-19. He notes the consumer appetite for products that give back and have the credibility and reputation for eco-friendly products that make a difference.

“It’s no secret that COVID’s effect on small businesses was enormous. As retailers cancelled their orders, we had to get creative and find other ways to stay afloat without compromising quality & customer experience, two key components we built our business on. Fortunately, we were able to quickly adapt and make 2020 our best year ever. That momentum carried us into 2021 and Q1 this year was our best quarter ever,” said Bistrian.

Bistrian is no stranger to challenging times, having started ROMA Boots during the last recession in 2010. Having grown up in a poor Romanian village, the idea of providing boots to children in need especially hit home for Bistrian, knowing that children still went without adequate footwear for the wet, cold climate. What began as a local idea in Dallas to help kids in Romania has turned into a global movement impacting hundreds of thousands of children across 30 countries.

The eco-conscious fashion brand continues to offer new designs that are becoming must-haves for the rainy spring season. ROMA Boots is preparing to launch new colors for its best-selling Chelsea Boot line, with plans to ramp up even more philanthropic initiatives as well to celebrate their monumental success.

ROMA Boots are sold at over 1,500 independent retailers across the U.S. at romaboots.com and on Amazon. . To learn more about ROMA Boots and how you can make a difference in a child’s life, visitromaboots.com or romafoundation.com.

About ROMA Boots: Founded in 2010 by Samuel Bistrian, the company name ROMA means love. After spending years working at Neiman Marcus, Romanian-born Samuel Bistrian wanted to take his passion for quality and customer service a step further by giving back to people in need. Following a “buy one, give one model” similar TOMS footwear, ROMA does the same with boots. Growing up in rural Romania, Bristrian knows how proper footwear can empower and inspire children to live their best lives and encourage them to spread their talents with the world.

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