Greg Karelitz, a senior A&S student, “just wanted to have fun,” whatever he was doing. Living in a Mod and tailgating wasn’t all that Greg had to look forward to his senior year. Together with his 5 best childhood friends, they developed Category 5 Boat Shoes, where “Class meets Custom.”
Boat shoes are a common sighting when walking around the BC campus. But Category 5 (Cat 5 as some call it) sought to create a new twist to any ordinary boat shoe. Greg and his co-founders, Jason Shuman, Jeff Shuman, Nate Shron, and Julien Rousson, were sick of seeing the same boat shoes over and over. With Category 5, they could provide “affordable, high quality, and customizable” shoes with full-length insoles, heel support, and water resistant leather. Their signature shoe, “The Yachtsman,” is available in three different colors: oak, mahogany, and walnut.
So what does Category 5 mean? The name was fitting for two reasons: Jason goes to University of Miami, land of the hurricanes, and the company founded by five friends. A category 5 hurricane is “one of the most extreme conditions a hurricane be,” the perfect weather for wearing boat shoes.
To target a broader audience, Category 5 Boat Shoes has started the “Class Meets Custom Campus Takeover,” gaining representatives from over 100 college campuses around the nation. And ready for this? For BC students, if you type in the code BCEAGLES when you buy a pair of Category 5 boat shoes, it will save you $10 off your purchase!
To get yourself a pair of Category 5 Boat Shoes, go to http://www.cat5boatshoes.com/. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter @cat5boatshoes.
And collegiettes, look out in January for the release of the first custom women’s Category 5 boat shoe!