Relationships key for sports outfitter

Though you’ll find Dewey Michaels cheering for his oldest son, Bryan, at Glacier High School sporting events, you won’t see him wearing Glacier’s blue and green.

Michaels has made a vow of neutrality regarding the local high school sports scene. As the outside sales representative at Universal Athletics in Kalispell, Michaels helps outfit sports teams and programs at schools and organizations throughout the Flathead Valley as well as in Libby, Troy and Eureka.

He can’t afford to show favoritism.

“I wear a lot of gray or white,” Michaels said. “I have a stadium chair that’s red, and I’ve put a Switzerland flag on it.”

Michaels has to be even more careful than others might in his professional situation. At 6-foot-9, it’s tough for him to hide even in the stands at a crowded sporting event.

Michaels, 40, doesn’t mind being noticed and known. He thoroughly enjoys talking with people, a necessity in his job.

“Dewey is maybe the mayor of Kalispell,” said Mark Dennehy, athletic director at Glacier High School. “I don’t know if there are many people he doesn’t know and interact with. He’s always friendly and highly involved.”

Dennehy, who was athletic director at Flathead High School for many years before Glacier opened, has worked with Michaels since he joined Universal Athletics.

“Most of our purchases have gone through Universal,” Dennehy said. “A lot of it is cost and a lot of it is service. It’s not uncommon for Dewey to make a special run from the store and personally deliver an item we need in very short order. There’s nothing that he hasn’t done or will not do for Glacier High, or Flathead High for that matter.”

Universal Athletics is a Montana company started by two friends in 1971 in Bozeman. Building on its mission of superior customer service, the business has grown dramatically, with 13 retail stores throughout Montana and in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Arizona.

Michaels’ biggest role with Universal is to help coaches and sports administrators outfit their teams with everything from uniforms to mouthpieces to hats.

“I can be sitting in a meeting with a football coach talking about helmets and shoulder pads, and then I will have a cheerleading coach walk in who wants to talk about uniforms and pompoms,” he said. “The spectrum is so wide.”

Because his philosophy is that the best way of doing business is face to face, he doesn’t often worry that he will be bypassed for the Internet.

“The basis of Universal’s business practice is that it’s all about relationships,” Michaels said. “Since relationships are important to me, it’s a great fit.”

THROUGH HIS roles as consultant and salesperson, Michaels is a booster for the individual coaches at schools and youth programs throughout the valley, even if he doesn’t cheer publicly for one team over another.

“It’s more to me than just doing business,” he said. “I truly care about these people.”

He doesn’t like to hear the criticism that is often aimed at youth sports coaches. He sees firsthand how hard coaches work and how much they give.

“One thing people don’t know is how much these coaches care and how much personal sacrifice they make. They sacrifice so much of their family time to develop their programs. They put in so much effort, it always amazes me.”

Michaels and his wife, Rhonda, gave much of their own time to youth of the Flathead Valley when they spent five years working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Young Life, starting soon after they moved to the area in 2002. They would host up to 70 students at their home some weeks for dinner and a meeting, and even converted their garage into a meeting space.

Michaels also has become a generous supporter of sports through his own coaching of youth basketball and football programs. He sees more value in sports than just the physical fitness and competition.

“I’m hoping that through sports, kids will grow into being successful leaders and solid citizens. Not everyone will be an NFL or NBA player.” he said. “I’ve gone through a lot with sports and life, and I’d like to pass on that experience that kids can use.”

Michaels has a high-profile athletic history on which to draw. He grew up in Wheaton, Ill., and moved to Montana to become a four-year starter and all-time leading shot blocker for Montana State University’s basketball team. (He feels no need to remain neutral where the Bobcats are concerned. “I bleed blue and gold,” he said.)

Following college, Michaels played professional basketball in Turkey and France, then spent six years in Australia’s highly competitive National Basketball League.

In Australia, Michaels dove into community life. He worked with a group that traveled to aboriginal communities and offered basketball clinics and other services to people who were struggling. He also hosted a radio morning show on local sports.

Though son Bryan, now a junior at Glacier, was born in Turkey, and sons Bret, currently a seventh-grader, and Brooks, in fifth grade, were born In Australia, the whole family has dual citizenships in the United States and Australia.

They haven’t been back to the Australia since they left in 2002, though they were tempted to stay there permanently after living in two cities, Perth and Cairns.

“The lifestyle is great, it’s a great place to live and raise a family,” he said. “We never lived further than a mile from the ocean.”

But with so much family in the United States, and Rhonda’s family in the Flathead Valley, the couple decided that they should head back to the states before the boys were fully invested in Australia’s school system.

Dewey has no regrets about the move, especially as far as his job is concerned.

“This job is never dull,” he said. “I always strive to be good at customer service and to make the customers feel important. I hope and pray that people know they can rely on me.”

Business reporter Heidi Gaiser may be reached at 758-4439 or by email at hgaiser@dailyinterlake.com.