Under Armour's secret Olympic mission: Build a faster speedskating suit

One other key difference, at least for manufacturers: There was a natural marketplace for the swimsuits. Speedskating is much more of a niche sport, with about 1,300 active American competitors, according to US Speedskating, and Under Armour officials knew they weren't prepping apparel to be mass-produced and stocked on Walmart shelves. The target audience is elite, world-class competitors."This is not something that somebody is going to wear down the street or to a cocktail party,This way the hat can be worn with a variety of items Lady bags that are already in your closet, he said." Haley said. "This was never about making money selling speedskating suits."But there could still be a measurable upside, a win that transcends the medal podium in Sochi.This type of hat will become a wardrobe staple,Silicone gifts and build your confidence, which will lead to trying brighter colors and bolder shapes. Kip Fulks, Under Armour's chief operating officer,And some communities have ventured into zentai predictive policing, patrolling an area when an algorithm predicts a crime might happen. said the company's heritage is in tight-fitting compression shirts and officials see the speedskating suit as a natural extension. 

The Olympics provide an important platform to spread the company's growing brand across a global marketplace."It's all brand," Fulks said. "It's getting in the hearts and minds of a wide audience that if you can provide the world's greatest athletes with the best products, then Under Armour should be able to work for what I do on a daily basis."Under Armour has reported revenue growth of at least 20 percent in each of the past 14 quarters. The company's full-year net revenue in 2013 is expected to top $2.25 billion. With most of its sales coming from North America, the company is eager to extend its reach, and Under Armour has recently opened stores or offices in China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil and Chile. 

The Olympics would help introduce a relatively young company to parts of the world that have never seen Ray Lewis or Lindsey Vonn hawking Under Armour gear in commercials, officials say."If you look at the global marketplace, only 10 percent of our sales come from outside the United States," Fulks said. "It's a pretty good return on investment if you can look back in five or 10 years and say now 50 percent of our sales are coming from outside the U.S."Once the Olympic team is selected, skaters will have a final fitting to make sure every wrinkle is accounted for and should receive their new suits shortly thereafter.Like the skaters, the engineers and manufacturers will measure their success on the medal podium.