The true heritage and inspiration of Telic footwear dates back over a century ago to (CEO Rocco Azzarito’s grandfather) Francisco Azzarito. Born in the small southern Italian town of Sant’Agata Di Puglia, Francisco dreamed of coming to America.

Francisco was born the son of a shoe cobbler, and although he followed in his father’s trade, he always dreamed of building footwear in America.

Francisco landed on Ellis Island in the spring of 1920 when he was just sixteen years old. With no knowledge of the language or culture he settled in Brooklyn, NY. There, he changed his name to Frank because he wanted to be a “real” American. Frank pursued several jobs until he finally began making shoes at the I. Miller Shoe Company and eventually became the foreman of the factory.

Later, he served as the superintendent of the Fern Shoe Company in Los Angeles, CA until retirement. Fulfilling his dream, he enjoyed over a 50 year career of making footwear in the United States. In 1920, Frank came to America to fulfill his dream. Today, this dream lives on in our footwear.

OUR MISSION

In an industry dominated by foreign-made products, Telic has dealt with ample doubt and resistance. However, these barriers were overcome, and on the 4th of July 2012 (a fitting date) Telic was launched in the United States. “My Grandfather, Frank Azzarito, is truly the spirit that has moved us to rekindle the dream that America is a place where you can build footwear.

Our mission is to build great footwear and to be part of restoring the American footwear infrastructure,” declared Rocco Azzarito, our CEO of Telic International. “The easiest thing to do would have been to produce Telic sandals in Asia, but we made a decision not to go the easy route and committed the necessary investment to bring our production to America.”

HEADQUARTERS

Telic International is headquartered atop the Hoff building in beautiful downtown Boise, ID and the sandals are produced out of a family-owned plant in Georgia. The United States distribution warehouse is also located in Boise, Idaho.

By making the commitment to manufacture Telic in America, we have been able to reduce our carbon footprint, sharpen our just-in-time delivery, speed up our reaction time to the marketplace, and become a part of restoring American jobs.

Four Generations of Azzaritos

Rocco, the eldest of Frank’s six children (born in Brooklyn, New York in 1925), also found his way in the footwear industry. At age 16, Rocco worked for the Barbour Leather Company in New York and later in California for C. H. Baker. He then went on to open numerous successful retail footwear stores.

Rocco’s youngest of four children, Rocco Jr., also followed his family passion for footwear and grew up working with his father in the family business. After opening several successful retail footwear stores in the Northwest, he went on to co-found Telic International. Rocco’s son, Aaron, is our Marketing Director and Aaron’s twin sister, Aubri, is Telic footwear’s top designer.