For Immediate Release
Contact:  Mike Lawson
(323) 822-9108 

Dr. Andy Baldwin to Run the 2009 NYC Marathon in Rockport Dress Shoes

October 22, 2009 (Canton, MA) Today, The Rockport Company (www.rockport.com) is pleased to showcase the style and comfort of its new DresSports dress shoes by announcing a team of runners led by Dr. Andy Baldwin of "The Bachelor: An Officer and a Gentleman" fame, who will don DresSports 2 for the 2009 NYC Marathon, the world`s most widely-watched marathon. First introduced in 1983, the classic DresSports are engineered with adidas performance inspiration. The marriage of athletic innovation in the bottom and sophisticated dress style in the upper carries through to today`s second generation: DresSports 2.

Rockport has taken major steps to update the DresSports collection by making style and comfort the main focus. Each DresSports style weighs less than the average running shoe. "The DresSports collection is an important part of Rockport`s heritage and we are excited to update it for today`s consumer," said Michael Rupp, Rockport CEO and president. "Our designers removed unnecessary materials and technologies to create one of the most comfortable, lightest weight dress shoes available on the market."

Known to offer cushioning and support for miles and miles, DresSports will be worn by international amateur runners, including Dr. Andy Baldwin, for 26.2 miles during the NYC Marathon on November 1, 2009. These runners, who hail from five different countries, will illustrate the versatility, comfort and lightness of the DresSports collection by completing the marathon. The Rockport running team will be led by Baldwin who is a medical doctor, healthy/active lifestyle advocate, triathlete, and is known for his appearance on the 10th season of "The Bachelor". Four of the runners will be running for ING`s "Run for Something Better" program through the Orange Laces campaign as a tie-in to a fundraising collaboration between ING and Rockport during the 2009 NYC marathon weekend.

The DresSports 2 collection includes four styles for men and is now available worldwide at premium department stores, independent retail stores, Rockport retail stores and on rockport.com.

When Michael Rupp was appointed CEO in 2008, he encouraged the Rockport designers to return to the company`s roots. He recognized that Rockport has authentic, heritage footwear styles, like DresSports, that could be streamlined and modernized to appeal to today`s consumer. With the positive reaction to the updated DresSports collection, the company plans to continue to refresh legacy footwear styles and introduce them in future seasonal collections.

About Rockport
The Rockport Company, LLC, is a leading brand within the adidas Group corporate portfolio and the top brown shoe company in the United States. Rockport has a heritage of innovation and offers comfortable footwear for men and women worldwide. The Rockport Company, LLC, was established in the United States in 1971 and is headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts. The company currently distributes footwear to more than 70 countries. For more information, visit www.rockport.com.

About the ING Run For Something Better
The ING Run For Something Better is a fundraising campaign that supports community and school-based youth running programs. Linked to ING's long-distance race sponsorships, the program was created to introduce kids to the benefits of sport, a habit of physical fitness, and a healthy lifestyle that prevents conditions such as childhood obesity. In today's world of poor nutrition and less-active lifestyles-which may contribute to childhood obesity-ING is using its position as a sponsor of marathons as a platform for helping kids get fit through free, school-based running programs. Nationally, ING has committed over $2.5 million to fund grants and school-based running programs through ING Run For Something Better. Since 2006, over a half a million dollars has been raised by individual donors through the orange laces program. ING has also created a special charitable fund to encourage others to support the cause by making their own contribution. When someone donates $10 or more to the ING Run For Something Better, ING will recognize their contribution by giving them a special pair of orange shoelaces to wear showing that they are "tied" to supporting kids' fitness. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of orange laces go to the ING Run For Something Better fitness programs. For more information about the orange laces, go to www.orangelaces.com.

For The Rockport Company:

Mark Tanno
Account Director
646-792-2490 (office)
Mark.Tanno@mcsaatchi.com

Sandra Carreon-John
Senior Vice President
646-274-1295 (office)
Sandra.Carreonjohn@mcsaatchi.com

About Dr. Andy Baldwin
U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Andrew Baldwin, M.D. is a Physician, Humanitarian, and Navy Diver at the Navy's Bureau of Medicine and Surgery in Washington, D.C. where he serves as a spokesman and advocate for Navy medicine. Additionally as an Ironman Triathlete, and National Health/Fitness Specialist he assists the U.S. Surgeon General with his initiative "Healthy Youth for a Healthy Future" - a National program combating childhood overweight and obesity.

LCDR Baldwin was born is Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he was Valedictorian of his high school class, an All-American swimmer, and was the ESPN national scholar/athlete of the year in 1995. After receiving a full Navy ROTC scholarship to Duke University, he chose to attend the prestigious school and pursue a pre-med curriculum. Baldwin swam as a varsity athlete throughout his undergraduate career and graduated with honors as a student-athlete in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and was commissioned into the United States Navy. Baldwin pursued his dream of becoming a physician, by enrolling and completing medical school at the University of California - San Francisco School of Medicine. After graduating in 2003, Baldwin completed a year internship in General Surgery at Naval Medical Center San Diego, and went on to serve his operational duty in the Navy as an Undersea Medical Officer.

He completed Navy Dive School and Undersea medical training and spent a three-year tour in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii with Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit ONE. While stationed in Hawaii, Dr. Baldwin deployed to the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Singapore, Cambodia, and the Republic of Palau on various diving, recovery and humanitarian missions.

Upon moving to California, Baldwin took up cycling, and with his past running and swimming prowess was able to put them all together in a sport new to him - triathlon. He completed his first triathlon in 2001 with Team in Training, combining sport and charity for the first time, and finished atop the podium. He was hooked. Baldwin achieved his childhood dream in 2002 when he qualified for and completed the Ironman Triathlon World Championships in Hawaii. Baldwin has since been named to the All-Navy Triathlon Team five times, been a three time U.S.A. Triathlon All-American, and competed internationally in numerous Half-Ironman and Ironman events. He is an eight-time Ironman finisher, and believes firmly in the motto "Anything is Possible!"

Among his numerous acknowledgements, Dr. Baldwin has been honored on the Washington D.C. Most Influential People under 40 list in 2009, the prestigious Daughters of the American Revolution’s Medal of Honor in 2009, and Outside Magazine's Top 100 Influential People of the World list in 2006 for the humanitarian work he did in Laos on a military mission where he treated over 600 Laotians in remote villages.

Dr. Baldwin is a highly regarding speaker on health and wellness and motivating youth. In 2009, Dr. Baldwin provided expert testimony before a U.S. Senate Committee panel regarding youth wellness and prevention through healthy behavior along side Former Governor Mike Huckabee. He also delivered a keynote speech to the American College of Cardiology’s executive leadership board related to the importance of communicating with today’s young patients. Also in 2009, Baldwin motivated over 3,000 youth during the Global Youth Rally at the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games in Idaho. And October 2009 will mark the official 3rd Annual Dr. Andy Baldwin Youth Fitness day in Honolulu.

Baldwin has been featured in numerous media outlets including Men’s Health Magazine, GQ Magazine, Runners World, and Triathlete. His television appearances are extensive including interviews on Good Morning America, The View, and FOX News as well as a special guest appearance on ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition. Dr. Baldwin was also the star of ABC hit show, “The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman”.

While serving as a Navy doctor, he remains active in his athletic and charitable pursuits. Baldwin is founder of the "Got Your Back Network" (www.GotYourBackNetwork.org), a nonprofit organization that raises money to support families of fallen soldiers. Got Your Back provides help in funding and liaison to services that the children and families may need in areas such as tutoring, counseling, mentorship, education, athletics and healthcare. In 2008, Dr. Baldwin delivered a keynote speech alongside Ross Perot at the 'Time of Remembrance,' an event which honors families of fallen soldiers, at the National Mall, near the base of the Washington Monument. Dr. Baldwin also spoke at the 2009 Heroes Red, White & Blue Inaugural Ball honoring military families and wounded service members.

Dr. Andy Baldwin has been the sole celebrity charity fundraiser for numerous charities. In 2009, he was the celebrity that helped raise $200,000 for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN).  Also in 2009, Dr. Baldwin lent his celebrity to the Lions' Clubs efforts raising over $100,000 for the UC-Davis Pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center in Sacramento.  Dr. Baldwin also joined other Hollywood celebrities, television network and movie studio employee teams for two consecutives years to raise over $2 million for the Los Angeles Children's Hospital. Similarly, Dr. Baldwin participated in the 2009 multi-network prime-time event,  "Stand Up 2 Cancer."

LCDR Baldwin has become increasingly involved with domestic and global humanitarian projects. He used his medical and Spanish language skills this summer aboard USNS COMFORT as part of Continuing Promise 2009 delivering care to those in need in Central and South America.

For more information on Dr. Andy Baldwin, visit his website at www.AndyBaldwin.com or Dr. Andy Baldwin's client page at Crossover Entertainment Group LLC or Dr. Andy Baldwin's foundation, Got Your Back Network.

About Crossover Entertainment Group, LLC
Crossover Entertainment Group, LLC is an entertainment industry multidisciplinary professional services firm, which through its three wholly-owned subsidiaries, specializes in: celebrity personal talent management services, development of media properties and branded entertainment corporate consulting. For more information, visit Crossover’s website at www.CrossoverEntertainment.com.