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AUGUST 2013 DIGITAL

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Copyright 2013 SportsOneSource LLC All rights reserved The opinions expressed by writers and contributors to TEAM BUSINESS DIGITAL are not necessarily those of the editors or publishers TEAM BUSINESS DIGITAL is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts photographs or artwork Articles appearing in TEAM BUSINESS DIGITAL may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express permission of the publisher TEAM BUSINESS DIGITAL is published monthly by SportsOneSource LLC 2151 Hawkins Street Suite 200 Charlotte NC 28203 7049873450 Send address changes to TEAM BUSINESS DIGITAL 2151 Hawkins Street Suite 200 Charlotte NC 28203 7049873450

AUGUST 2013 I DIGITAL

MAKING NEWS4 Cramer Products Acquired by Performance Health

Shock doctor Hockey Unveils All New Protective Ice Hockey Line5 Schutt Sports Introduces New Interactive Warning Label on Football Helmets

6 Smack Sportswear Partners with Phiten Cutters Gloves to Launch New Baseball Batting Gloves

Featuring Proprietary Performance Material Ace Brand Launches New Sports Medicine Product Line

14 Industry Calendar

PRODUCT FOCUS8 Spring 2014 Team Socks

FEATURE11 Adapting to Change - TEAM examines the current team

dealer landscape with a roundtable discussion8

Senior Business Editor

Thomas J Ryan

tryansportsonesourcecom

Contributing Editors

Aaron H Bible Fernando J Delgado

Charlie Lunan Matt Powell

Editorial amp Creative Director

Teresa Hartford

teresasportsonesourcecom

Senior Graphic Designer

Camila Amortegui

camilasportsonesourcecom

Advertising Sales

Account Managers

Buz Keenan

buzsportsonesourcecom

2018875112

Katie ODonohue

katieosportsonesourcecom

8282443043

Circulation amp Subscriptions

subssportsonesourcecom

Group PublisherEditor In Chief

James Hartford

jamessportsonesourcecom

3039977302

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4 AUGUST 2013 I TEAM BUSINESS DIGITAL

CRAMER PRODUCTS ACQUIRED BY PERFORMANCE HEALTH

Performance Health manufacturer and marketer of Thera-Band Biofreeze Perform and Hygenic branded products announced a merger with Cramer Products Inc

Marshall Dahneke the president and CEO of Performance Health will be leading the new com-bined entity Tom Rogge president and CEO of Cramer Products Inc will be reporting to Dahneke

Cramer Products portfolio includes all branded products from Cramer Active Ankle Stromgren and Cosom and is a leading company supporting the athletic training (AT) sports medicine (SM) and team markets Cramer Products also reaches into retail primarily through chain sporting goods stores as well as into certain international markets

ldquoNear-term plans are to continue operating Cramer as wersquove been operating as a separate companyrdquo said Cramerrsquos Rogge ldquoWe operate in different markets Theyrsquore [Performance Health] very strong in physical therapy occupational therapy chiroprac-tic dental markets and massage Wersquore [Cramer] primarily in the sports medicine and athletic training markets Early on the focus will be on salesrsquo synergies and how we sell more of each otherrsquos products in each otherrsquos channels But there are no significant organizational changes plannedrdquo

Performance Health acquired Cramer Products Performance Health is owned by Gridiron Capital LLC a private equity firm based in New Canaan CT

ldquoCombining Cramer Products with Performance Health provides benefit to both organizations leveraging our complementary sales channels and go-to-market strategiesrdquo stated Performance Healthrsquos Dahneke ldquoEach company will cross-promote and cross-sell the otherrsquos product lines through their respective sales channels taking advantage of each otherrsquos market leadership and strong legacy brandsrdquo

Cramerrsquos Rogge credited Joseph Pellegrini managing director at Robert W Baird with setting the wheels in motion for the merger ldquoIrsquove been acquainted with Joe [Pellegrini] through some industry

functions over a number of years He is the person who actually put us togetherrdquo explained Rogge ldquoHe had played football at Harvard and played for the New York Jets and hersquos always known Cramer and used our products He thought that our two companies would be a good fit He had some familiarity with Performance Health and he had some familiarity with me personally and hersquos the one who got us talking The timing was good for our company and we are very impressed with the Performance Health product line and staff and their resources So we think itrsquos a good fit strategicallyrdquo

The partnership will result in little initial change in how each company conducts business with their primary stakeholders The products historically purchased from Cramer will continue to be purchased from Cramer and vice versa

ldquoWersquore strong in markets where they have not been strong and vice versardquo said Rogge who will maintain his position as president and CEO of Cramer following the merger ldquoWersquore both excited about the opportunities for distributing and getting more penetration with each otherrsquos products in our respective markets They [Performance Health] are particularly strong internationally and for our company [Cramer] we think thatrsquos going to be a good opportunity as wellrdquo

Rogge added that Cramer has recently starting the process of training and cross-training its staff in products and other logistics ldquoOur senior management has been very impressed with their senior management team and wersquore looking forward to working together with themrdquo he contin-ued ldquoTheyrsquore [Performance Health] a larger company than we are so they have more resources available and we think thatrsquos an opportunity as well With regards to the significance of this to the marketplace for the foreseeable future it will be business usualrdquo

Tom Rogge president and CEO Cramer Products Inc

Joseph Pellegrini managing director at Robert W Baird

NEWS

SHOCK DOCTOR HOCKEY UNVEILS ALL NEW

PROTECTIVE ICE HOCKEY LINE

Shock Doctor is introducing a newly expanded line of hockey protective apparel and accessories for athletes ages 6 and up The line will feature the ShockSkin Hockey Impact Goalie Shirt which integrates with standard goalie padding providing coverage in the gaps the ShockSkin Hockey Impact Shirt a light breathable protective shirt the Ultra Hybrid Hockey Short which offers the comfort of a loose-fitting short with the benefits of a compression short the Ultra Compression Hockey Short and new mouthguards including Ultra Braces and Ultra Double Braces and a new Skate Insole

The Hockey line and mouthguards will be worn on the ice this season by Shock Doctor brand ambassadors Nick Leddy (Chicago Blackhawks) Jack Johnson (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Jake Gardiner (Toronto Maple Leafs) as well as other hockey players from the NHL to the minor league circuit and NCAA

Shock Doctor 372 Ultra Hybrid Hockey Short

Shock Doctor 572 Ultra ShockSkin Hockey Shirt

Shock Doctor 4803 Ultra Double Braces


Schutt Sports one of the worldrsquos leading manufacturers of football helmets will replace the current warning label it places on every helmet with an interactive label starting imme-diately It will link link the new ldquoHeads Uprdquo mo-bile concussion app developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and announced earlier this month

The concussion app will give players coaches and parents immediate access to the most up-to-date concussion information and knowledge including appropriate equip-ment to use for certain sports activities The warning label offers much-needed education for consumers regarding concussions and other head injuries

ldquoItrsquos a nice step forwardrdquo said Glenn Beckman director of marketing communications at Schutt Sports in a conversation with Team Business ldquoWe were trying to find a way to make a permanent positive contribution

Wersquove previously put information on hangtags and other manufacturers have put information on hangtags but the inside story is that 95 to 98 percent of those hangtags get thrown away without even being looked at We wanted to do something that would have more of an impactrdquo

The new Schutt warning label will feature a QR Code which is a permanent interactive graphic that can be scanned by any mobile de-vice Scanning the QR Code will launch CDCrsquos new ldquoHeads Uprdquo concussion app making it convenient for millions of football players fans coaches and parents to access impor-tant information

ldquoWe rely on innovative partnerships to ex-tend the work of CDCrdquo said Charles Stokes president and CEO of the CDC Foundation ldquoThe decal on every football helmet is a cre-ative solution that will extend the Heads Up Campaign message developed to help keep children and teens as safe as possible from concussion and other serious brain injuriesrdquo

The ldquoHeads Uprdquo app features a menu of op-tions including

bull Concussion information (how to rec-ognize one what to do if you suspect someone might have a concussion re-turn to play protocols and more)

bull Proper helmet fitting instructions for many sports (football baseball soft-ball hockey lacrosse action sports and more)

bull Safety tips for many different situa-tions (biking playgrounds homes cars and more)

SCHUTT SPORTS INTRODUCES

NEW INTERACTIVE WARNING LABEL ON FOOTBALL HELMETS

ldquoThis was a great situation for us because the key with anything like this is always the content and the CDC is the most unbiased source of medical and scientific information in terms of concussions thatrsquos availablerdquo ex-plained Schuttrsquos Beckmann ldquoItrsquos the latest most objective information on concussions The app they developed is really outstandingrdquo

Beckmann also said that Schutt has had a few teams call the company and ask if they could buy the labels and put them on the hel-mets themselves instead of after this coming season Feedback overall from teams and football players has also been favorable

ldquoEverything has been incredibly positiverdquo shared Beckmann ldquoIrsquove had some questions posed to me about whether the CDC is the best source In my mind theyrsquore the perfect source for this information because therersquos no bias If we were trying to create this app and do all this work ourselves inevitably there would be a perceived conflict of interest be-tween our desire to sell more helmets and the information being provided The CDC is com-pletely objective and they have the reputation of providing completely unbiased information and data Ultimately the goal is to make this information available to as many people as we can as quickly as we can so that they always have something available to look at and learn the latest about concussions and safetyrdquo

All new helmets produced by Schutt along with all Schutt helmets reconditioned by the company will immediately begin receiving the new warning label Hundreds of thousands of new and reconditioned helmets will be hitting the shelves and the fields over the next few months in time for the 2013 football season

CDC Heads Up mobile concussion app

The new Schutt warning label will feature a QR Code which is a permanent interactive graphic that can be scanned by any mobile device Scanning the QR Code will launch CDCrsquos new ldquoHeads Uprdquo concussion app


Smack Sportswear the maker of custom designed athletic apparel primarily focused on volleyball has signed a partnership agreement with Phiten the manufacturer of the titanium necklace and precious metal-infused sports accessories The agreement between the two companies is the first to allow a US-based apparel company (Smack) to acquire an exclusive license to infuse clothing with Phitens Aqua-Metal technology

Smack is promoting a Kickstarter campaign late this month with the purpose of expanding production promotions and distribution of the new line

The Phitenized garments will feature Phitens Aqua-Metal tech-nology - metals broken down into microscopic particles - as well as moisture wicking and other high-tech properties Phiten technology is designed to help athletes excel during activity and to support a healthy and active lifestyle Made with high-end fabrics the new Phitenized

line will retail from $40 to $90 and will be available in three categories Beach Team and Core Performance apparel

Phitens accessories are worn by thousands of professional athletes worldwide to help them perform at a higher level said Bill Sigler CEO of Smack Sportswear With Phiten as our partner we have a chance to introduce the most innovative technology into fabric since moisture wicking was introduced in the 90s It could revolutionize the industry

After initially making the line available in the volleyball market Smack plans to expand the new apparel offerings to other sports such as baseball softball and soccer Distribution in the US will primarily be available through team dealers and retail chains with international distribution to follow

We are excited to partner with Smack said Joe Furuhata vice presi-dent of Phiten USA Smack is an accomplished brand and we have great trust in their ability to create quality products with our technology

SMACK SPORTSWEAR PARTNERS WITH PHITEN

Cutters Gloves recently announced the launch of four new machine washable synthetic baseball batting gloves made with the com-panys exclusive C-Tack Performance Grip Material ndash The Lead-Off Power Control Prime Command and Prime HeroThe launch marks the first new product line since Shock Doctor Sports bought Cut-ters Gloves in 2012

Shock Doctor has applied its signature technical innovation to the baseball category with the addition of the new level of C-Tack technology grip usage - successfully utilized in football - to the baseball gloves

According to Jay Turkbas VP product development at Shock Doctor and Cutters Gloves input from more than 75 baseball pros and hundreds of elite athletes helped the company create the new line ldquoEvery time a baseball player gets up to bat it is important that they can trust their batting glovesrdquo he said ldquoWith Cutters Gloves exclusive self-restoring C-Tack Performance Grip Material batters of all ages and skill levels know they have the strongest and most durable grip possiblerdquo

The proprietary C-Tack grip material offers several performance capabilities By providing a strong consistent and a durable grip it relaxes the batterrsquos muscles to generate quicker bat speeds It works in all weather conditions while the C-Tack is also part of the material creating a strong grip that is self-restoring and permanent The gloves also feature reinforced palm patches in common wear spots and a pre-curved finger design for a more natural grip on the bat

The batting gloves will be available in November and are offered in a wide range of colors The Lead-Off and Power Control will be available in adult and youth sizes while the Prime Command and Prime Hero will be offered in adult sizing

CUTTERS GLOVES TO LAUNCH NEW BASEBALL BATTING GLOVES FEATURING PROPRIETARY PERFORMANCE MATERIAL

ACE BRAND LAUNCHES NEW SPORTS MEDICINE PRODUCT LINE

Ace Brand has launched Ace Brand Sports Medicine Products a new product line that provides young athletes with support and protection and marks the brandrsquos expansion into the sporting goods category featuring Ace Brandrsquos technology within a variety of sports medicine products As part of the launch Ace Brand has partnered with Little League Baseball and Softball the worldrsquos largest youth sports orga-nization

ldquoWe are excited to launch Ace Brand Sports Medicine Products this summer in conjunction with the Little League Baseball World Series as the official sports medi-cine products sponsorrdquo said Taylor Harper marketing manager Ace Brand Sports Medicine Products Consumer Health Care Division ldquoWith this product line we continue to deliver on Ace Brandrsquos commitment to help athletes stay off the sidelines and in the actionrdquo

The line features the Custom Dial Ankle Brace Elbow Strap and Knee Strap along with additional braces and supports It also includes elastic bandages protective gear tapesunderwraps hotcold therapy and other sports accessories

It has three levels of support for sports such as baseball basketball football golf hockey soccer tennis and volleyball and can be found in the sporting goods section of major retailers including Walmart and at the US Armed Forces exchanges at MCX Exchange and NEX Navy Exchange around the country

The Ace Brand Sports Medicine partnership with Little League Baseball and Softball will strengthen the brandrsquos visibility with young athletes It will be used at the 2013 Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport PA from August 15-25 In addition Ace Brand Sports Medicine Products is offering an All-Stars Sweepstakes giving young athletes a chance to win a $5000 grand prize plus a $5000 donation to a local organization

ACE Brand Adjustable Knee Support

PULSE OF THE OUTDOOR CONSUMER STUDY

2013

A Market Insight Study from The SportsOneSource Group

For more information or to reserve your copy of the Pulse Of The Outdoor Consumer study contact Neil Schwartz 5616923722 or email SOSResearchSportsOneSourcecom


Team socks have become more of a sought-after uniform piece over the past several years with athletes valuing performance and appear-ance (see previous coverage of team socks ndash ldquoTeam Socks No Longer An Afterthoughtrdquo - in TEAM Business April 2013 issue) in their preferred sock styles As teams now consider socks to be an integral part of their uniforms and as individual players seek to express their unique personalities through their eye-catching footwear team dealers and retailers now have more opportunities for high-volume sales ndash and solid margins - in socks than ever before Several leading manufacturers are bringing a vibrant comfortable and high-performing selection of socks in time for next spring across all major team sports TEAM Business has taken a good look at the styles athletes will be wearing in 2014 and the view is more colorful than ever before

Team dealers in all parts of the country have seen a steady increase in demand for bright socks with designs that are meant to give ath-letes a personalized look ldquoIt used to be that wersquod sell a lot of white socks We donrsquot do that anymore White socks are minimalrdquo said Steven Hauff owner of Hauff Mid-America Sports a team dealer based in Sioux Falls SD ldquoToday itrsquos about color Yoursquore matching a multi-purpose sock with basketball football soccer volleyball ndash all those In the last three years wersquove seen a trend towards more identification - putting your school name on it or your team logo or introducing more stripesrdquo

ldquoThe profit margin in socks is goodrdquo explained Hauff who noted that his business sells through a good deal of Under Armour Adidas Nike and Twin City Knitting socks ldquoYou might not have a lot of dollars tied up in them but you never want to run short on inventory The multi-purpose sock from Twin City for example is something we donrsquot want to ever be out of If yoursquore out of stock yoursquore missing sales So at our three locations we look and say lsquoOk what do we need for inventoryrsquo We want it such so that we might have a year supply and so that wersquore never outrdquo

Bold colors high performing materials and

customization define leading Team Socks for Spring

2014

Nikersquos Elite Crew Basketball Sock which took the youth market by storm last year is expected to reg-ister big sales once again next year But demand has been so high that Nike has run into a supply short-age ldquoIf we could get Nike Elite socks being that theyrsquore out of stock that would be a very strong sell-errdquo shared Kim Karsh owner of California Pro Sports in Harbor City CA ldquoWe also have a ProFeet Shooter Sock thatrsquos very strongrdquo

Karsh believes that the trend towards more color in socks is rooted in the influence professional athletes have on youth players ldquoI think athletes right now are looking at some of the pro athletes whether itrsquod be football players or even soccer players and I think that it has become an added accessory that most coaches will group together in a spirit pack or uniform Many will move towards a custom sock and

say lsquoYeah I want to be differentrsquo Before it was an option now itrsquos a package with the uniformrdquo

ProFeet will have plenty of team socks avail-able for spring 2014 including several multi-sport styles and team-specific styles ProFeetrsquos 230 Performance Shooter Sock has been ex-tremely popular during 2013 and is expected to once again sell at a brisk pace at team dealers next year Ideal for

basketball and football as well as everyday use it is available in several bold custom colors and is made of polypropylene endurall and Sta Cool material for mois-ture wicking and comfort

Sof Sole is charging into 2014 with their All Sport Se-lect Socks A multi-purpose style with technical features not found in other team socks the All Sport Select can be used for soccer baseball basketball football and

BEST FOOT FORWARD

SPRING 2014 TEAM SOCKS

PRODUCT FOCUS

Nikersquos Elite Crew Basketball Sock

ProFeet Shooter Sock

Sof Sole All Sport Select Sock



volleyball among other team sports Made with nylon mesh for mois-ture management it features compression bands at the ankle and an arch provides a secure fit It also boasts a graduated comfort top that secures to the ankle and shins to prevent slippage The half-cushioned foot targets additional comfort at the toe and heel Available at an MSRP of $11 per 2-pack the All Sport Select provides value while also offering the eye-catching colors athletes seek

Under Armour emphasizes technology to make athletes better in their team socks reflecting their philosophy and approach to all of their products One of the brandrsquos signature styles is the UA Ignite Available in adult and youth sizes the Ignite line is an all-sport style featuring a soccer-specific model U412 UA Ignite Soccer OTC The style is also ideal for baseball and football but can be used by any team sport athlete that uses crew socks with their game uniforms or for practices Available in 30 color schemes for adults the Ignite is made of a 83 per-cent polyester11 percent cotton4 percent nylon2 percent spandex fabric mix and emphasizes comfort with moisture wicking capabilities and an embedded arch support to reduce fatigue and odor control

Other notable team sport styles include the U403 Football Over The Calf U401 Baseball Over The Calf and U404 Soccer Solid Over The Calf The U415 UA Ignite Bolt Sublimated Crew is another key style expected to be very popular at retail Team sport athletes like wearing the sublimated designs during practices and training

CUSTOM CONVENIENCEAs socks have become an important uniform piece teams now pri-oritize them when putting together their orders each season Under Armour offers a solution for teams looking for specific color designs when placing orders with team dealers ldquoTo help teams take advantage of socks becoming more important wersquove launched the customization site to allow teams to customize their socksrdquo said Michael Schroeder director of marketing at Gildan which manufactures and distributes Under Armour socks ldquoIt allows a school team or club to go online and pick the body color of their sock the colors of the logo and secondary colors or any other designs on it ndash for example the colors of the Ignite dagger-type design and lookrdquo Under Armourrsquos custom sock site which is a great tool for team dealers to work with their customers after pick-ing out uniforms can be found at uacustomsockscom

Schroeder went on to say that custom socks are a great way for teams to accentuate their uniforms and allow both the team and indi-vidual athletes to stand out ldquoIt really lets athletes hook 100 percent in with their uniformsrdquo he shared ldquoSo if a teamrsquos uniform is purple and gold the custom site allows them to create a purple and gold sock In the past that team would have gone with a white sock or a black sock or an all-purple sock Now they can go with the exact story theyrsquore telling with their uniformrdquo

Under ArmourU412 UA Ignite Soccer OTC

Under ArmourU404 Soccer Solid Over The Calf

ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

As the broadest deepest and most timely data available for the US Sports and Outdoor Active Lifestyle Market SportScanInfo is the weekly retail point-of-sale data reporting solution To learn more about how we can help your business call 7049873450 or email sportscansportsonesourcecom

BREADTH OF DATA DEPTH OF DATA TIMELINESS OF DATA

SportScanInfocomA Service of The SportsOneSource Group


our vendor partners with a reduction in their billing and collection costs

There is no doubt itrsquos a volatile market right now for the team industry The team athletic market has attracted some new play-ers and some older ones that have become very aggressive in recent years

TEAM Business examines the current team dealer landscape with a roundtable discussion featuring executives from The Athletic Dealers of America (ADA) including President Peter Schneider and members of

the associationrsquos Board of Directors

The Athletic Dealers of America (ADA) is an association of independent non-com-peting athletic team equipment dealers As part of one of the strongest team dealer buying groups in the country ADArsquos 91 member dealers have grossed total sales of over $215 million and include over 1340 employees

In order to take the pulse of team dealers that face increasingly dif-ficult economic pressures and the ever-evolving e-commerce channel SGB spoke with Peter Schneider ADArsquos president Steve Hauff vice chairman of ADArsquos Board of Direc-tors and Kim Karsh western states ADA Board of Directors Hauff owns Hauff Mid-America Sports in Souix Falls SD and Karsh owns California Pro Sports in Harbor City CA

CAN YOU UPDATE US ON THE STATE OF ADA

Peter Schneider ldquoThe ADA is doing very well As you know the ADA changed on January 5th of 2007 when the membership bought the company We became a member-owned LLC (Limited Liability Company) Each member now owns an equal share of the company Only ADA dealers can own a share in the LLC No outside body or person may own a share The buying group exists solely for the pur-pose of supporting our dealer network

In October 2008 the ADA implemented an EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) Cen-tralized Billing Program In almost 5 years the program has grown to approximately $50 million annually This program helps our members by supplying them with addi-tional rebates and discounts while providing

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF BEING AN ADA MEMBER

Steven Hauff ldquoThe camaraderie that you have in an organization like ADA and the fact that you can trade merchandise between common dealers is very important When you go to a trade show you have a sense of

belonging to something other than being just a reg-istered number when you go to a super show A buying or-ganization provides you with that camaraderie and unity in the business It gives you ad-vantages today on trends in the industry What I see is the ability to purchase products at a better price than if you were an independent dealerrdquo

Kim Karsh ldquoThe main ben-efit is the family atmosphere that ADA offers Wersquore all in the same business and we donrsquot mind sharing trade secrets between our deal-ers When dealing with a particular school wersquore not in direct competition when we sit around and talk shop Itrsquos an air of freedom in par-ticular situations knowing that fellow member deal-

ers arenrsquot your competitors ndash theyrsquore your friends theyrsquore your family

Each of us is a part owner Itrsquos 100 percent member-owned Other buying groups are not Therersquos a lot more input and therersquos quicker re-action time to situations that arise The open forum of talking to a Board member is a bene-fit ndash the doorrsquos always open to talk to any of usrdquo

By Fernando J Delgado

ADAPTING TO CHANGE

All four of the major buying groups run very professional organizations Each has their own philosophy and style of opera-tion Our dealers are very pleased with the changes we have made and we will contin-ue to evolve to compete against the chang-ing marketplace Irsquom sure NBS Sports Inc and TAG are attempting to do the samerdquo


HOW ARE ADA MEMBERS DEALING WITH THE CHALLENGE OF THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE HOW ARE TEAM DEALERS ADAPTING TO SHRINK-ING SCHOOL ATHLETIC BUDGETS AND INCREASED COMPETITION IN THE E-COMMERCE CHANNEL

Schneider ldquoWith tax revenues down and school budgets being cut the ADA continues to look for ways to assist our membership

One of the things we did about two years ago was to build and implement what we call a Spirit Pack or School Team website The website allows an ADA dealer to custom build stores for high schools booster clubs travel teams etcetera What our dealers can do is go to a school or organization and work closely with the coach or administrator to build a custom site for them to reach a goal

Our Spirit Pack website allows the coach to be more modern-ized in taking care of his or her athletesrsquo needs and making sure that the kids are provided with the proper equipment The sites can be used by booster clubs for raising money for various projects like getting a new scoreboard a new pitching machine or whatever they need in their athletic program They can be utilized for a par-ticular school or sport for example if the coach wants the athletes to show up with six items We can set that store up with whatever specific items the coach prefers and set a start and an end date for the store Once the end date comes up our dealer then takes the orders embellishes them and provides them to the school in an in-dividualized bag for each student athlete This new system relieves the coach of having to collect and manage all the money

Wersquore also near the end of a $100000 renovation of our CoachesOnlycom website which will allow every ADA member to be fully able to sell their products through e-commerce Theyrsquoll be able to take orders purchase orders and sell not only to the athlete and the coach but to anyone that wants to purchase products Dealers will be able to customize the site for their local sales areas based on zip codes It allows the dealer to have a site that ADA can manage maintain and administrate while it also gives them flexibility to add product in to their area or to take product out that they feel doesnrsquot sell in their area Itrsquos a change from our old site that was built some time ago The web technology today has certainly improved and this new site will give the ADA dealer e-commerce tools that are equal to those offered by major team and retail stores in the industry We hope to launch the site by our fall show in Novemberrdquo

Hauff ldquoE-commerce for todays dealers should be understood The question of how a dealer can benefit from e-commerce is very difficult to answer as a dealer must have computer savvy staff to make it work We believe in personalization so we like face-to-face contact with our clients whenever possible E-commerce has taken away personal relationships Set up a PayPal account take personal credit cards charge the customer E-commerce requires a quicker turnaround for delivery of products What is the depth of inven-tory that a dealer must carry to satisfy e-commerce

School budgets meanwhile will not increase in the future unless the taxes increase in a district The athlete the parents or booster clubs do most of the additional purchases Schools want products to last longer but pay less More schools are bidding than ever be-fore and with the Internet the schoolsclubs are able to check many sources quickly not just the sales person who calls on themrdquo

HOW AND WHY HAVE SPIRIT PACKTEAM WEBSITES BECOME SO IMPOR-TANT FOR TEAM DEALERS AND THEIR CUSTOMERS AND WHAT ARE DEAL-ERS DOING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SUCH WEBSITES

Karsh ldquoWersquove adapted to the needs of e-commerce in the way of spirit wear parentbooster sites The sites are in conjunction with

our salesmen going out to a school or a league that comes into our store They want the capability of telling their parents lsquoGo to the Cal Pro website and click on the booster wear and place your orders through therersquo Itrsquos taking it out of the hands of a team mom and putting it back in the parentsrsquo hands to support the league the group or the school Itrsquos definitely a necessity But itrsquos in conjunction with our salesmen and in addition to that personal one-on-one Parents have found that when they try to do business with dealers that donrsquot have salesmen they donrsquot know what theyrsquore getting Parents may find something online and when they try to order it they may find itrsquos not the right material or it might not be the right color Whereas a brick-and-mortar store can fulfill that full circle of necessities feeling fabric making it accessible to the customer and delivering a finished product

Schools sometimes donrsquot realize that spirit pack websites are a moneymaker for them and that theyrsquore a necessity to keep sports programs going And that itrsquos very easy to establish and at no cost to them Thatrsquos what we try to emphasize with them ndash that the end result is that you can make money on this and not get stuck with the wrong size of a certain item and not get stuck at a table dur-ing a game Thatrsquos what people seem to enjoy ndash that they donrsquot get stuck with goods afterwardsrdquo

Hauff ldquoWe do a lot of websites for schools clubs and organiza-tions ndash corporate and work organizations as well That has been very important in the last four years or so Itrsquos taken some dealers a longer time to get up-to-date on it and understand it because maybe they didnrsquot have someone in their organization that was computer-savvy on what to do and how to set up a PayPal account and that whole process The ADA provides a person on staff that helps with that situation We have a good amount of ADA mem-bers that have set up websites for these buying situations

Schools and clubs today donrsquot want to handle money They want to accumulate it you can provide them with the service of a web-store they love it because it takes it out of their hands They still watch it they still manage it but they also stay completely out of it on the processing end It also gives them a method of fundraising So spirit packs are extremely important if a dealer today wants to be in the team businessrdquo

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT TEAM DEALERS FACE AS A RESULT OF THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS

Hauff ldquoOne of the issues facing team dealers as well as any retailer is Internet sales where localstate taxes are not collected This is the Main Street bill [Main Street Fairness Act] that is floating in the House of Representatives now Also a line of credit is much harder to obtain now with the government regulations placed on banks Working capi-tal in many stores is not large enough to carry the slower-paying clients in todays world The Paydex Rating by DampB is very important for a dealer A good Paydex number is essential for banking and for credit with vendorsrdquo

Karsh ldquoMost of us are very conscious of the Internet pricing of goods We can compete with that but the one thorn in our side is sales tax In California we charge sales tax to schools But if they buy from an Internet company back East they are not charged sales tax So that puts us at a disadvantage Hopefully either the state or federal government will come up with an equalizer to allow brick-and-mortar stores to stay in businessrdquo


ASIDE FROM THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT WHAT DOES THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE FOR TEAM DEALERS LOOK LIKE WHAT ARE SOME OTHER ISSUES FACING TODAYrsquoS DEALERS

Hauff ldquoOpportunities are available for team dealers who are ag-gressive knowledgeable on the Internet and have a computer sys-tem which will provide complete purchasingsales figures

Hiring qualified dependable eager staff is a major problem right now I think recent graduates ndash from this year back to maybe 10 years ago ndash want money and donrsquot want to work as hard for it The team business is not easy Finding people to travel and call on schools is difficult Todayrsquos graduates want a desk job We just hired a person thatrsquos 58 years old Older more experienced staff candi-dates know how to work Theyrsquove gone through life Theyrsquove been up and down and they have their family Itrsquos a lot easier for them to commit to a job than it is for a young person Is that picking on young people No I think a young person needs to maybe work their way up

Karsh ldquoPotential hires with a strong work ethic are few and far between We are lucky to find a good salesman - maybe one out of 50 applicants Itrsquos something that most people just donrsquot want to do Itrsquos a great way to make a living and being an outside salesman is a perfect opportunity for a newlywed or individual with a young family But most people prefer not building business They want to step into guaranteed business and they donrsquot realize that an outside salesman has to knock on doors And sometimes those doors are not open for several attemptsrdquo

SINCE IT SOUNDS LIKE GOOD SALESMEN ARE HARD TO FIND WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES THAT MAKE A GOOD SALESMAN IN THE EYES OF HIRING TEAM DEALERS

Karsh ldquoA successful young team dealer salesman is normally someone that played sports at a high school or college level They are usually personable and someone that is at ease in conversa-tional situations Theyrsquore willing to go that extra mile for a coach Follow-up is very important When wersquore interviewing them we put them in a hypothetical scenario with a coach and ask them how they would approach the situation For most of our guys after about the first year on the road it starts to really snowball and if they stick with it they can make good money But itrsquos really about perseverance dedication and honestyrdquo

FOR MANY ADA MEMBERS RETAIL STOREFRONTS ARE A PART OF THEIR BUSINESS WITH 26 PERCENT (OR OVER $559 MILLION) OF TOTAL ADA MEMBER SALES COMING FROM RETAIL ARE THERE ANY RECENT TRENDS OR DEVELOPMENTS FOR TEAM DEALERS WITH A RETAIL FRONT

Hauff ldquoThe thing that happens today in retailing - and itrsquos why some team dealers donrsquot want a retail front - is that the fashion volatility of product makes things difficult Whether itrsquos shoes or whether itrsquos Under Armour Adidas New Era Caps or NFL-licensed products fashion preferences are volatile today that we have to be really careful what we order so that wersquore not heavy on inventory and that we can turn that inventory around and make money What-ever you have left over at the end of the season is no good for profit

The thing thatrsquos difficult today is determining what you stock We go to our spring show in July and in South Dakota we donrsquot start planning anything until April so wersquore talking nine months mini-mum where we have to plan for the next spring The fall show that we go to in November is pretty solid because you know what the

helmets and shoulder pads ndash those kinds of products - are going to be That isnrsquot so volatile But when it comes to lsquoWhatrsquos the baseball gloversquo and lsquoWhatrsquos the hot batrsquo thatrsquos much more difficult The Col-lege World Series helps but that doesnrsquot determine whatrsquos going to happen next spring

Overall I think the retail side of things is important from a cash flow perspective But itrsquos very difficult when it comes to purchasing products that are fashion-oriented or trendyrdquo

Karsh ldquoShoppers are very very aware of pricing Team dealers with a retail front must adapt to matching an Internet price to keep busi-ness Foot traffic is down and has slowly been declining We have to offer the popular items and be aware of trends That helps bring people into the door

Custom socks are very trendy right now Offering them in dif-ferent patterns and colors is important and even offering them in colors that you may not normally carry Another trend includes mouthpieces and different brands offering different patterns on those mouthpieces whether it is a metallic gold finish or a picture of a flag Those have been strong sellers for us Neons and flourse-cents are still popular whether it is shoes or clothing Customizing individual t-shirts is still a strong trend Athletes expressing their individuality and personality have been strong for us They want to stand out a little bit more whether itrsquos a flashy pair of shoes an Under Armour garment or a mouth guard with a different colorrdquo

WHAT ARE THE KEY PERIODS FOR A TEAM DEALERrsquoS RETAIL FRONT

Hauff ldquoAny time you have a cycle change is key Our biggest one is back-to-school That includes in our case football volleyball cross country and soccer For the retail person those are very critical to be prepared for We also come back with fall fashion Your Nike your Under Armour your Adidas What do they have for fall Is it the new hoodie look Is it the color of the hoodie Most of those products you have to place orders for six months out Sometimes itrsquos a crapshoot For basketball season we need to be ready specifically in October but whatrsquos happening in many states today is that summer basketball camps require you to have all these products available year-roundrdquo

WITH THE ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE CHANGING SO MUCH OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS HOW HAVE ADA AND ITS TEAM DEALERS MOVED FORWARD AND MODERNIZED

Schneider ldquoThe ADArsquos task is to provide services and benefits for our members to help them not only survive in a very competitive marketplace but to also maintain profitability The average ADA dealer has been in business for 42 years and they have not survived in business that long by not adapting to a changing environment It is the ADArsquos job to help them in every way we can

In the 70rsquos it was catalogues Many of these catalog houses are now gone In the 80rsquos came the big box retail operations Some of them are still here many are gone In the 90rsquos the Internet started to impact the market to a small degree Now in the 2000rsquos e-com-merce has become a more important sales avenue The younger coaches are more Internet savvy and do their research - and in some cases their purchasing - on the Internet In order to succeed in this marketplace the ADA has to continue to give our dealers the tools that allow them to be competitive with the large range of competition that exists today and into the futurerdquo


CALENDARFor full year calendar go to sportsonesourcecomevents

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SEPTEMBER

5 Surf Expo Board Demo Day Orlando FL

6-8 Surf Expo Orlando FL

8-10 NBS Fall Semi-Annual Market Fort Worth TX

16-19 Worldwide Spring Show Reno NV

18-19 Health amp Fitness Business Expo Las Vegas NV

18-20 Interbike International Trade Expo Las Vegas NV

25-26 Sports amp Fitness Industry Assoc Industry Leaders Summit Baltimore MD

26-28 Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS) Ft Worth TX 30-2 OIA Rendezvous San Diego CA

OCTOBER

10-11 The Retailing Summit Dallas TX

29-31 Sport Source Asia Hong Kong

29-1 NASGW Expo Grapevine TX

NOVEMBER

1-3 NBS Fall Athletic Market Austin TX

5-7 TAG FallWinter Show St Louis MO

15-17 ADA Fall Show San Antonio TX

24-26 Sports Inc Athletic Show Las Vegas NV

DECEMBER

2-4 EORA SE Winter Market Asheville NC

3-4 WWSRA NW Early Preview Seattle WA

3-5 MRA December Market Lansing MI

Athletic Dealers of America1395 Highland AvenueMelbourne FL 32935t 3212540091f 3212427419athleticdealersofamericacom

National Shooting Sports FoundationFlintlock Ridge Office Center11 Mile Hill RoadNewtown CT 06470t 2034261320 f 2034261087nssforg

National Sporting Goods Association1601 Feehanville Drive Suite 300Mount Prospect IL 60056t 8472966742f 8473919827nsgaorg

Nationrsquos Best Sports4216 Hahn BlvdFt Worth TX 76117t 8177880034f 8177888542nbscom

Outdoor Industry Association4909 Pearl East Circle Suite 300Boulder CO 80301t 3034443353f 3034443284outdoorindustryorg

Sports amp Fitness Industry Association8505 Fenton St Suite 211Silver Spring MD 20910t 3014956321f 3014956322sfiaorg

Snow Sports Industries America8377-B Greensboro DriveMcLean VA 22102t 7035569020f 7038218276snowsportsorg

Sports Inc333 2nd Avenue NorthLewistown MT 59457t 4065383496f 4065382801sportsinccom

Sports Specialists Ltd590 Fishers Station Drive Suite 110Victor NY 14564t 5857421010f 5857422645sportsspecialistsltdcom

Team Athletic Goods629 Cepi DriveChesterfield MO 63005t 6365303710f 6365303711tag1com

Worldwide 8211 South 194thKent WA 98032t 2538728746f 2538727603wdi-wdicom

4-6 FFANY New York NY

10-11 EORA FLA Winter Market Punta Gorda FL

10-11 WWSRA NorCal Early Preview TBA

11-12 Atlanta Shoe Market Atlanta GA

JANUARY

6-8 ATA Show Nashville TN

7-9 MWSRA January Show Madison WI

7-9 WWSRA Rocky Mtn Preview Denver CO

7-9 WWSRA Northwest Preview Portland OR


13-14 WWSRA Intermountain Preview Salt Lake City UT

13-15 WWSRA NorCal Early Preview Reno NV

14-17 SHOT Show Las Vegas NV

15-18 NBS Winter-Specialty Market Fort Worth TX

16-18 Sports Licensing amp Tailgate Show Las Vegas NV

17-19 Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS) Long Beach CA

21 ORWM Demo Day TBA

22-25 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market Salt Lake City UT

30-2 SIA Snow Show Denver CO

FEBRUARY

3-4 SIA On-Snow Demo Copper Mountain CO

3-4 SIA Nordic Demo Copper Mountain CO



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Thomas J Ryan






Teresa Hartford



Camila Amortegui


Advertising Sales

Account Managers

Buz Keenan


2018875112

Katie ODonohue


8282443043




James Hartford


3039977302


SportsOneSourcecom






SOS Research
















NEWS


















































2013









2014







BEST FOOT FORWARD


PRODUCT FOCUS













ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS





















ADAPTING TO CHANGE








































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SEPTEMBER









OCTOBER




NOVEMBER





DECEMBER



















JANUARY















FEBRUARY






FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP





















Thomas J Ryan






Teresa Hartford



Camila Amortegui


Advertising Sales

Account Managers

Buz Keenan


2018875112

Katie ODonohue


8282443043




James Hartford


3039977302


SportsOneSourcecom






SOS Research
















NEWS


















































2013









2014







BEST FOOT FORWARD


PRODUCT FOCUS













ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS





















ADAPTING TO CHANGE








































TR

AD

E A

SS

OC

IAT

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S |

BU

YIN

G G

RO

UP

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SEPTEMBER









OCTOBER




NOVEMBER





DECEMBER



















JANUARY















FEBRUARY






FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP
























NEWS


















































2013









2014







BEST FOOT FORWARD


PRODUCT FOCUS













ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS





















ADAPTING TO CHANGE








































TR

AD

E A

SS

OC

IAT

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BU

YIN

G G

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UP

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SEPTEMBER









OCTOBER




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DECEMBER



















JANUARY















FEBRUARY






FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP



















































2013









2014







BEST FOOT FORWARD


PRODUCT FOCUS













ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS





















ADAPTING TO CHANGE








































TR

AD

E A

SS

OC

IAT

ION

S |

BU

YIN

G G

RO

UP

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SEPTEMBER









OCTOBER




NOVEMBER





DECEMBER



















JANUARY















FEBRUARY






FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP















2014







BEST FOOT FORWARD


PRODUCT FOCUS













ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS





















ADAPTING TO CHANGE








































TR

AD

E A

SS

OC

IAT

ION

S |

BU

YIN

G G

RO

UP

S

SEPTEMBER









OCTOBER




NOVEMBER





DECEMBER



















JANUARY















FEBRUARY






FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP


















ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS





















ADAPTING TO CHANGE








































TR

AD

E A

SS

OC

IAT

ION

S |

BU

YIN

G G

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UP

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SEPTEMBER









OCTOBER




NOVEMBER





DECEMBER



















JANUARY















FEBRUARY






FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP


























ADAPTING TO CHANGE








































TR

AD

E A

SS

OC

IAT

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S |

BU

YIN

G G

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UP

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SEPTEMBER









OCTOBER




NOVEMBER





DECEMBER



















JANUARY















FEBRUARY






FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP















































TR

AD

E A

SS

OC

IAT

ION

S |

BU

YIN

G G

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UP

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SEPTEMBER









OCTOBER




NOVEMBER





DECEMBER



















JANUARY















FEBRUARY






FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP











FAST amp ACTIONABLE





EASY amp INTUITIVE




BROAD amp DEEP









tbd 0813

Documents

team markets

sportsmans business

footwear business

outdoor business

team socksfeature11

ceo of cramer products

cramer products portfolio

current team dealer