One local business owner has enjoyed being able to help local athletes graduate from Little League to big leagues while experiencing his own growth.
Josh Baker’s love of sports inspired him to start selling sporting equipment and printed T-shirts out of his mother’s garage soon after graduating from high school.
Fourteen years later, the company has grown to more than 40 employees and operates out of a new corporate headquarters and warehouse near Beach Boulevard and Florida 9A.
“I love watching the kids grow,” said Baker, who has two boys of his own, Brooks, 6, and Rylan, 4.
He remembered watching young local athletes who have become professionals in their sport, such as Los Angeles Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, Kansas City Royals first baseman Billy Butler, Seattle Seahawks running back Leon Washington and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow.
“I get to see these kids at a young age grow to be superstars and see how much of an impact they have on others’ lives,” said Baker.
He was pleased to see that Tebow will play quarterback for the Denver Broncos this weekend.
“For a Gator fan, it was a bright spot on an otherwise gloomy weekend,” said Baker.
Baker has been able to watch the area athletes because his approach to selling sporting goods is different than the normal big-box retail store.
“Ninety-seven percent of the business is the team side, which is our sales reps going out and getting the accounts from the schools, leagues, colleges,” said Baker.
“We have a retail section here (at the corporate headquarters), a store in San Jose and the website, but our retail business is only about 3 percent,” he said.
When the sales staff members are on the road, they have the ability to sell clients, items from “shoestrings to bleachers.”
Bleachers?
“We don’t sell the big concrete stadium bleachers, but for 10 years we’ve been selling 10-15-tier bleachers for Little League parks or Pop Warner fields. We can do goal posts and soccer goals,” said Baker.
“We built this company on trying to be full service. For your athletic needs we want to be your one-stop shop,” he said.
In order to be that full-service company, Baker has to be aware of trends and the direction of the market. He has noticed that players are gaining more freedom in equipment choices and parents also are more involved in the selection.
“In the 14 years we’ve been in business, we’ve seen a change from, in the high school side, the coach making certain things mandatory, ‘you’re going to wear this shoe, you’re going to wear this shirt,’ to freedom of choice amongst the kids. Style has become very important,” said Baker.
“Fashion on the field in every sport has become important to the kids. Coaches are more worried about game plans and Xs and Os than they are about everyone looking the same. They are letting the kids express more individuality now as far as accessories they wear on and off the field,” he said.
While it may not gain much notoriety in the world of fashion, equipment changes to lessen the likelihood of concussions has become an issue for consumers and suppliers.
“The largest struggle we are facing in our industry is price increases, from a lot of overseas labor costs going up to the price of freight going up. Technology has affected the price of helmets as well,” said Baker.
He explained that during the first nine years he was in business, high schools could purchase an affordable football helmet for $95.
“Now with technology they put into these helmets and the increased liability insurance the manufacturers have to carry, the cheapest helmet I can get a high school program is $170,” said Baker.
“It’s been that dramatic of a price increase. Now the helmets are much better than the ones we all wore because the kids are all bigger, stronger, faster, so the protection has to be better,” he said.
Parents also understand that their children are participating in sports with kids who are bigger, stronger and faster and parents are willing to invest in more expensive safety gear than schools can provide.
“We are seeing a lot of the protective equipment purchases coming from the parents. They want to make sure their son or daughter is outfitted with the best. With the cost of the equipment now, schools can’t afford to outfit everyone with the best,” said Baker.
His business has grown to include a new corporate headquarters and warehouse; a media day that brings high school coaches and players together with reporters for a day of interviews and interaction; and an online store that can provide individual team pages for equipment purchases.
Overall, though, the way his customers are serviced won’t change.
“It’s a relationship business and it always will be. Though technology has made it a lot easier as far as communication, it’s still about getting in front of the coaches and showing them the product,” said Baker.
“Especially when you are dealing with safety equipment and apparel, it’s not something you want to order online because you need to know and be assured you are providing your players with the best protection and best-fitting projects on the market,” he said.
“You can’t see that on the computer screen. You have to provide them with something they can see, touch and feel. I don’t think that part is ever going to go away.”
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