Another Merger...Easton And Bell...What's next

[Justin 1933 134]

aston Sports merges with Riddell Bell

By Brent Hopkins

Los Angeles Daily News

LOS ANGELES — Peyton Manning already straps them on, Lance Armstrong suits up with their gear and their baseball gloves fit the hand of many a major leaguer: Even before it officially exists, Easton-Bell Sports is a monster of the sports world.

On Tuesday, baseball and hockey products expert Easton Sports Inc. announced a mega-merger with Riddell Bell Holdings, which makes helmets for the National Football League. The combined entity, chaired by Easton head Jim Easton, boasts annual revenues of more than $600 million and covers sports from archery to motocross.

"This company is now the number one baseball company, the number one football company, the number one in bike helmets, number one in snow helmets and the number one hockey innovation company," said Tony Palma, who's presently chief executive officer of Easton Sports and will take a new executive role in the combined company. "Yeah, there's a lot of number ones here. We like that."

Terms of the deal, aided by Santa Monica-based Fenway Partners and set to close by the end of the first quarter, were not announced. Together, the company will employ more than 2,500 workers, maintaining headquarters in both Van Nuys and Chicago. Palma said he expects few overlaps between the different divisions, minimizing any need for staff reduction.

Easton, whose roots date back to 1922 in Watsonville, specializes in aluminum bats, baseball gloves, bikes, hockey and camping equipment. In the 1940s it became a powerhouse in the archery field and continues to make arrow shafts to this day.

Easton Sports is a subsidiary of Jas. D. Easton Inc. Other subsidiary companies of Jas. D. Easton, including Easton Technical Products and bow-maker Hoyt, both based in Utah, will not fold into the combined entity.

Riddell, which manufactures the NFL's official helmets, has an equally rich history, developing removable cleats for football shoes in 1922. Its helmets show up in sports as diverse as Indy car racing to skateboarding, where Tony Hawk endorses its gear. Based in Chicago, it merged with Bell Sports in 2004.

"The combined (research and development) efforts of both businesses will be unsurpassed in the sporting goods industry," said Bill Sherman, president and CEO of Riddell, in a printed statement.

[Reaper 0]

Mission and Ite... never mind. :D

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

I just find it funny that they cannot say that they're #1 in hockey.

[jimmy 194]

I just find it funny that they cannot say that they're #1 in hockey.

Prob because other than sticks, the rest of their line is not real popular. I'd guess THC and NBH are head to head at the #1 claim.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

I know. I just said it's funny...so they say that they are #1 in innovation...HA

[stickfixchaska 0]

Here is the answer to all those "Is Easton going to make a Helmet?" questions... ;)

Chris

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

I hate big companys. They take all the personality out of sports, soon everything in hockey will be one of three brands, Nike, Easton or RBK. I hate how everyone must look uniform in the same equipment, I guess we won't be able to tell anyone apart anymore.

[HkyVictor 0]

Lance doesn't use anything made by bell of easton... for anyone who cares...

[chippa13 1844]

I hate big companys. They take all the personality out of sports, soon everything in hockey will be one of three brands, Nike, Easton or RBK. I hate how everyone must look uniform in the same equipment, I guess we won't be able to tell anyone apart anymore.

No worse than when it was almost all CCM and Bauer.

[G.M. 0]

Lance doesn't use anything made by bell of easton... for anyone who cares...

He uses Giro, which is owned by Bell.

[HkyVictor 0]

Lance doesn't use anything made by bell of easton... for anyone who cares...

He uses Giro, which is owned by Bell.

really... that sucks... whatever...

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Not to mention he may have Easton components on his bike.

[hurricane 0]

I hate big companys. They take all the personality out of sports, soon everything in hockey will be one of three brands, Nike, Easton or RBK. I hate how everyone must look uniform in the same equipment, I guess we won't be able to tell anyone apart anymore.

No worse than when it was almost all CCM and Bauer.

Back when it was CCM and Bauer both companies were the best in the business and it showed.

[JoeHockey97 0]

I asked one of the Easton Reps one time if they were going to make a helmet any time soon and he said that they were looking at it. Now that they have Bell technology it could be an incredible helmet

[Dan_The_Man_16 0]

Don't forget Jofa, Christian, Cooper, D&R, Koho, ect. Those companys used to be really big alongside Bauer and CCM. Don't short-change them, look at Mario and Jagr both Koho users and Jagr used to use Christian wood sticks.

[BK 0]

Not to mention he may have Easton components on his bike.

I think his rims might be (easton carbon rims are nice.)

But i'm waiting for the synergy line to cross over Maybe they will have a flex rating and be available with grip :P

[lesterhenson 0]

Not to mention he may have Easton components on his bike.

I saw a show on the history channel about Lance. It went into detail about his life etc and went on to tell about his gear and what not. Pretty interesting, it showed a "tire" cellar. Lance has a stock of "aged" wheels and only uses them when they are of a certain age.

Anyway, to the point, they wnet into detail about his bikes and they said it was all trek (i think, i know for sure that its one company, and not easton).

[Jim A 4]

since Giro/Trek/Nike created the "Formula One" group for Lance, he no longer had anything Easton at any point material wise, prior to when he would have some one - off stuff from John Cobb/Oval ..it would incorporate Easton carbon at times..

those aged tires are tubulars..and the old school was that they became more durable after being aged in a dry area, inflated but unglued to the rim (tubulars have the tube sewn into the tire and not the typical tube/tire combo most cyclists use...they are less likely to flat and have lower rolling resistance and typically weight when not compared to the ultralightweight clinchers) most cyclists who raced in the 80/90's had tires setup like that in their basements..

[jjtt99 0]

I hate big companys. They take all the personality out of sports, soon everything in hockey will be one of three brands, Nike, Easton or RBK. I hate how everyone must look uniform in the same equipment, I guess we won't be able to tell anyone apart anymore.

Go Itech-Mission!

[DarkStar50 679]

I hate big companys. They take all the personality out of sports, soon everything in hockey will be one of three brands, Nike, Easton or RBK. I hate how everyone must look uniform in the same equipment, I guess we won't be able to tell anyone apart anymore.

Go Itech-Mission!

I-M bought Kloz, maker of Jock +. That makes I-M bigger, not smaller. The Fuel skate line looks remarkably like an RBK product design on the side of the boot. I see I-M trying very hard to play with the big boys, not separate themselves from the big boys.