Base hockey

[Sniper9 518]

Got this email from them today

 

Dear BASE Hockey Customers,

 

We are thrilled to announce that BASE Hockey is officially resuming business after a year and a half hiatus. Where were we? As the world was emerging from COVID, our founder, Ron Kunisaki, was jogging one evening and suffered a heart attack. After 3 months in the hospital, Ron was faced with a decision to either close the company or find a new partner to help manage the factory. Being in his mid-60s, working on the factory floor was no longer feasible.

 

Ron also knew that the hockey industry had reached an inflection point. All of the major hockey brands had relocated their primary manufacturing to China/Asia due to lower manufacturing costs (an option that was never really on the table for BASE Hockey, as he wanted to maintain the technology protection and quality control gained with manufacturing in North America). 

 

How is a North American factory supposed to function in an environment where low cost overseas manufacturing dominates and you refuse to use inferior materials to arrive at preset retail price points?

 

Ron reached out to a friend, Aleks Maslov, an ex-Amazon/Microsoft employee who invested in a number of brands and factories from Gary Loomis, a fishing industry icon, and over the last few years transformed them into US-manufactured, factory-direct-to-consumer success stories making antennas, golf shafts and fishing rods.

 

After a number of months of negotiations, an agreement was reached for Aleks Maslov’s company, Composite Ventures (the parent company of the antenna, golf shaft and fishing rod companies), to buy the assets of Base Hockey, keep all of the Base Hockey factory employees (including all key employees) and re-launch BASE Hockey.

 

WHY FACTORY DIRECT TO CONSUMER?

Low prices drive sales at retail stores, resulting in retail buyers forcing manufacturers to make products with predetermined prices in mind, limiting them to cheaper raw materials and components. By removing retail margins – we can again unleash our talent, imaginations, and capabilities without boundaries. Our designs and products are created with the world’s finest materials, technologies and manufacturing; and, we deliver them to you directly with no retail markup. The payoff? Significantly better products at incredible prices. Instead of worrying about retail margins, we can put more effort into R&D and the customer experience.

 

Here’s what you can expect from the new Base Hockey:

 

EXCITING PRODUCT INNOVATIONS: We’ve been hard at work developing cutting-edge hockey gear that combines the latest technology with the feedback we’ve received from our dedicated customers. From new stick designs to manufacturing tech (and everything in between), our new lineup is designed to elevate your game – in fact, Ron is heading up design and R&D, as this aspect of the business continues to excite him.

 

REVAMPED SERVICE AND LEADTIMES.

Whether you have questions about products, orders or anything else, we’re here for you. Live chat is enabled, and we are happy to answer your questions.

 

Most "custom" hockey stick companies take 4 plus months to fill orders, our goal is to get our orders out within 5 to 8 weeks.

 

UPDATED ONLINE PLATFROM:

Our website has undergoing a makeover to make your online shopping experience even more seamless. Your account history has been preserved - so if there is a stick you would like manufactured again, you can duplicate an order. If you forgot your password, you can reset it as well.

 

SPECIAL WELCOME BACK OFFER:

Use the coupon code: FREESHIPPING during checkout, and we will pick up the tab of getting a custom stick to your door. Many companies have raised their prices several times post COVID - we have not raised them a cent.

 

Our Team is eager to serve you once again and be part of your hockey journey. Thank you for being an integral part of the BASE Hockey Community. We can’t wait to get back on the ice with you and continue our shared passion for the sport.

 

Ron Kunisaki, Cliff Ronning, Aleks Maslov, Edgar Guzman and the entire Base Hockey Team