NSGA Elects Baugh, Raynor and Stahl
September 1, 2010
MOUNT PROSPECT, IL — The Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame Committee announced today that it has elected one retailer and two manufacturers, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame next May. Jim Baugh, Wilson Sporting Goods Co.; Tom Raynor, Fleet Feet, Inc.; and Ted Stahl, GroupeStahl, will be honored at induction ceremonies Tuesday evening, May 3, 2011, during the 47th Annual NSGA Management Conference & 13th Annual Team Dealer Summit, to be held at Loews Ventana Canyon in Tucson, Ariz.
“We are proud to announce the Hall of Fame Class of 2011 because of the passion and dedication they brought to the sporting goods industry,” said NSGA Hall of Fame Committee Chairman Bob Dickman, general manager of the Sport Supply Group Team Dealer Division. “Election to the Hall of Fame is the highest honor one can achieve in the sporting goods industry, and these inductees are worthy of that distinction.”
Since 1956, the sporting goods industry has honored its pioneers, innovators and leaders, and the election of the 2011 inductees brings the total number of Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Famers to 150. The Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame induction ceremony is co-sponsored by GE Money; Messe München GmbH (ISPO); Mizuno USA; New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc.; and W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
Jim Baugh — Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
Jim Baugh and the sport of tennis will forever be linked. Baugh’s passion for the sport was demonstrated in successes at Wilson Sporting Goods Co. and earlier in his career, at Prince Manufacturing. But tennis was just part of this energetic leader’s passion.
His vision for improving the health and fitness of American children became reality through PE4Life. He also helped raise nearly $500 million in federal grants for schools through the Carol M. White Physical Education Program, known in the industry as the PEP Program.
After a brief stint as a sales rep for Converse, Baugh joined Prince (1977-83) during a time when that company ranked as the No. 1 tennis racquet brand in the U.S. He served as national sales manager and manager of dealer relations. As vice president of sales and marketing, Prince grew from $6 million to $60 million in sales.
Baugh joined Wilson in 1987 as general manager of Wilson Racquet Sports until 1996, when he was named president of Wilson Sporting Goods (1996-2003). At Wilson Racquet Sports, the company’s share jumped from 14% to more than 50%, and the company launched breakthrough technologies with three racquets and footwear.
As president, Baugh led a very profitable $1 billion global company. He developed a uniform branding and marketing approach for all divisions. He also served on the strategic board of Wilson’s parent company, Amer, overlooking Atomic, Suunto and recommending the acquisition of Precor.
While at Wilson, Baugh joined the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) board of directors, a position he still holds. It was through SGMA that PE4Life was founded, dedicated to rebuilding quality physical education programs in our nation’s schools.
After leaving Wilson, Baugh served as president of the Tennis Industry Association and as a board member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA). He helped launch grassroots programs that turned around a decline in participation and saw a 23% increase in play occasions.
Baugh lives in Jupiter, Fla. and consults with various companies and associations in the sporting goods and leisure industry.
Tom Raynor — Fleet Feet, Inc.
Tom Raynor is chairman and CEO of Fleet Feet, Inc., the leading franchisor of running specialty retailers in the United States.
Starting with a staff of two in 1993, Fleet Feet has grown to 90 stores in 30 states and the District of Columbia. In 2004, the company moved the corporate headquarters to Carrboro, N.C. Retail sales for 2010 are estimated at $103 million. Same store sales have seen double digit increases annually for the past 10 years. In 2005 the company started an employee stock ownership plan. Currently 40% of the company is employee owned.
After a brief foray into politics, working as a press aide to then Governor Jimmy Carter, Raynor went to Vanderbilt University as assistant director of housing and cross country coach. He also begin his career in the sporting goods industry as a sales associate at The Athlete’s House in Nashville, Tenn. and later at The Athlete’s Foot, also in Nashville.
During the early years of the first running boom, Raynor was involved in running at every level – athlete, coach, shoe salesman, and running club co-founder. His impact and familiarity with the Southeastern U.S. running scene led to a job with the independent sales agency, Sig Lee and Associates, which represented Nike, Ridgeview and Spenco.
Responding to the need for more consistent education of sales associates and brand representation at rapidly growing running events, Raynor presented product seminars in stores, spoke at events, set up booths at race expos, while continuing to coach a number of athletes. His regular reports back to Nike, reflecting the changing market and opportunities for the expansion of running, were a factor in the creation of a national “tech rep” program, the first among major footwear manufacturers.
After leaving Nike in 1983, Raynor went to Brooks Shoe Company, where he held a variety of positions, including regional sales manager, promotions manager, marketing manager, and, ultimately, director of marketing and product development. In 1989, Raynor joined Wilson Sporting Goods as general manager of footwear.
Raynor returned to the running business in 1992 with Fleet Feet, where he worked on store operations and new store development. The next year, Raynor purchased the franchise company from founder Sally Edwards and purchased two Fleet Feet Sports stores in California.
Raynor is a native of Atlanta and is a graduate of Georgia State University.
Ted Stahl — GroupeSTAHL
Ted Stahl is the executive chairman of GroupeSTAHL, an international group of companies dedicated to providing a wide range of alternatives in garment decoration, specializing in heat printing methods. GroupeSTAHL is both a manufacturer as well as a provider of garment decoration services.
Stahl is a well-known industry veteran with more than 40 years’ experience in all aspects of apparel graphics, from manufacturing and marketing, to product design and retail operations.
Highly regarded by his peers as an industry pioneer and known as a visionary, Stahl has been awarded many patents for innovations in the world of garment decorating, including Thermo-FILM®, the world’s most popular material for numbers and letters, and the revolutionary Hotronix® heat press. GroupeSTAHL recently introduced the Hotronix® Fusion™, the world’s first touch-screen heat press designed as a combination swinger and draw press.
Stahl has played a major role in bringing sportswear graphics into the computer era, with the introduction of high-tech digital imprinting products, including CAD-CUT® materials, Drawmate™ software and today’s CADWorxlive.com, a free online art creation website. Stahl also introduced CAD-PRINTZ® full color transfers to the industry, a service that is growing in popularity with embroiderers and screen printers.
Equally innovative in the marketing realm, Stahl is the author of Ted’s Guerilla Marketing Tips, a book that presents ingenious ways for retailers to boost their volume of imprinting services through creative selling and promotions.
His is the first company to take the concept of cutting graphics for jerseys on-demand mainstream, with CAD-CUT® technology and its line of patented CAD-CUT® materials, which allows sporting goods stores to cut and apply their own custom player names, numbers and logos in-house, on-demand.
Among his inventions are water-jet technology, for custom cutting twill, and player name and number sets, a fast way to add individual player names and numbers to jerseys.
He is a member of the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association and founded an organization that preserves, restores and exhibits specific vintage vehicles of the 20th century for educational purposes.
About NSGA:
NSGA, which has served the sporting goods industry since 1929, supports its members’ efforts to be more profitable and advocates on their behalf. NSGA organizes and hosts the annual NSGA Management Conference & Team Dealer Summit, the sporting goods industry’s premier educational and networking event (Next: May 1-4, 2011, at Loews Ventana Canyon, Tucson, Ariz.).
For more information on NSGA member services, visit the Association home page (nsga.org); call Darlene Plunkett at NSGA, (847) 296-6742, Ext. 131; e-mail: [email protected]; or fax (847) 391-9827.