Base Hockey Sticks by Cliff Ronning
Base Hockey's unique business model is based on the following premise: In the game of golf, it’s commonplace for golfers to spend hundreds of dollars to have their clubs custom fitted and sized - so, why not in hockey? Why don’t hockey players do the same for their sticks?
Cliff Ronning and his partners set up a 4,800 square foot facility in Burnaby, B.C. Canada, where hockey players of all ages can come to purchase Base hockey sticks customized for optimal performance. The Base custom stick design process includes a video analysis of a player’s shooting style and skating drills, with Ronning himself, on an in-house synthetic hockey rink.
“By changing things in a hockey stick such as the curve, the lies, and the size you can really improve performance,” he says.
“I know a lot of people in hockey have been waiting for something like this for a long time.”
Base Hockey Labs, which officially opened for business September 7, is already planning for expansion. Ronning has spoken to ex-NHL’ers Darrin Shannon and Steve Dubinsky about the possibility of building similar facilities in Toronto and Chicago.
Success, however, may not come easy for this new venture. The hockey stick industry is highly concentrated and dominated by only a few large firms like Easton, Bauer/Nike, and CCM.
But for Cliff Ronning, this is familiar territory. Once again, he’s a small player competing against giants; once again, he’s out to prove that size doesn’t matter.
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Find out more at: Base Hockey Sticks
Source: Vancouver Sun
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