Akadema
| Industry | Manufacturing |
|---|---|
| Founder | Joseph Gilligan and Lawrence Gilligan |
| Headquarters | Hawthorne, New Jersey, United States |
Akadema is a privately owned sporting goods manufacturing company located in
History
The first series of gloves were released in 1998 under the name "Academy". In 2000 the company experienced rapid growth when it changed its name to Akadema, moved into the old
The company would follow up the Reptilian with the Claw,[6] The Funnel[7] and Spiral Lock, Tacktion Grip, The Hot Hands and the UFO Mitt to continue the companies first decade in creative sports design.[8] The most popular of the patented glove however has been the Praying Mantis Mitt which was created with input from Gary Carter.[9]
The company crossed over into popular culture when their products appeared in
Sponsorship
Akadema's most important and visible endorsement deals have been the signing of
As the pro ranks grew, the Akadema brand spread quickly and became very popular among
In addition to modern gloves, Akadema introduced the Hoboken Collection, a vintage line of equipment that had been used by Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Feller, Dazzy Vance,[10] Mickey Cochrane and Yogi Berra. Akadema quickly gained rights to Ken-Wel and Reach companies trademarks.[11]
Manufacturing
Akadema started manufacturing through suppliers overseas but unlike most manufacturers of the day, Akadema has brought some manufacturing in house to the USA.[12] Akadema started its own wood baseball bat shop and can customize a bat.[13] Two years later the company opened its own embroidery shop. This year[when?] the company started its own baseball glove shop making it one of the few companies that still makes wood bats, metal bats and gloves in the USA. In 2008 the company purchased an industrial building and consolidated its operations under one roof in Hawthorne, NJ. According to Inc. magazine, 2007 sales were 4.8 million.[14] Current sales are said to be around seven million.
References
- The Record (Bergen County). Archived from the originalon July 23, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ Larry Gilligan at "The Baseball Cube"
- ^ King, Bill (2002-04-22). "The Wizard becomes great catch for odd glove's maker". Sports Business Journal.
- ^ Goldstein, Scott (2004-04-05). "Playing to Win". NJBIZ.
- ^ "Kris Totten". The Baseball Cube. Archived from the original on 2008-09-29.
- ^ Herek, Matthew (2003-05-01). "Akadema Fits Like a Glove". Sporting Goods Business.
- ^ Kernan, Kevin (2007-07-15). "No Glove Lost Between Them". New York Post.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Flanigan, Devin (22 October 2021). "Akadema Baseball Gloves". Cold Therapy.
- ^ Greenfield-Boyce, Nell (2005-07-03). "Building a Better Catcher's Mitt". All Things Considered.
- ^ Arnett, Jeff (2007-02-19). "Leather & Lace: Dazzy Vance". National Baseball Hall of Fame Magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-08-20.
- ^ Pitarresi, John (2008-04-04). "NJ Company Revives Ken-Wel". Observer-Dispatch. Archived from the original on 2013-02-09.
- ^ Teigman, Danny (November 2, 2009). "Mitt-makers to the pros, family has passion for the game". The Star-Ledger. Archived from the original on January 20, 2022.
- ^ Press Pass TV May 16, 2008 Morgan Paige
- ^ Inc 5000 Magazine, Summer 2008