City Gives Edge; Position-Tech Gains Traction
Position-Tech is making big waves in the sporting goods industry by revolutionizing the football replacement cleat, and despite the difficult job market it is creating jobs in the Chicago area.
- Chicago, IL (1888PressRelease) August 03, 2012 - Founded by young Chicago entrepreneurs with vision, a proven product, and the support of the Chicago community, Position-Tech has successfully penetrated the hyper competitive sporting goods industry. The efforts have yielded great results-nine salaried positions have been created, three vacant store fronts in the city's Northwest side will no longer be empty, and over a dozen aspiring Northwestern interns have received a first hand look at what it takes to be entrepreneur.
The product is a new style of detachable football cleat that has been proven to provide 20% better traction than the standard cleat. Third party testing was conducted at Boise State University. The company is taking a nation wide approach with distribution of their Pro Football Cleats and has retail placement in Dick's Sporting Goods, the nations most premier sporting goods retailer with 451 locations nation wide- many in the surrounding Chicagoland area.
"This is an exciting time for our company," said Erek Benz, 27, Position-Tech CEO. "We have been fortunate enough to earn a spot in top retail locations around the country and players in the NFL, NCAA, and High School markets are adopting our new technology."
Like a much more recognizable company, Under Armour, Position-Tech's start shares many parallels. The four founders started the company in the basement of their college residence; hit the road in rented minivans that doubled as hotel rooms, and relentlessly cold called big box retailers. Benz likes to point out his admiration for Kevin Plank and "Under Armour" and how Position-Tech views Under Armour as a role model. He is also quick to note there are a few differences in the company startup story- his favorite is first years sales: Position-Tech was around 53K and Under Armour with about 17K.
"The FVEC, Fox Valley Entrepreneurship Center, exists to spring board companies to the next level, it is not often we see a group as young and as hungry as Position-Tech," said Austin Dempsey, President of the Board of Directors for the FVEC and Vice - President of Batavia Enterprise. "There is no doubt Position-Tech will make a meaningful impact in the Chicagoland community by offering innovation and job creation in a market with huge potential and the FVEC is happy to contribute to their success story."
Before the Position-Tech entrepreneurs started reaping the benefits of the company's success, they signed on Earl Bennett of the Chicago Bears as their first NFL spokesman.
These guys know how to maximize resources," said Jeff Bail, an adjunct professor who teaches sports marketing at Northwestern University, and who oversees the Chicago office of Van Wagner Sports Group, one of the most prestigious sports marketing firms in the country. "Not many young companies have the strategic backbone and foresight to conduct a nationwide road show to support their retail initiatives
"Our founders, our investors, and our support system have all stemmed from the City of Chicago and we feel we owe much of our success to the greater Chicagoland community," said Benz, who is proud of the company's roots in Chicago.
The Company has truly maximized the cities resources. From gaining inspiration at the 2011 Ideas Week attended with company shareholder Hunter Hillenmeyer to free educational sessions at the Chicago Chamber, Position-Tech has always viewed Chicago as a catalyst to their progress.
"We are excited about the increased human capital we have recently brought on- the potential we have is enormous," adds Benz.
Next up for the company, Position-Tech is currently seeking its second round of financing and has already paid visits to several of the top NFL and NCAA teams in the country and has plans to launch their cleats in multiple sports on a global level.
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