Tom Kaye Retires from Paintball, AGD Under New Management

[cphilip]

While I was busy dealing with morons and making announcements on AO and then Tom hits me with a hammer! Ouch!

Well... my personal expressions will remain in the private forum. In the meantime we AO Admins and Mods will sort out the details as they are given to us and keep things running until we get clear instructions from Tom.

And no... we had no warning. I read it here.... So we are a ship without a Captain until we see what he wants to do. But in the mean time its bussiness normal until we know what to do.

I for one an tireing of the politics and undehandedness of many people getting into the bussiness myself. So its no real suprise to me. It's not been fun lately. So I understand some of Tom's motivations to move on. Being excited about what you do is important. And the excitement is not there like it was I guess.

[lautt]

tomsotherbusinees.org forum that we can all troll around in?

lol i'm in!!!


tom you made paintball what it is

[AGDlover]

No Tom dont do this to us we promis to be better COME BACK TOM!!!!

[barrel break]

I'm stunned, Tom, you have been an icon, a rock on which paintball as a universe exists for me. I'm saddened, and now I feel like, I dont exactly know...

[ilikePB]

Didn't see that coming.

[TMAXXKING1]

there is no way anyone will forget you and what you have done for this sport ...
and people will carry on the mag name for many many years to come ...
i am very happy i got back into mags ... and i will never go back to the jap junk.. sold by other companies ...

as for keeping ao up ... there are plenty of people that would be willing to pay a small fee every month .. to keep this great site up and going ...

count me in on that ........


thanks for every thing you have done to paintball .......

[doobie98]

Bye Tom. Thanks for all you've done for this industry. I got to meet you at the IAO,and your one of the nicest men I've ever met.
I hope this life will treat you well.

Take care.
~Caleb.

[Sinistarr]

Good luck Tom!

This doesn't change the fact that there are many great innovations brought to the sport by you and Airgun Designs. I for one, will still be shooting my emag while others are still working on their markers.

I do hope to trade paint with you again, hopefully soon.

Just don't forget us! We won't forget you (right away... )

[SummaryJudgement]

It's a shame, it's a shame

Best of luck of course! Hope all works out. Let us know what's going on in your future!

Maybe this will give me enough motivation to make it to Shatnerball so I can meet the man himself

[judgetimmmaaa]

I have a New Tac one and several others along with my first mag a micro mag with serial #325. Your in the books with Bushmaste Line SI

[professor_chaos]

I agree, start a donation through paypal like many other sites have done, Im sure many would give some $$$. Thanks for all the great products, you will be missed.

[TheShark]

Back in 96 I loved your guns, but could never buy one. I only learned about you personally and the latest innovations to the mag in the last 6 months, and finally purchased my first mag. Thanks for making such a great product, and providing the means for this community to exist. Good luck.

[MarkM]

Tom, I am glad that I was able to switch my ticket to able to hook up with you at the TFT event in Georgia. Now I am sad to hear that you have had to make this annoucement...good luck with the bone digging.


Mark

[LittlePaintballBoy]

Wow.

[lopxtc]

Well I must say that I will be sad to you go ... I first met you back at the start of the 90s, I believe it was one of the big games in STL, and was rather impressed with you as a person back then.

I can understand your feelings as I am sure many of the players that have been playing for as long as I have and longer have often felt about pulling away from main stream paintball and just laying low in the woods ball and rec fields in the world. Good luck with your future endevors and best of luck to you and your family.


Aaron Obst

[FreakBaller12]

This truely saddens me. I've learned so much on thse forums and learned the mag way here. Tom your the only guy that took the time to actually talk to his "groupie" on a regular basis. For that I thank you.

1. where is your marker and pb collection going to go, you easily have 10,000 worth of it.
2. Any hints on what AGD and the new owner will do next?
3. Will he come on Ao like you have?
4. Will agd's quality stay high

[nuclear zombie]

I suppose we should add Tom Kaye stepping down as President of Air Gun Designs to the list. Thanks for your contributions the the sport of paintball, you will be missed.

don't forget about Earron Carter retiring as well ,
Thank You TK , for providing an awesome product and an even better company backing it up , but most importantly thank you for loving the sport .


TK at D-Day -->

[AGDlover]

BTW to all when my e-mag gets sent out for anno it will be in Dedication to TK so if anybody has anything like slogens to anno or lazer ingrave into it IM me AGDlover04 or PM me

[Sockman]

Well, it had to happen someday. Long ago(more like over 5 years ago), when I played my very first game, I first shot an Automag. Quite possibly the slickest gun I have ever shot/owned, my perception of paintball had forever changed. Now, years later as I read this, I glance down at my ULE RT-Pro--still in the box--, I wonder where, oh where will AGD go now? Hell, where will paintball as an industry go from here? Will AGD fail now that Tom is no longer CEO, or will it fight back to become the top name in paintball once again? I hope for the latter, for all these electronic guns have to have a legit competitor.
I myself, am also pondering my place in this hobby of mine, more of being a player than anything else....so I can somehow guess how Tom feels about this.

*Sigh*

Maybe it was just time to go, or perhaps the industry just got too cuckoo. Either way, Tom, SALUT!

[Major Ho]

4 More Years!!! 4 More Years!!!

[Kaiser Bob]

Talk about a doubletake... When I first saw this thread stickied, I first thought "What's up with this? It's not April 1st yet..." But its for real. Tom, it was a good time while it lasted. You gave birth to ideas that were the steering currents for the whole industry and to this day and for many more to come you have left your mark. Paintball has definitely changed in the past couple of years, AO is no exception. But regardless of what happens to paintball or AO in the future, you can definitely say you have had a positive effect on thousands of people, and quite a few on a personal level. That's not something many can say. Good luck in your future endeavors Tom, and I hope that you still at least pop in on AO and at some events from time to time.

[the123]

Tom, thank you for all the AWESOME times. And the future ones. I will continue to use AGD products for the length of my paintball career, however long that is. The stuff works so well, that it's hard NOT to have a great time every time out on the field.
Lets just hope Zupe doesn't blow the place up with one of his rockets. How about having him come to AO and posting as new CEO of AGD.
Brian

[gibby]

WoW!! Good luck Tom!! Thanks for everything you've done for us and the community!! I'm sure the next "spark" that you start will become a blazing fire! Can I buy stocks?

[TooDamnSweet]

Wow. I thought you'd be here forever. You're the one who got me into paintball! Thanks for all the advice and the fun! I'm sure it was a tough decision but I'm sure your next venture will be greater than this one. Take a vacation first though LOL

I guess my only chance to hang out with you will be at Shatnerball.

[i_baked_cookies]

i never thought one of the greatest men in paintball history would retire.

i wish u good luck TK!

[Jackel411]

HOLY Crap!

Good luck and god speed.. never saw this coming with the recent pres youve been getting

Hey at least I met you once at IAO at the industry party.. And to clarify things nah.. Im not the future of paintball , I quit the industry to I rather stick to my custom work I do and Ill be happy.. paintball is only a for of me getting beer money its far to politcal for me to care about it any more.

Good luck man

[Vanced]

Simply put...

Thanks for the last decade and a half then some...

You will never be replaced or forgotten...

[FireITup14]

Viva Tom!!!

[atm743]

you will and allways be the mag man!!!!!

goodluck for whatever comes up !!

[robdamanii]

Tom,

I know my contribution has been minimal here and the words may not mean much, but I have greatly admired everything you've contributed to this industry in the time you've been involved.

I still remember playing my first games back in the mid '90s, and hearing that the Automag was THE marker to own at the time. I remember not being able to afford it at the time, and it took me nearly 7 years to be able to afford a Mag. At that time, it was an x-valved, ULE, LX mag and it was amazing. That marker alone drew me out of low end guns forever, and forever cemented you and AGD as innovators parrelleled by very few.

I've seen, in my involvement in the past 4 years or so, Bud Orr begin to fade away, Bob Long begin to fade away, and now, the last of the great innovators of the sport, fade off into the sunset.

Tom, don't ever underestimate your contribution to the sport. You will NOT be forgotten for what you've done, and you will never show up at any event as a nobody. There will always be those of us who will remember you and what you've done for all of us, and we will always keep that alive and well in paintball's roots.

Godspeed Mr. Kaye. Good luck in your endeavors, and please, don't disappear into the sunset because you think you'll be forgotten. You've made paintball mean so much to all of us, come back occasionally, and let us show you what you mean to us. And don't forget your admirers here either.



And thanks for everything, Tom. As sincere as it can be over the internet, thanks.