Frizzle Fry
10-10-2009, 12:22 AM
Bill and Adam Gardner
It seems appropriate the biographies of the Gardner brothers be done together since they have been a team from the very beginning. In fact, Team Gardner has been at the forefront of the paintball industry since they were first introduced to the sport in the spring of 1986. Bill and Adam were on spring break in Florida and were playing for the first time with some Splatmasters that Bill had mail ordered. When they ran out of paint, they called around and found a store that sold paintballs. When they went to get them, they discovered that there were actually paintball fields where you could go to play. They spent the rest of spring break at the paintball field and their story began.
Bill and Adam are both very competitive. They are separated by 3 ½ years, Bill being the elder. They both attended the Kiski School, an all boys boarding school in PA, where they excelled in sports. Bill earned 8 varsity letters and was captain of both the soccer and wrestling teams. Adam earned 9 varsity letters (a school record) and captained the wrestling team.
After Kiski, both brothers attended the College of Wooster in Ohio and both studied Economics. This is where their paths separated for some time. After graduating with honors, Bill moved on to Emory University in Atlanta where he received his MBA in 1988. His focus was on Entrepreneurship and his goal was to own his own business just like his parents and his grandparents. In fact, the Gardner family has owned their own businesses in the Pittsburgh area since 1836 and outside of Pittsburgh as far back as the early 1700’s. After Bill Graduated from Emory, he felt he had the “Business knowledge” needed to run his own business but lacked the hands on skills necessary to do so. He took the very untraditional route and enrolled in Johnstown Vo-Technical School to learn machining. His goal was to learn how to build a marker! Meanwhile Adam, not wanting to be left behind and eager to get into the work force, earned is BA from Wooster and his MBA from The Katz Graduate School of Business in Pittsburgh. He managed to complete both degrees in NINE semesters (3 ½ years) while graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Wooster and Beta Gamma Sigma (Honors) from Katz.
While the brothers were getting their educations in the classroom, they were also getting an education on the paintball fields as well. While Bill was at Emory, he started his own paintball field. Adam spent the summer helping with the field. Since they didn’t have many customers due to a poor location, they had plenty of time practicing against each other. Bill received a flier about a 20 man paintball tournament at a new field near NY called Wolf’s Lair. The Brothers signed up and were matched up with players from Michigan and several other states. The Team, called Omega, managed to take 2nd place and a bag filled with $15,000 CASH. The Brothers were hooked. They decided to start their own team, The All Americans.
Bill, after receiving his machining certificate, started Smart Parts in his garage. With the help from his parents, he bought a small Mazak lathe and began to make parts for his first paintgun, The BOSS. Bill soon found out how hard it was to make and assemble every part by himself. Fortunately, while he was dreaming about how to improve accuracy for his paintball team, began to experiment with paintball barrels by drilling holes in them. He found that the holes made a big improvement in the accuracy. Upon the advice of his father, Bill decided to patent his new idea. The team used the barrels and loved them. They started to win and soon afterwards, other teams wanted to purchase the barrels. The company was now starting to grow. Bill decided that he needed some help with the business and asked his brother to join him. Adam would focus on the marketing and finance while Billy would focus on the new product development and manufacturing.
The brothers were also experiencing success on the paintball field. They won several regional events and then started to compete on the National scene. They made their first semi-finals, then finals and then finished the 1991 season with a 4th place, then 3rd, then 2nd and then shocked the paintball world by winning the 1991 Line SI Masters 10 man tournament. This was the largest and most respected prize in tournament paintball. The team continued its success the following year by winning another Masters title as well as the World Cup and several other National Tournaments. Over the next decade, the Brothers would win over 60 National events and a dozen World Championships. Included in that streak were 18 consecutive 5 man victories over the course of several seasons.
As the All Americans were becoming a force in the tournament scene, Smart Parts was becoming a force in the manufacturing side. In the mid 1990’s, the brothers were discussing how they could further improve their competitive edge. The two main tournament markers at the time were the Automag and the Autococker. Competitors felt that tournament markers had evolved as far as they would go but the Brother’s felt differently. They began experimenting with the concept of an electronic paintgun. Their early prototype looked promising so they joined up with a group of Aerospace engineers from a company called Pneu-Ventures. Together, they developed the first electro-pneumatic paintball marker, The Shocker. This new design would change the game of paintball forever. The new group filed for patents and started manufacturing their new design. Smart Parts was to handle the marketing and sales while Pneu-Ventures would be the manufacturer. Unfortunately, the group took the Shocker to a tradeshow before they were in full production. Competitors took their idea and the arms race began. Pneu-Ventures had some early financial difficulties and decided to opt out of their agreement with Smart Parts. Both companies would own the patent rights and both companies would attempt to compete in the marketplace. Six months later, Smart Parts had perfected the Shocker and Pneu-Ventures had gone bankrupt. Smart Parts, who already owned ½ of the electro-pneumatic patents, purchased Pneu-Ventures’ ½, thereby securing full ownership. This would become very important over the next decade as the tournament side of paintball markers would soon be 100% electro-pneumatic. Smart Parts would have their patents and patent rights tested by the Federal Courts in over a half dozen federal lawsuits. Smart Parts prevailed in all of these cases and has licensed the technology to numerous competitors.
Innovations from Smart Parts have not been limited to paintball markers. Smart Parts change the barrel market once again with its introduction of the Freak Barrel System. This ingenious system allowed players to easily match the bore size of their barrel with the size of their paint. Its interchangeability allowed players to quickly adjust barrel length and thread type as well. The Freak is the dominant barrel system currently in the marketplace.
In March of 2005, Smart Parts again changed the face of paintball as we knew it with the introduction of the Ion paintball marker. Prior to the Ion, players were forced to chose expensive electronic markers or inferior, mechanical markers. Players who couldn’t afford the expensive electronic markers were simply outgunned. The Ion was the first inexpensive electronic marker that performed like a high-end electro. The younger players could now compete without breaking the bank. Sales exceeded 100,000 units in the first year alone. In order to produce this large volume of quality markers, Bill and Adam felt that it was necessary to invest in the most high-tech machinery available. They wanted to ensure that they could be competitive in the ever changing world economy. In addition, they also travelled to China in order to secure the most competitive pricing for components like electronics and plastics. That way they would have the best of both worlds - High quality, machined parts from the USA and high quality, affordable electronics and composites from Asia.
In 2007 they took the Ion design one step further with the development of the Vibe and SP1 markers, which were designed for the field owner and as the perfect marker for the beginner. New players would soon find that they could get the performance of an Ion for the cost of most mechanical alternatives.
Because Billy and Adam have always been paintball players first, they have recognized the importance that equipment makes to success on the field. The company mantra is “Equipment Counts”. They never wanted to make a product unless they were willing to use it themselves. They didn’t want to make something just because someone else was making it - they wanted to make products so that they could improve performance. They wanted to make it better and they still do today. You can see that in the designs of their high-end markers: The Luxe and the newest release, the Impulse.
Bill and Adam have been involved in all aspects of the sport of paintball, not just Smart Parts. When the days of tournament paintball were threatened to come to an end, they joined with others like Bob Long and Tom Cole and formed the NPPL. The NPPL set the rules and standards for tournament play. The teams themselves would take turns sitting out events so that they could be the referees. This had a great influence on the standards of refereeing as we see it today. Billy and Adam also ran NPPL tournaments at the Pittsburgh location. In fact, they were the first to introduce a “Concept” field with their now famous “Mounds Fields”. After the NPPL, Billy and Adam became owners in the PSP and are still active today.
Discuss.
It seems appropriate the biographies of the Gardner brothers be done together since they have been a team from the very beginning. In fact, Team Gardner has been at the forefront of the paintball industry since they were first introduced to the sport in the spring of 1986. Bill and Adam were on spring break in Florida and were playing for the first time with some Splatmasters that Bill had mail ordered. When they ran out of paint, they called around and found a store that sold paintballs. When they went to get them, they discovered that there were actually paintball fields where you could go to play. They spent the rest of spring break at the paintball field and their story began.
Bill and Adam are both very competitive. They are separated by 3 ½ years, Bill being the elder. They both attended the Kiski School, an all boys boarding school in PA, where they excelled in sports. Bill earned 8 varsity letters and was captain of both the soccer and wrestling teams. Adam earned 9 varsity letters (a school record) and captained the wrestling team.
After Kiski, both brothers attended the College of Wooster in Ohio and both studied Economics. This is where their paths separated for some time. After graduating with honors, Bill moved on to Emory University in Atlanta where he received his MBA in 1988. His focus was on Entrepreneurship and his goal was to own his own business just like his parents and his grandparents. In fact, the Gardner family has owned their own businesses in the Pittsburgh area since 1836 and outside of Pittsburgh as far back as the early 1700’s. After Bill Graduated from Emory, he felt he had the “Business knowledge” needed to run his own business but lacked the hands on skills necessary to do so. He took the very untraditional route and enrolled in Johnstown Vo-Technical School to learn machining. His goal was to learn how to build a marker! Meanwhile Adam, not wanting to be left behind and eager to get into the work force, earned is BA from Wooster and his MBA from The Katz Graduate School of Business in Pittsburgh. He managed to complete both degrees in NINE semesters (3 ½ years) while graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Wooster and Beta Gamma Sigma (Honors) from Katz.
While the brothers were getting their educations in the classroom, they were also getting an education on the paintball fields as well. While Bill was at Emory, he started his own paintball field. Adam spent the summer helping with the field. Since they didn’t have many customers due to a poor location, they had plenty of time practicing against each other. Bill received a flier about a 20 man paintball tournament at a new field near NY called Wolf’s Lair. The Brothers signed up and were matched up with players from Michigan and several other states. The Team, called Omega, managed to take 2nd place and a bag filled with $15,000 CASH. The Brothers were hooked. They decided to start their own team, The All Americans.
Bill, after receiving his machining certificate, started Smart Parts in his garage. With the help from his parents, he bought a small Mazak lathe and began to make parts for his first paintgun, The BOSS. Bill soon found out how hard it was to make and assemble every part by himself. Fortunately, while he was dreaming about how to improve accuracy for his paintball team, began to experiment with paintball barrels by drilling holes in them. He found that the holes made a big improvement in the accuracy. Upon the advice of his father, Bill decided to patent his new idea. The team used the barrels and loved them. They started to win and soon afterwards, other teams wanted to purchase the barrels. The company was now starting to grow. Bill decided that he needed some help with the business and asked his brother to join him. Adam would focus on the marketing and finance while Billy would focus on the new product development and manufacturing.
The brothers were also experiencing success on the paintball field. They won several regional events and then started to compete on the National scene. They made their first semi-finals, then finals and then finished the 1991 season with a 4th place, then 3rd, then 2nd and then shocked the paintball world by winning the 1991 Line SI Masters 10 man tournament. This was the largest and most respected prize in tournament paintball. The team continued its success the following year by winning another Masters title as well as the World Cup and several other National Tournaments. Over the next decade, the Brothers would win over 60 National events and a dozen World Championships. Included in that streak were 18 consecutive 5 man victories over the course of several seasons.
As the All Americans were becoming a force in the tournament scene, Smart Parts was becoming a force in the manufacturing side. In the mid 1990’s, the brothers were discussing how they could further improve their competitive edge. The two main tournament markers at the time were the Automag and the Autococker. Competitors felt that tournament markers had evolved as far as they would go but the Brother’s felt differently. They began experimenting with the concept of an electronic paintgun. Their early prototype looked promising so they joined up with a group of Aerospace engineers from a company called Pneu-Ventures. Together, they developed the first electro-pneumatic paintball marker, The Shocker. This new design would change the game of paintball forever. The new group filed for patents and started manufacturing their new design. Smart Parts was to handle the marketing and sales while Pneu-Ventures would be the manufacturer. Unfortunately, the group took the Shocker to a tradeshow before they were in full production. Competitors took their idea and the arms race began. Pneu-Ventures had some early financial difficulties and decided to opt out of their agreement with Smart Parts. Both companies would own the patent rights and both companies would attempt to compete in the marketplace. Six months later, Smart Parts had perfected the Shocker and Pneu-Ventures had gone bankrupt. Smart Parts, who already owned ½ of the electro-pneumatic patents, purchased Pneu-Ventures’ ½, thereby securing full ownership. This would become very important over the next decade as the tournament side of paintball markers would soon be 100% electro-pneumatic. Smart Parts would have their patents and patent rights tested by the Federal Courts in over a half dozen federal lawsuits. Smart Parts prevailed in all of these cases and has licensed the technology to numerous competitors.
Innovations from Smart Parts have not been limited to paintball markers. Smart Parts change the barrel market once again with its introduction of the Freak Barrel System. This ingenious system allowed players to easily match the bore size of their barrel with the size of their paint. Its interchangeability allowed players to quickly adjust barrel length and thread type as well. The Freak is the dominant barrel system currently in the marketplace.
In March of 2005, Smart Parts again changed the face of paintball as we knew it with the introduction of the Ion paintball marker. Prior to the Ion, players were forced to chose expensive electronic markers or inferior, mechanical markers. Players who couldn’t afford the expensive electronic markers were simply outgunned. The Ion was the first inexpensive electronic marker that performed like a high-end electro. The younger players could now compete without breaking the bank. Sales exceeded 100,000 units in the first year alone. In order to produce this large volume of quality markers, Bill and Adam felt that it was necessary to invest in the most high-tech machinery available. They wanted to ensure that they could be competitive in the ever changing world economy. In addition, they also travelled to China in order to secure the most competitive pricing for components like electronics and plastics. That way they would have the best of both worlds - High quality, machined parts from the USA and high quality, affordable electronics and composites from Asia.
In 2007 they took the Ion design one step further with the development of the Vibe and SP1 markers, which were designed for the field owner and as the perfect marker for the beginner. New players would soon find that they could get the performance of an Ion for the cost of most mechanical alternatives.
Because Billy and Adam have always been paintball players first, they have recognized the importance that equipment makes to success on the field. The company mantra is “Equipment Counts”. They never wanted to make a product unless they were willing to use it themselves. They didn’t want to make something just because someone else was making it - they wanted to make products so that they could improve performance. They wanted to make it better and they still do today. You can see that in the designs of their high-end markers: The Luxe and the newest release, the Impulse.
Bill and Adam have been involved in all aspects of the sport of paintball, not just Smart Parts. When the days of tournament paintball were threatened to come to an end, they joined with others like Bob Long and Tom Cole and formed the NPPL. The NPPL set the rules and standards for tournament play. The teams themselves would take turns sitting out events so that they could be the referees. This had a great influence on the standards of refereeing as we see it today. Billy and Adam also ran NPPL tournaments at the Pittsburgh location. In fact, they were the first to introduce a “Concept” field with their now famous “Mounds Fields”. After the NPPL, Billy and Adam became owners in the PSP and are still active today.
Discuss.