Companies Shoot for Success in the Scholastic Sports Market

Big Numbers

The nature of Steve Sclafani's business calls for the founder/CEO of the Columbia-based Baseball Factory, which was established in 1994 before expanding nationwide, to key on prep player development and promotion via. To do that, he creates video content that is distributed to college coaches across the country. Those coaches nominate players for the initial Under Armour Baseball Factory Tryout, which is used to evaluate player skills at 100 locations in the United States and serves as the initial step in getting the right players linked to the right program. Baseball Factory's success in doing so has been astounding: 97% of Division 1 college programs have at least one Baseball Factory player on their rosters. "We assist 15,000 players a year through our company," Sclafani said. Today, Baseball Factory is looking to expand via development deals with the American Legion and even Little League Baseball, which will take it slightly away from its core market. As for the company's success, Sclafani has a simple philosophy. "I'd tell an entrepreneur that you have to fill a niche, have a good strategy and make sure that you build relationships at both the local and, if necessary, the national levels," he said. "You really need to build your brand."

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